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Some of the many cattails along the last Vermilion Lake at sunset. The left shoulder of Mt. Rundle on the right.
Who knew (I didn't):
"No green plant produces more edible starch per acre than the Cat O’ Nine Tails; not potatoes, rice, taros or yams. Plans were underway to feed American soldiers with that starch when WWII stopped. One acre of cattails can produce 6,475 pounds of flour per year on average.
Cattails are the supermarket of the wilds. It is said that if a lost person has found cattails, they have three of the four things they need to survive: Water, food, shelter and a source of fuel for heat—the dry old stalks. The young cob-like tips of the plant are edible as is the white bottom of the stalk, spurs off the main roots and spaghetti like rootlets off the main roots. They have vitamins A, B,and C, potassium and phosphorus. The pollen can be used like flour." eattheweeds.com
Enjoy a wonderful week!
Surinam Cherries that is.....big seed inside and very juicy with a taste that's quite distinct from the sweet (George Washington style) of North Am.
www.eattheweeds.com/surinam-cherry-only-ripe-need-apply/
We LOVE 'EM! It's a love it or hate it thang with these cherries.
These are strong-smelling bulbous plants of which at least two species have become naturalised in New Zealand. A. vineale has for a long time been a pest in damp pastures where the narrow leaves are not easily detected but get you nose close and the distinctive smell is all yours and you can eat it
this is a great website
A native of Eurasia and cultivated for some 5,000 years, the Mustard — Brassica et alia... per eattheweeds.com, which also indicates this is a very tasty wildflower!
According to this website, Jack-in-the-Pulpit is "a little plant with a devil hiding and mighty toxic sermon if not prepared correctly [for consumption]" www.eattheweeds.com/arisaema-triphyllum-jack-and-jill-and...
I've never seen a Jack-in-the-Pulpit at this stage of emergence, with the flap-like spathe still tucked into the "pulpit" and Jack no where in evidence (yet).
An unwelcome seed pod...
Information on above seed pod.
www.eattheweeds.com/bitter-gourd-balsam-pear-pharmacy-on-...
Thanks [https://www.flickr.com/photos/41313722@N04/]
Though the bees love it, the Spanish needles are considered a weed in the United States. This little green bee's legs are powdered with pollen from the Bidens alba. Sweat bees (Halctidae) are among the smallest of our local bee species, averaging only 5 to 10mm in length. The female bees can be identified by the pollen collecting hairs on their hind legs.
Interesting information about Bidens alba and other nectar producing plants in Florida can be found here. www.eattheweeds.com/spanish-needles-pitchfork-weed/
Yes this Spanish Moss is growing and alive covering this fence on an East Texas backroad!!! Spanish Moss is often draped on chain link fences to create privacy. Spanish Moss grows well in full sun but endures partial shade. It prefers moist environments 50 to 90ºF but can survive well in dry habitats too. Spanish Moss is usually found on oaks or cypress trees — it likes the chemicals that leach from the trees’ bark — but can be found on other species such as pine or sweet gum. Other uses for Spanish Moss include: Lids for cooking pots, emergency blankets, insulation, mixed with clay to strengthen plaster, used to fire pots, used in tanning and to skim scum off cooking liquids, fiber woven into floor mats, to make string, rope and sacks, fire arrows to destroy invaders’ forts, doll decorations and Voodoo doll stuffing. It can be soaked — a natural sponge — and used as a covering to keep things from drying too fast, such as dug out canoes. It also makes excellent mulch and the water it is boiled in is excellent fertilizer. Even has been made into a Spanish Moss Horse Blanket!!! Spanish Moss usually doesn't harm the tree host. Regarding red bugs and chiggers, microscopic irritations said to live on Spanish Moss. They might inhabit Spanish Moss but to be utterly frank I have never gotten chiggers from Spanish Moss in trees. I have handled it and been in it many times over the decades and not once have I gotten chiggers from Spanish Moss from trees. You can, however, get chiggers from Spanish Moss on the ground. When I do get chiggers I smother them with clear fingernail polish. Yes, it stings and yes it works. Now, what of Spanish Moss?
