Apparently, this beautiful green plant that sprouted up beside our little bistro table beneath the deck is a common, ordinary pokeweed, Phytolacca Americana. We suspected it was a weed because of how fast it grew, but we decided to leave it because it was one of the few plants that didn't get beat up by the May 19 hailstorm, it added some nice color, and if there was even a slight possibility it was a flower, we wanted to give it a fighting chance. But now we've discovered that even though it's a weed, it's one that birds and wildlife love (when the berries come on) so we will probably let it get berries, let the birds pick it clean and then pull it out. We've heard it's easy to control in the garden, and that some gardeners like to let two or three plants grow for the sake of wildlife. Our birds and squirrels and rabbits and ducks and geese have been a constant source of entertainment––one we never expected to be part of our new life in the city. So we're going to do our part to keep them coming! :)
This is what it will eventually look like:
