It looks like Pokeweed, Phytolacca americana.

Here is a link that might be useful: pokeweed

Be mindful- this weed has a long taproot that's difficult to eradicate should you wish to do so later on and it grows up to 6 feet in height! The birds love the purple berries that it gives.

see link..

if you have kids attracted to pretty berries.. destroy immediately as they are poison

see link

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Or you can teach your kids not to eat berries that they don't know ... we certainly can't protect our kids from everything by removing them. They might find them in another yard ... ken.

Thank you everyone. The thing was nearly 6 feet tall. It actually is one of the more attractive weeds I found in that bed. I'm going to look it up .

Thanks carol for the link. I guess I will be eradicating this one.

In a former garden I grew the most stunning variegated pokeweed plant. It was truly in my top ten most beautiful plants and was admired by all visitors.

Carol, I have definitely seen these in full bloom around the country. It is pretty.
Interestingly, I looked up a little more on the plant, and found that it is being studied for its possible anti-cancerous properties, which seems to be in direct contrast to some of the other information I read, for example, saying the plant is linked to birth defects and cancer and should be handled with gloves only. :)

I've said it before and will say it again. Not all plants that spread readily are "weeds". It depends entirely on the individual. I happen to like lantana very much and its berries are poisonous. So is oleander. I have them both. Nature is full of stuff we shouldn't be putting in our mouths. That's just the way of things.

acoffey, thanks for doing your own research. Everyone should do that. We are just here to point you in the right direction but ultimately the decisions is yours.

SlenderHope, absolutely. Wildlife like Monarch butterflies would be starving without the wild populations of goldenrod and late thoroughwort and other "wild" plants. Boy, I wish more people would let some of that stay when it appears in their garden.

Well I definitely appreciate the vast knowledge on this forum. I have just started gardening after living in a 500 sq ft apt for 6 years. I have a tiny front and back yard (never seen houses this close together, every driveway overlaps into the next door neighbor's yard, lol) but it is perfect for us and I am loving it.

I am kind of thinking I might leave some of the pokeweed, it is actually pretty in my opinion. We have holly berries and crab apples on our property as well, as well as something else giving out red berries (not sure what it is yet), and my daughter is aware that we don't eat berries from the wild, unless mommy says it is OK first of course.