The changing colour of Baneberry berries

Another hot day today (getting up to 30C - to feel like 32C - this afternoon). Yesterday was the same, when five of us had the chance to botanize the beautiful 320 acres belonging to philanthropist, Davd Bissett and his wife. This land, roughly half wooded, with several small ponds in the open area, lies SW of Calgary. For anyone not sure what "botanizing" involves, we visit someone's property for the day, listing every single species of plant and tree, bird, insect, fungus, lichen, moss, liverwort, etc. that we find. It is always a win/win situation, as we are lucky enough to have the chance to explore a new area and the landowner receives a highly detailed list of everything found on his land.

David Bissett's giving to community causes, especially education, has been a hallmark of his philanthropy. He has donated to a wide range of community cultural organizations, and he has a passion for wildlife conservation. Just one of his endless donations resulted in the creation of the Bissett Wetlands at Heritage Park here in the city, a popular educational destination.

calgary.ctvnews.ca/inspired-to-give-1.676279

mtroyal.ca/ProgramsCourses/FacultiesSchoolsCentres/Busine...

The heat, and the fact that my camera isn't working properly, took away most of my energy yesterday, but I managed to get a few photos that will be OK to upload. I will try and throw in the occasional bird or animal photo taken on other days in other places, as I know many of you are not really interested in plants : ) Just not getting time to go through my photos these days.

Many thanks to Christie, the young woman who looks after this property, for inviting us out for the morning, and for walking the trails with us! Very much appreciated!

"All parts of the plant are poisonous. However, accidental poisoning is not likely since the berries are extremely bitter. The berries are the most toxic part of the plant. A healthy adult will experience poisoning from as few as six berries. Ingestion of the berries causes nausea, dizziness, increased pulse and severe gastrointestinal discomfort. The toxins can also have an immediate sedative effect on the cardiac muscle tissue possibly leading to cardiac arrest if introduced into the bloodstream. As few as two berries may be fatal to a child. All parts of the plant contain an irritant oil that is most concentrated within the roots and berries." From Wikipedia.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actaea_rubra

I don't usually see berries that have started to turn colour like these ones. When the berries are green to start off with, you never know if they will turn bright red or white. These are obviously going to be the vibrant red ones.