Madeira vine likes to climb. In fact, it can become a pest.
www.eattheweeds.com/anredera-cordifolia-pest-or-food-crop-2/
Many of my pictures of this flower were ruined by it's glossiness. Per one website: "The only use for our buttercups was the childhood game of holding the yellow blossom under someone’s chin to see if they “liked” butter. The chin always lights up with a yellow glow. It took scientists a century to figure out why." www.eattheweeds.com/buttercups/
I'm not sure the exact species - this flower was one of only a few of its kind found. It was blooming early in the year, rather low to the ground in the moist woods.
Found in Shaver Park in Cedar Rapids Iowa.
Probably Red Mangroves.
I should have prepared better for this trip to the tropical coastal vegetation. The youtube movie below shows the difference of the 3 types of Mangroves:
Black Mangrove
Red Mangrove
White Mangrove
how to identify the 3 different types: youtu.be/Vonk499HgAY
Other interesting details: www.eattheweeds.com/mangroves-marvelous-muck-masters-2/
Location: between Canavieiras and Belmonte, Bahia, Brazil
www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5mJQGMqJvw
This one is called Angelina. So named as she tried to break through the wire fence into our garden. A very adventurous sheep indeed.
Two of my photos combined to create this sheepilicious image.
Have a happy weekend everyone.
"The Madeira Vine has long drooping flower spikes covered with tiny white blossoms (looks like their common name of Lamb’s Tails.) Their aroma ranges from apple-ish to almond-ish."
www.eattheweeds.com/anredera-cordifolia-pest-or-food-crop-2/
www.eattheweeds.com/wild-fennel-foeniculum-vulgare/
From an "Eat The Weeds" website article about wild fennel:
Home to the Mediterranean basin, Wild Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is naturalized over much of the temperate world including North America. Its preferred habitat is rocky shores and adjoining hills making little distinction between rock crevasse or a crack in the road. In other parts of the world we find it growing in empty lots, beside the road, in fields, on hillsides and ocean cliffs.
Very hardy, green fronds sprout in the spring from last-year roots. They grow until fall producing tall cane-like stems. Blossoms are an explosion of yellow. It can reproduce by seed or root. Wild Fennel is not the fennel you buy seasonally in the grocery store. Cultivated fennel has a large, edible bulb and nearly flavorless greens. Wild Fennel does not produce a bulb but has flavorful greens and seeds. If you like the flavor of sweet licorice you will like fennel. Preparation is easy: To cook the young fronds bring a large pot of water to roiling, boil the fronds for 10 minutes or so, drain, use whole or minced. You can also save the cooking liquid for flavoring.
Syagrus romanzoffiana. Queen Palm. Cocos Palm. Fruit in the morning sun.
Taken at The Regency, Laguna Woods, California. © 2014 All Rights Reserved.
My images are not to be used, copied, edited, or blogged without my explicit permission.
Please!! NO Glittery Awards or Large Graphics...Buddy Icons are OK. Thank You!
If you're interested and have time, take a look at this fascinating website ~
www.eattheweeds.com/queen-palm-2/ ~ A rain forest native to Brazil, Paraguay and northern Argentina, Queen Palms, Syagrus Romanzoffiana, are more a landscaper’s delight than a forager’s. The palm is tall, stately, single-trunked with a crown of glossy, bright green, soft feather-like fonds. It forms a graceful, drooping 20-foot crown with bright orange fruit (dates) that ripen in the winter months. They are popular adornments along streets or walkways usually planted every 15 feet. Their gray trunks are attractively ringed with dropped leaf scars. From Florida to California it is the most commonly planted palm.
