Happy Halloween!

Doll's eyes (Actaea pachypoda {syn. A. alba}) MMMWAH!

Creepy, isn't it? The infructescence of doll's eyes makes an impression on you - wandering in a dark wood in fall, suddenly, it feels as though there are eyes on you. You look down, and it's true!

In late spring, when this member of the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae) is in flower, it would be easy to overlook, with it's small, white, star-like blooms held aloft sharply toothed, compound leaves. At this stage, it closely resembles its congener, red baneberry (Actaea rubra). But the real fun comes later in the season, when stark white berries with dark "eye" spots appear in early fall. (This spot is a persistent stigma from the flower). These berries are collected on a grape-colored stem, which makes quite a striking contrast that lasts over a month. And as tempting as it may be, don't eat them - they are poisonous.

In New York State, doll's eyes is considered "exploitably vulnerable", which means people poach it in the wild. If you come across it, for goodness sakes, don't pick it!

However, it would be easy to enjoy this plant at home - it makes an excellent addition to any garden in partial shade. Growing to 2.5 ft tall, both baneberries are long-lived and willingly germinate from seed.