Monday, June 18, 2012

Avoid eating these poisonous berries

Berries from holly are poisonous.
Illustration courtesy of Wikipedia.
When hiking with young children, it’s tempting for them (and even you!) to pick a plump, delicious-looking berry and plop it in the mouth. Unfortunately, some berries will make children nauseous and others even are poisonous.

Instruct children not to eat any berries (They’re for the animals to eat, after all!). Familiarize yourself with which plants and berries you should avoid.

When on the trail, never eat berries from these plants:
g Castor oil
g Daphne
g English ivy
g Holly
g Lantana
g Mistletoe
g Nightshade
g Virginia creeper
g Yew

Read more about day hiking with children in my guidebook Hikes with Tykes.