Elderberries, From the Honeysuckle Famly-Caprifolliaceae

In the photo, which appears above, you have, undoubtedly noticed that the Elderberries appear to be very similar to Chokecherries. Blue Elderberries will have a "bloom" similar to common Blueberries.
Warning: Edibility: It is claimed that early tribal Canadians generally considered raw Elderberries inedible and only cooked berries edible.The bark, branches, leaves, roots, twigs of all Elderberries are indeed considered poisonous. But, as you can read below, Elderberries have found their way into the ranks of  "safe" edible plants.This is not because the cooked fruit has improved and for generations most peoples of the Pacific Coast did utalize the fruit,(perhaps, the mixed race Canadians of today's word have developed more tolerance than their partial ancestors).
Although none of the groups or tribes regarded Elderberries as a reliable or staple food source; the cooked fruit of this small tree was widely eaten by earlier coastal peoples of present-day British Columbia. 
Elderberries are an unpleasant smelling deciduous shrub with pithy, opposite branches often sprouting from the base The flowers are white, forming crowned, branched clusters.
Black Elderberry, Sambucus racemosa melanocarpa, with purple/black fruit grows predominately in the interior of British Columbia, although it does, occasionally, occur West of the coastal Mountain range.
Blue Elderberry,Sambucus nigra most commonly grows East of the Cascades. Blue Elderberries have excellent edibility, with one stipulation, although the fruit can be consumed raw, or cooked, the raw berries can cause nausea in some persons The low grade toxin  is , apparently, destroyed by cooking. 
Red Elderberry, Sambucus pubens, is the predominate species West of the Cascades. Elderberries have long been considered to produce excellent wine, and the flowers of this plant are used for Elderflower tea.
 Survive, but do so Responsibly: In the summer, when the flower heads are becoming spent, place a large paper bag over the flower head and shake. All the ripe petals will fall into the sack, without damaging the fertilized flowers, which will in turn mature into berries in the fall.
©Al (Alex, Alexander) D. Girvan. All rights reserved.