While out for a walk about five miles east of Kamsack on Sunday, Bethany Walterson and her brother E.J. found clumps of shrubs containing wild chokecherries. According to Wikipedia, chokecherries, or prusus virginiana, are a species of bird cherry native to North America. The chokecherry is toxic to horses, moose, cattle, goats, deer, and other animals with segmented stomachs (rumens), especially after the leaves have wilted (such as after a frost or after branches have been broken) because wilting releases cyanide and makes the plant sweet. About 10 to 20 pounds of foliage can be fatal.
Advertisement