Balloon Vine or Heart Seed - Cardiospermum halicacabum - is an introduced woody perennial vine distributed almost globally in the tropics. It is a fast growing vine up to 10 feet. Leaves are trifoliate, up to 4 inches long, with highly lobed leaflets. The plant climb with tendrils and needs some form of support. The small white flowers bloom from summer through fall, flowers are not very showy. The fruit is more interesting, from which the plant gets its common name. It is a brown, thin-shelled, inflated angled capsule up to 3 cm (1.13 inch) across, containing 3 black seeds each, with a white heart-shaped scar. Found in moist thickets and waste ground throughout eastern North America. Also called Love-in-a-puff, Heart Pea, and Heartseed (as one word). Seedpod: flic.kr/p/hjuEd7 From October 24, 2013. Seeds: flic.kr/p/h834W6 From October 30, 2013. www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Cardiospermum+hali... www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Balloon%20Vine.html www.eattheweeds.com/balloon-vine-heart-vine-heart-seed/ 92. Balloon Vine or Heart Seed - Cardiospermum halicacabum
Here is a seed pod from the beach bean plant, whose flowers I photographed a few months ago. These giant pods reach 15+ cm in length. Note the leaves have fallen from the vine pictured above and those in the background are from a gray nickerbean plant. The beans are generally considered toxic, especially when mature, but the young beans have sometimes been eaten by humans when cooked properly:
www.eattheweeds.com/beach-bean-bay-bean/
Another good reference:
www.somemagneticislandplants.com.au/index.php/plants/454-...
The blossom of a small pond apple tree growing on the edge of a depression marsh at Sweetbay Natural Area. The fruit of the pond apple are edible (don't eat the seeds) but not usually very tasty. The leaves are insecticidal. Seeds, leaves & bark are poisonous and contain a wide range of chemicals. Eat The Weeds website warns not to handle the seeds and then touch the eyes (the seeds can cause blindness) and that the leaves are used to kill lice in hens' nests and to poison fish! The pond apple also has a variety of medicinal uses and research is exploring their anticancer properties. This tree is a beloved native of Florida but it's a serious invasive pest in Australia.
when i was a kid we called this stuff Polygonum cuspidatum.
for the sake of "consistency", botanists have changed that to either Fallopia japonica or Reynoutria japonica, pick a side, any side.
hey, those guys would be out of a job if they didn't keep switching things up.
the Brits call this plant "Donkey Rhubarb." Aphex Twin composed a piece of music in its honour...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_-99eBBhFc
that said, the plant does not appear in the video. instead, three dancers cavort like Teletubbies on bath salts.
as a member of the Buckwheat Family (Polygonaceae), it is indeed somewhat related to rhubarb.
Japanese Knotweed is a marvelous plant that springs anew from the ground each year, rapidly reaching heights of 1 to 2 metres. its rhizomes reach deep into the soil, stabilising sandy river-banks. in the fall it produces delicate sprays of greenish white blossoms which perfume the air and attract honeybees from great distances. then they die back, adding large amounts of biomass to otherwise poor soil.
oh, and Knotweed is the commercial source for the "life-extension" supplement resveratrol.
the stand pictured above stretches for at least 20 metres and has been thriving in the same spot along the Rideau River for several decades.
as to why people so frantically want to kill the stuff, that's beyond me. stupidity, i suppose. a lot of that going around.
i'm waiting for someone to suggest that we build a wall and make Japan pay for it.
when i cycled by these guys this AM i couldn't help notice that the flowers were THICK with honeybees — nice work (not sarcasm) considering that those poor little buggers are otherwise going extinct.
there's an interesting discussion about F. japonica here...
www.eattheweeds.com/japanese-knotweed-dreadable-edible/
the "backing up" warning sound at the beginning of the video is coming from across the river — construction at the Oblate Lands "Greystone" housing development.
Dixie Reindeer Moss - Cladonia subtenuis
Seems to the most likely species, ID suggested by Jason Hollinger on Mushroom Observer.
Abundantly branched forming cushions; slender podetia with main stalks not well-defined; ecorticate; predominantly Y-branching; compare with C. rangiferina which is gray-white, has open axils and is K+ yellow, with C. arbuscula with predominantly whorled branching, open axils, and K-, and with Cladonia furcata which is corticate and squamulose.
A southeastern US species, on soil almost exclusively, rarely on decaying wood. Frequent on roadside banks, rights-of-way and sunny woods edges. Most common “reindeer lichen” in some parts of the eastern United States.
