Dr. Dad: You Going to Eat That?

Having slathered bug spray on Jack and myself, confirmed that the toilet paper and Jack’s Captain Underpants book are stowed, and shouldered the food pack and canoe, we are ready to begin the mile-long portage to Morgan Lake. Ultimately, we’re en-route to Vista Lake for a four-day BWCA trip with my brother, his son, his father-in-law, and my father-in-law. Jack, age 7, is chomping at the bit to catch his uncle and cousin, who’ve already departed down the well-worn trail. After he promises to stay on the trail and not to run (unlikely), Jack quickly moves out of sight in pursuit of his cousin who, at age 12, may not want Jack to catch him.
Later that morning, after the last portage and paddle to the campsite, Jack asks nonchalantly if all the blueberries in the Boundary Waters will be as bitter as the one he ate along the first portage trail. I didn’t see any blueberry bushes along our route, so I’m a bit confused and concerned. Just what did he eat, thinking it was a blueberry?
I make a quick foray into the woods near our campsite, and quickly find what I’m looking for. Clustered in a shady patch on the forest floor are several Blue Bead Lilies (Clintonia borealis), each bearing several bright, shiny blue berries. “Yep Dad, those blueberries are not good,” Jack informs me. “Trust me, you don’t want to eat them. ‘Cause it was so bitter, I had to spit out the only one I tried.”
After a reassuring inspection of Jack’s lips, mouth and tongue and the knowledge that the toxicity of this berry, if any, depends on a large number being ingested, I was able to sit down, compose myself and use this as a teachable moment.
It is estimated that over 100,000 calls a year to poison control centers in the United States concern toxic plant exposures. In young children specifically, toxic plant exposures account for nearly 10 percent of all poison exposures reported to poison centers according to the Minnesota Poison Control Center.
With hundreds of poisonous plant species, including many that are found in Minnesota, it is a good idea to teach your children about plant safety. First and foremost, know that children are often drawn to plants and shrubs with brightly colored berries. Teach your child never to eat a berry from a plant unless they ask an adult first. Keeping toxic houseplants out of the reach of young children is commonly recommended but surveying your own yard and gardens for common poisonous plant species such as nightshade and Buckthorn is also good advice. Removing these species, if possible, is ideal.
If you suspect an ingestion of a toxic plant, call the Minnesota Poison Control Center since symptoms of poisoning can be delayed but treatment, if indicated, should not.
The next day, on top of a large sunny rocky outcropping on Vista Lake, Jack learned what real wild BWCA blueberries look and taste like. Based on the purple stains across his smiling face, I think he liked them. Til next time.