These glossy, plump looking berries look inviting, but they are in fact, poisonous to humans (actually, the entire Red Baneberry plant is considered toxic). Birds eat them, and are the main agents of seed dispersal. Deer won't eat them ...
The archaic form of the word 'bane' means poison, so this native is aptly named. Just having it grow in one's yard does not make it harmful - only ingesting the berries and roots deliberately would be what causes distress, and the berries are said to be distasteful, anyway.
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