Do you know it?
Every time I have seen it, I have photographed it, and then searched my field guides for it. I tried googling it by putting in key words representing its most outstanding features. No luck - until last week.
It's elderberry!
Most photos I've found on this plant online focuses on the white blossoms, rather than the beautiful, net-like appearance of its stalks and stems.
Elderberry a native plant, and is common in Iowa and Illinois. It is an important food source for songbirds. Deer, squirrels and mice also eat it. Its scientific name is Sambucus. While the plant can be poisonous, people do use the berries for food and to make drinks. The wood has been used around the world to make musical instruments.
Elderberry has an amazing history, and I can't resist sharing with you a link to a super-informative online paper about elderberry for your further reading pleasure. It was written by Charles E. Voigt, entitled "Elderberry, Herb of the Year 2013". Here's the link: http://jhawkins54.typepad.com/files/elderberry-hoy-document.pdf .
In his section on the history and lore of the plant, Voight states the following on the fascinating etymology of the name:
"Elderberry has been involved with human history for hundreds of years. Sambucus comes
from the Greek word “sambuke,” a musical instrument made of elder wood, whose music was
believed to heal the spirit. (In Europe, Elderberry wood was used for making musical
instruments.) The common name “elder” comes from the Anglo-Saxon “ellen”, meaning firekindler, because of the dry, pithy stems."
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