Cuckoo pint

Saturday
A walk along the Canal du Nivernais from Ecuelles this morning, where we saw quite a few of these cuckoo pint plants amongst the trees. I wasn't familiar with them at the time, so I had to look it up when I got home. Cuckoo pint, or Arum maculatum, is a common woodland plant species of the Araceae family. It is widespread across most of Europe as well as Turkey and Caucasus.It is also known by an abundance of other common names including snakeshead, adder's root, arum, wild arum, arum lily, lords-and-ladies, devils and angels, cows and bulls, Adam and Eve, starch-root, wake robin, friar's cowl and jack in the pulpit. These attractive orange/red berries are extremely poisonous, causing irritation to the skin, mouth, tongue, and throat, and result in swelling of the throat, difficulty breathing, burning pain, and upset stomach. However, their acrid taste coupled with the almost immediate tingling sensation in the mouth when consumed mean that large amounts are rarely taken and serious harm is unusual.