What’s this plant that appeared in my backyard?

Melinda: A visiting bird likely passed along this plant. Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) berries are eaten by a variety of songbirds as well as mammals, including raccoons, opossums and gray foxes. The berries and other parts of the plant are poisonous to humans. You may also find several flies, wasps and bees visiting the flowers. Pokeweed grows in clearings, roadsides, open woods, damp thickets and other sites. It is native in much of North America, except for certain western regions.