One of the two common “reindeer mosses” found in central Florida, the other being Cladonia evanii, with the subtenuis — which means thinner — being less compact than Cladonia evanii. C. evanii — named after North Carolina botanist Alexander W. Evans — has no official common name but it is called Powder Puff Lichen. C. subtenuis is called Dixie Reindeer Moss.
www.sharnoffphotos.com/lichensB/cladonia_subtenuis.html
www.discoverlife.org/20/q?search=Cladonia+subtenuis
lichens.digitalmycology.com/macrolichens/Cladonia%20subg....
ohiomosslichen.org/lichen-cladonia-subtenuis/
www.eattheweeds.com/edible-cladonia-what%E2%80%99s-not-to...
A non-native flower/weed that pops up in my yard every Feb. and Mar. They are fairly prolific but have been eaten for thousands of years: www.eattheweeds.com/henbit-top-of-the-pecking-order/
These are all around in the woods here a wild bush. this one I planted by my green house even though wild native bush, The berries are so pretty color of purple when they ripen at first they are white
"Today we're going to talk about a controlled plant. It's not cocaine, it's not marijuana, it's something much, much worse...it's Eichhornia crassipes."
Quoted from EatTheWeeds: Episode 38: Water Hyacinth
If each of the thousands of recreational boaters on the delta would just take a few minutes each day to crush the invader, perhaps it will eventually get discouraged and stop bothering us. Water hyacinth can be crushed by boats, tractors, amphibious vehicles, overactive children, overweight people who need the exercise, and by angry people who want to destroy something.
Once the stupid hyacinth is crushed it can be used to make paper, animal feed, and biofuel, although apparently it isn't ideal for any of these things. It's said to make good compost and mulch, so it seems like it could be shoveled over any levee that borders agricultural land and plowed under, although perhaps this is too labor intensive to be practical--especially since the preferred solution to labor-intensive jobs is to use heavy equipment to do it, and heavy equipment is expensive. I suppose a lot of people could be hired to do the job instead...
Never mind. Just take some time to crush a water hyacinth now and then, and maybe the world will become a better place.
Incidentally, water hyacinth can be found on Wikipedia's List of the world's 100 worst invasive species, along with the rainbow trout, the prickly pear cactus, the domestic cat, the red-eared slider, and the common myna bird.
Taken in my garden. The flowers show up in spring. The rest of the time, it's more of a ground cover like vinca minor/periwinkle with the pretty variegated leaves you see lower on the stem. I had identified it as Bishop's weed aka snow-on-the-mountain but that was wrong. Here's the most informative source I found on its name and provenance.
more Flowers
Pentax K-3 - SMC Pentax DA*55mm F1.4 SDM
(IMG30201ec1a)
Major photostream crisis. I have just discovered a FREE and FAR SUPERIOR Raw image processor, Raw Photo Processor (RPP). THIS image was processed with the software I have been using, Aperture. It is frustratingly ugly results.
Chinese Elms produce edible seeds right after they flower:
www.eattheweeds.com/chinese-elm-a-tree-that-doesnt-go-dut...
Deodar Cedar (aka Deodar Fir) Forest
peterindia.blogspot.com/2012/09/old-manali-valley-of-gods...
First growth of this I have seen in the area, shot taken back on 4/10 of this year. Still a bit behind on some of my postings.
The common name of Sweet Gum refers to an aromatic balsam or gum that exudes from wounds to the tree. In further reference to this gum, the genus name basically means liquid amber. This gum has been used in the past for a variety of purposes, including chewing gum, incense, perfumes, folk medicines and flavorings.
The only edible part of the tree is the dried sap which makes a fragrant, bitter chewing gum. Despite its name the gum is not sweet. It’s called Sweet Gum to separate it from a different species altogether, the Black Gum, Nyssa sylvatica, which is extremely sour and bitter. In comparison the mildly bitter Sweet Gum is definitely sweeter. Dr. Francois Couplan in his book The Encyclopedia of Edible Plants of North America states on page 60 the gum “it has antiseptic qualities.”
www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDe...
