woody nightshade is a native perennial vine closely related to deadly nightshade ( atropa belladonna ) and others of the genus solanum like tomatos and potatos and is also known as bittersweet ,woody nightshade is a climbing plant but will also scramble across the ground or other plants it prefers moist ground and is common around ponds and river banks ,it has purple flowers which are attractive to pollinators ,the berries are bright orange to red and are toxic to humans but are a food source of many birds like thrush and black bird   ( berries falling in the water wont affect aquatic inhabitants ) it makes excellent ground cover and shelter for animals and is tolerant of shade.