Elder flower bud ( Sambucus nigra )

It never fails to amaze me how much rubbish two or three guests can generate in a week.  Today I carried two bn bags to the bins, each fuller than the single one we put out each week.  However with them not having taken the bags themselves it left me with the opportunity of another "walk to the bins" blip.

Looking at one of the Elder bushes I pass I noticed that even at this early stage the flower buds are forming.  Interestingly my Field guide of trees to the trees of Britain and Europe refuse to include Elder as it doesn't consider it a tree.  With a life span of up to 60 years and an ultimate height of around 15m I would think it was very much a tree.

Something not commonly known (well among people I know) is that while elder berries are fine when cooked or made into wine they are poisonous raw.  As are all parts of the Sambucus group.