Yarrow in the Grass
Tucked into the dune swales and beach grass of Washington’s southwest coast, Achillea millefolium—common yarrow—flourishes where salt, wind, and sand test the hardiest natives. Its finely divided, feathery leaves and flat-topped white blooms belie its toughness.
Long valued by coastal Indigenous peoples, yarrow was used to treat wounds, fevers, and digestive complaints, often brewed as tea or applied as a poultice. The Quinault, Chinook, and other regional nations recognized its astringent, anti-inflammatory, and styptic properties—an ancestral medicine chest hiding in plain sight.
Ecologically, yarrow plays a quiet but vital role in coastal succession. Its rhizomes help stabilize fragile soils, making it one of the pioneer species that prepares open sand for more complex plant communities. It supports native pollinators and withstands both drought and disturbance—traits essential for survival in the shifting, wind-scoured dune zones near the Pacific.
Today, yarrow is as much a symbol of resilience as it is a plant of utility—bridging past and present, healing and holding ground.
This text is a collaboration with Chat GPT.
Yarrow in the Grass
Tucked into the dune swales and beach grass of Washington’s southwest coast, Achillea millefolium—common yarrow—flourishes where salt, wind, and sand test the hardiest natives. Its finely divided, feathery leaves and flat-topped white blooms belie its toughness.
Long valued by coastal Indigenous peoples, yarrow was used to treat wounds, fevers, and digestive complaints, often brewed as tea or applied as a poultice. The Quinault, Chinook, and other regional nations recognized its astringent, anti-inflammatory, and styptic properties—an ancestral medicine chest hiding in plain sight.
Ecologically, yarrow plays a quiet but vital role in coastal succession. Its rhizomes help stabilize fragile soils, making it one of the pioneer species that prepares open sand for more complex plant communities. It supports native pollinators and withstands both drought and disturbance—traits essential for survival in the shifting, wind-scoured dune zones near the Pacific.
Today, yarrow is as much a symbol of resilience as it is a plant of utility—bridging past and present, healing and holding ground.
This text is a collaboration with Chat GPT.