Cedar HIll Memorial Cemetery, Kennedale, TX
04.02.19
Sources: Shinners & Mahler's Flora of North Central Texas, p. 974 & 977; Wildflowers, Trees and Shrubs of Texas by Delena Tull and George Oxford Miller, p. 205, 270-271; www.inaturalist.org/taxa/119986-Zanthoxylum-clava-herculis; www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ZACL; www.eattheweeds.com/hercules-club-speak-softly-but/.
Other common names: Prickly-Ash, Southern Prickly-Ash, Tickletongue, Pepperbark, Toothachetree.
Dixie Reindeer Moss - Cladonia subtenuis
Seems to the most likely species, ID suggested by Jason Hollinger on Mushroom Observer.
Abundantly branched forming cushions; slender podetia with main stalks not well-defined; ecorticate; predominantly Y-branching; compare with C. rangiferina which is gray-white, has open axils and is K+ yellow, with C. arbuscula with predominantly whorled branching, open axils, and K-, and with Cladonia furcata which is corticate and squamulose.
A southeastern US species, on soil almost exclusively, rarely on decaying wood. Frequent on roadside banks, rights-of-way and sunny woods edges. Most common “reindeer lichen” in some parts of the eastern United States.
One of the two common “reindeer mosses” found in central Florida, the other being Cladonia evanii, with the subtenuis — which means thinner — being less compact than Cladonia evanii. C. evanii — named after North Carolina botanist Alexander W. Evans — has no official common name but it is called Powder Puff Lichen. C. subtenuis is called Dixie Reindeer Moss.
www.sharnoffphotos.com/lichensB/cladonia_subtenuis.html
www.discoverlife.org/20/q?search=Cladonia+subtenuis
lichens.digitalmycology.com/macrolichens/Cladonia%20subg....
ohiomosslichen.org/lichen-cladonia-subtenuis/
www.eattheweeds.com/edible-cladonia-what%E2%80%99s-not-to...
Some very common herbs that do pretty well in a tea pot and that have many (often unexpected) beneficial effects.
From left to right: herb robert, (spear)mint, ground ivy and nettle.
Herewith some info about the least known ones:
This photo was taken on the University of Maryland campus when I was mid-run and saw this mushroom at the base of a tree. Upon later inspection I concluded that it is likely a type of puffball mushroom, who has a round top and is about the size of a softball. There are different species of puffball: assuming this one is not of the giant variety, and noticing it's yellow color in its mature state, my best guess is that it's an edible puffball -- Lycoperdon perlatum. However, there are two fungus varieties that are often mistaken for puffballs , Scleroderma and Amanitas, which are both fatal when consumed (Deane).
Fungi are important to maintaining ecosystem functions through a mutualistic symbiotic relationship with trees. Ectomycorrhizal fungi, which are a root fungi, provide water and nutrients to trees as they decompose organic matter, by using their root system to funnel it to the roots. In return, trees share their photosynthetic products with the fungi through the same root system. Fungus is an integral part of forest ecosystems, which is why they relate to SDG #15: Life on Land. The goal of this SDG is to stop deforestation and biodiversity loss, which will help the many people that rely on forests for their livelihood, and help combat climate change and other environmental issues. By supporting trees with nutrients, ectomycorrhizal fungi helps sequestration of CO2, and can also slow the decomposition process, which returns CO2 to the atmosphere (Averill and Bhatnagar). In addition, fungi are part of many mutualistic relationships with insects and animals, and aid in good soil health, both of which support biodiversity in forest ecosystems.
Unfortunately, deforestation and nitrogen pollution is causing the loss of important fungal species. When fossil fuels emit CO2, they also emit nitrous oxide gas, which dissolves in water, and eventually enters forests as rain. Nitrogen fertilizer is also a source of nitrogen pollution. Nitrogen pollution causes loss of ectomycorrhizal fungi, and areas exposed to high levels of nitrogen pollution support less mutualistic relationships between trees and fungi (Averill and Bhatnagar).
