Chimera Fields xxii. two hands digging

AW, botanist #10 (plant identification: elderberry vs. devil's walking stick/aralia spinosa)

Though the ravaged field blanketed in wildflowers didn't seem as likely to be abundant in worthwhile flora as the stately forest north of the Spine -- it did seem worthwhile to at least investigate the half of the plains that were inhabited by the occasional songbird and hives of honeybees. It was near the roots of a tree that housed one such hive that Aiwë came across a thicket of bushes with spindly leaves and white flowers, bunches of dark berries growing on the plants.

She thought perhaps it was an elder plant, the sort that healers might collect leaves from, but berries could be awfully tricky. If she were wrong, the plant could prove to be a poisonous variety. The birdwatcher's spring gems shifted between the bush and the hive of bees curiously, hoping to catch them or some other animal eating the berries -- thinking that this might help her to determine if the leaves were safe to collect.