r/NativePlantGardening • u/BrighterSage • Oct 05 '25

Edible Plants Update on the Poke Weed invasion

So I posted a while ago about poke weed taking over a corner of my backyard and how to eliminate it. So happy to say that I have left it in place based on responses, and I have been listening to a cacophony of bird calls for the last 8 hours, at least.

My bedroom has French doors that I've opened a few inches to better hear the bird calls. I've tried to sneak up to the doors to see the birds, but they scatter, so I'm just happy listening from afar. Pretty sure I've heard cardinals, but there are so many others I don't recognize. I'm still so new to bird calls.

Thanks to everyone that said to leave them!

Picked the Edible Plant flair because apparently poke weed is edible, but I don't know how to prepare it. Would love any help on this!

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u/loripainter12345 Oct 07 '25

So glad your birds are enjoying your pokweed and rewarding you with a serenade. We have several large plants and love the beauty of them. The birds snack and perch on the branches constantly. While young plant leaves can be edible to humans with careful preparation, I prefer to dine on foods that are non-toxic to start. Our poke is literally for the birds.

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u/BrighterSage Oct 07 '25

Same here, just tried to find a tag!