Sustainable Development Goal #15 can be accomplished with combined effort to stop deforestation and reduce fossil fuel emissions. Although this mushroom was not found in a forest, it still serves the same important role. Having natural spaces in civilized areas is important to biodiversity, climate change, and human health. Fungi can still perform the same function on a smaller scale, and based on the location of this mushroom, it is supporting the life of a tree on campus.
Sources:
Averill, C., & Bhatnagar, J. (2018, August 3). Four Things to Know About Fungi "Climate Warriors." The Brink: Pioneering Research from Boston University. www.bu.edu/articles/2018/4-things-to-know-about-fungi-cli....
Deane. Puffballs, Small and Gigantic. Eat the Weeds and other things, too. www.eattheweeds.com/lycoperdon-perlatum-edible-puffballs-2/
Walnut Creek Linear Trail
6.22.13
Sources: (1) www.extension.purdue.edu/estmedia/FNR/FNR_237_pdf; (2) www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_Mulberry; (3) www.eattheweeds.com/broussonetia-papyrifera-paper-chase-2/; (4) www.plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=BRPA4; (5) www.denr.state.pa/us/cs/groups/public/documents/documents...; (6) www.leafsnap.com/species/Broussonettiapapyrifera/.
Notes: (1) native to China and Japan; long leaf petioles compared to Morus species; variable-shaped leaves; fruits--small,rounded "balls" attached directly to the twig and looks like a cross between mulberry and osage-orange fruit; (2) other names--Dak, Halibun, Kalivon,Kozo, and Tapacloth tree; syn. Morus papyrifera L.; (3) has pom-pom fruit; Invasive, but not "Trash" tree as some call it; source of paper and cloth; young leaves edible cooked; common source of woodland toilet paper; doesn't fruit in sub-temperate zones; has to have "chill" temps to produce fruit; larger leaves can be used to wrap food in for cooking; (4) not in Tarrant County, but in adjacent Dallas County.
Until I identified this tree (with help from Sonnia Hill), I called it the "Giraffe" tree.
Queen Anne’s Lace – Daucus carota – sometimes also called Wild Carrot – is an introduced slender biennial to 5 feet tall, growing from a heavy taproot. The leaves are alternate, compound, 8-10 inches long, generally rough-hairy, much dissected. The flowers are tiny, white, with 5 petals, sometimes 1 central, dark purple flower, borne in umbels 3-5 inches wide, May-September. Introduced from Europe, it is found in dry fields, roadsides, overgrown thickets, weedy meadows, lawns, pastures, abandoned fields, fence rows, junk yards, and waste places and is widespread in most of North America. This species does best in disturbed areas and tends to decline in the absence of disturbance. A story goes that the name Queen Anne’s Lace is in reference to a time when a queen was sewing lace and she pricked her finger. The purple central flower is in the inflorescence is where a drop of royal blood from the queen’s finger dripped onto the lace. Daucus is from the Greek word δαύκον (THAV-kon) meaning carrot parsnip and other similar food plants. Carota is from the Greek Καρότον ka-ROW-ton, also meaning carrot is from the Indo European word Ker, meaning head or horn. The root of Queen Anne’s Lace is sweet and tender (especially the first year). This plant contains high amounts of vitamin A. The cultivated carrot was derived from this species. The nectar and pollen of the flowers attract primarily small bees, wasps, flies, and beetles. Wild Carrot Wasps (Gasteruption spp.) are among these floral visitors. Other insects feed destructively on the foliage, roots, and other parts of Wild Carrot (Daucus carota). These species include root-feeding larvae of Listronotus oregonensis (Parsley Weevil), root-feeding larvae of Ligyrus gibbosus (Carrot Beetle), root-feeding larvae of Psila rosae (Carrot Rust Fly), foliage-eating larvae of the moth Melanchra picta (Zebra Caterpillar), and foliage-eating larvae of the butterfly Papilio polyxenes asterius (Black Swallowtail). Another insect, Melanoplus bivittatus (Two-striped Grasshopper), feeds on the foliage, while Allonemobius allardi (Allard's Ground Cricket) feeds on the umbels of flowers. Wild Carrot or Queen Anne’s Lace is an ubiquitous plant that many people can recognize. It is possible, however, to confuse this introduced species with other white-flowered members of the Carrot family (there are many). Wild Carrot doesn't begin to bloom until mid-summer and usually occurs in mesic to dry areas, rather than wetlands. The presence of a single reddish purple flower in the middle of a compound umbel is a distinctive characteristic, although it is not always present. Horn, Cathcart, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians. www.eattheweeds.com/daucus-carota-pusillus-edible-wild-ca... www.illinoiswildflowers.info/weeds/plants/wild_carrot.htm 94. Queen Anne’s Lace – Daucus carota
Walnut Creek Linear Trail, Red Bluff
4.28.13
Sources: (1) www.extension.purdue.edu/estmedia/FNR/FNR_237_pdf; (2) www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_Mulberry; (3) www.eattheweeds.com/broussonetia-papyrifera-paper-chase-2/; (4) www.plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=BRPA4; (5) www.denr.state.pa/us/cs/groups/public/documents/documents...; (6) www.leafsnap.com/species/Broussonettiapapyrifera/.
