I ran across these on a hike and since then have been wondering what they are. If anyone can help me positively ID them I would greatly appreciate it. If they are what I think they are it may be a good one to know.
Definitely looks like it. The veining on the foliage of Rhamnaceae is pretty distinctive, and there shouldn't be any other Frangula spp. in eastern North America.
IIRC, Frangula alnus (Alder Buckthorn) from Europe is a common invasive species in eastern North America, but it has smaller leaves with fewer veins than this, and also black mature fruit.
"Ecological Threat Frangula alnus invades moist woodlands and disturbed areas throughout the Northeast and Midwest. Its rapid growth and prolific seed production make this plant an aggressive invader that can form dense thickets which shade and displace native understory plants, shrubs, and tree seedlings. This plant is native to Europe and was first introduced into the United States in the mid 1800s as an ornamental." glossy buckthorn, Frangula alnus Rhamnales: Rhamnaceae (invasive.org)
Thank you, I appreciate the input. Thanks, I tried to look into it myself a little before bugging you guys. Being a woodsman and only a novice botanist, one of the first things I learned when I joined this forum was to give as detailed photos as possible of speciffic parts of the trees/plants, and be very specific with my questions. I try to make answering my questions as easy as I can. Thank you. I'm not sure what the ripe fruit looks like yet, I'm still taking photos of the stages of development as it progresses. Thanks. Yes, I noticed how it expands rapidly. There are several small ones around all the larger ones I found, I'm going to pot a couple of those and take them home. I can see them being a colorful ornamental in my landscape with the bright berries, I'm curious what the autumn leaves will look like.