Yew Berries ( Taxus baccata )

In the morning I finished assembling the bedroom furniture for the Lodge, then we headed there to remove the old stuff and put the new in place.

The afternoon was my regular afternoon with Kanyl.  So as usual the blip comes from his garden.  He has a fastigiate golden Yew that currently is bearing berries.  I grew up with a yew in the garden planted by my grandad.  I knew it was poisonous but I don't think at that time the full import of the poisonous nature really sank in.  We used to climb the tree and never think about it.

All parts of the tree apart from the flesh on the berry are poisonous.  Poisonous to the degree that if any leaves are ingested immediate medical attention should be sought and the patient observed for at least 6 hours.  The fatal dose is only 50g of leaves.  Animal deaths both wild and domestic regularly occur from Yew poisoning.  The European Yew is one of the most toxic of the whole Yew group.