Notes: (1) native to China and Japan; long leaf petioles compared to Morus species; variable-shaped leaves; fruits--small,rounded "balls" attached directly to the twig and looks like a cross between mulberry and osage-orange fruit; (2) other names--Dak, Halibun, Kalivon,Kozo, and Tapacloth tree; syn. Morus papyrifera L.; (3) has pom-pom fruit; Invasive, but not "Trash" tree as some call it; source of paper and cloth; young leaves edible cooked; common source of woodland toilet paper; doesn't fruit in sub-temperate zones; has to have "chill" temps to produce fruit; larger leaves can be used to wrap food in for cooking; (4) not in Tarrant County, but in adjacent Dallas County.
Until I identified this tree (with help from Sonnia Hill), I called it the "Giraffe" tree.
I visited Mud Creek Environmental Learning Center in Ghent (Columbia County), New York, USA on September 28, 2013, to see what the new season would show me. Not too much, really--a caterpillar & some leaves turning red, in addition to various birds who wouldn't pose & many bees & wasps. Even the bunnies were unavailable for photos, today! The weather was gorgeous, though--warm & sunny! The fruiting Staghorn Sumac looked so dramatic; I loved to see it! Did you know that Sumac can be edible? Check this out:
Later, in the lower half of this park, I came across this Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus) doe munching merrily on this patch of Stellaria media* at Bertram Creek Regional Park, BC.
*For more on Chickweed, check out this page. Turns out that while it is an unpopular invasive week, it's also quite nutritional for hyoomins as well as some anymals.... www.eattheweeds.com/chickweed-connoisseurs-2/
Walnut Creek Linear Trail, Red Bluff
4.8.13
Sources: (1) www.extension.purdue.edu/estmedia/FNR/FNR_237_pdf; (2) www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_Mulberry; (3) www.eattheweeds.com/broussonetia-papyrifera-paper-chase-2/; (4) www.plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=BRPA4; (5) www.denr.state.pa/us/cs/groups/public/documents/documents...; (6) www.leafsnap.com/species/Broussonettiapapyrifera/.
Notes: (1) native to China and Japan; long leaf petioles compared to Morus species; variable-shaped leaves; fruits--small,rounded "balls" attached directly to the twig and looks like a cross between mulberry and osage-orange fruit; (2) other names--Dak, Halibun, Kalivon,Kozo, and Tapacloth tree; syn. Morus papyrifera L.; (3) has pom-pom fruit; Invasive, but not "Trash" tree as some call it; source of paper and cloth; young leaves edible cooked; common source of woodland toilet paper; doesn't fruit in sub-temperate zones; has to have "chill" temps to produce fruit; larger leaves can be used to wrap food in for cooking; (4) not in Tarrant County, but in adjacent Dallas County.
Until I identified this tree (with help from Sonnia Hill), I called it the "Giraffe" tree.
Horsemint is a flower doesn't stand out if you walk around outside, but it is quite an interesting flower. I discovered that it acts as a natural mosquito repellent and has the "highest thymol content of all the mints." The thymol gives the flower a wide-variety of uses such as an antiseptic, mite-killer, cough syrup ingredient, and a depressant ingredient.
