Blue Elderberry

Sambucus nigra ssp. cerulea

Safety note: Unripe berries, leaves, and bark are toxic if ingested raw.

Blue Elderberry is the western counterpart of American elderberry, growing in riparian corridors and forest edges from British Columbia to Mexico. Its large clusters of waxy blue berries with a whitish bloom ripen in summer and are consumed by an enormous variety of birds including band-tailed pigeons, western bluebirds, and many others. The berries were a staple food for many indigenous peoples.

Habitat

Riparian corridors, forest edges, and moist slopes in western North America

Diet

Berries consumed by over 50 bird species; critical for band-tailed pigeons

How common

Common

Not certain it is a Blue Elderberry? What plant is this? walks through what to check first and the lookalikes that catch people out.