The name comes from its spots, which you cannot see from the angle I took.
Walnut Creek Linear Trail, Red Bluff
5.13.13
Sources: (1) www.extension.purdue.edu/estmedia/FNR/FNR_237_pdf; (2) www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_Mulberry; (3) www.eattheweeds.com/broussonetia-papyrifera-paper-chase-2/; (4) www.plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=BRPA4; (5) www.denr.state.pa/us/cs/groups/public/documents/documents...; (6) www.leafsnap.com/species/Broussonettiapapyrifera/.
Notes: (1) native to China and Japan; long leaf petioles compared to Morus species; variable-shaped leaves; fruits--small,rounded "balls" attached directly to the twig and looks like a cross between mulberry and osage-orange fruit; (2) other names--Dak, Halibun, Kalivon,Kozo, and Tapacloth tree; syn. Morus papyrifera L.; (3) has pom-pom fruit; Invasive, but not "Trash" tree as some call it; source of paper and cloth; young leaves edible cooked; common source of woodland toilet paper; doesn't fruit in sub-temperate zones; has to have "chill" temps to produce fruit; larger leaves can be used to wrap food in for cooking; (4) not in Tarrant County, but in adjacent Dallas County.
Until I identified this tree (with help from Sonnia Hill), I called it the "Giraffe" tree.
Walnut Creek Linear Trail, Red Bluff
4.28.13
Sources: (1) www.extension.purdue.edu/estmedia/FNR/FNR_237_pdf; (2) www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_Mulberry; (3) www.eattheweeds.com/broussonetia-papyrifera-paper-chase-2/; (4) www.plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=BRPA4; (5) www.denr.state.pa/us/cs/groups/public/documents/documents...; (6) www.leafsnap.com/species/Broussonettiapapyrifera/.
Notes: (1) native to China and Japan; long leaf petioles compared to Morus species; variable-shaped leaves; fruits--small,rounded "balls" attached directly to the twig and looks like a cross between mulberry and osage-orange fruit; (2) other names--Dak, Halibun, Kalivon,Kozo, and Tapacloth tree; syn. Morus papyrifera L.; (3) has pom-pom fruit; Invasive, but not "Trash" tree as some call it; source of paper and cloth; young leaves edible cooked; common source of woodland toilet paper; doesn't fruit in sub-temperate zones; has to have "chill" temps to produce fruit; larger leaves can be used to wrap food in for cooking; (4) not in Tarrant County, but in adjacent Dallas County.
Until I identified this tree (with help from Sonnia Hill), I called it the "Giraffe" tree.
Walnut Creek Linear Trail, Red Bluff
5.13.13
Sources: (1) www.extension.purdue.edu/estmedia/FNR/FNR_237_pdf; (2) www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_Mulberry; (3) www.eattheweeds.com/broussonetia-papyrifera-paper-chase-2/; (4) www.plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=BRPA4; (5) www.denr.state.pa/us/cs/groups/public/documents/documents...; (6) www.leafsnap.com/species/Broussonettiapapyrifera/.
Notes: (1) native to China and Japan; long leaf petioles compared to Morus species; variable-shaped leaves; fruits--small,rounded "balls" attached directly to the twig and looks like a cross between mulberry and osage-orange fruit; (2) other names--Dak, Halibun, Kalivon,Kozo, and Tapacloth tree; syn. Morus papyrifera L.; (3) has pom-pom fruit; Invasive, but not "Trash" tree as some call it; source of paper and cloth; young leaves edible cooked; common source of woodland toilet paper; doesn't fruit in sub-temperate zones; has to have "chill" temps to produce fruit; larger leaves can be used to wrap food in for cooking; (4) not in Tarrant County, but in adjacent Dallas County.
Until I identified this tree (with help from Sonnia Hill), I called it the "Giraffe" tree.
Walnut Creek Linear Trail, Red Bluff
4.28.13
Sources: (1) www.extension.purdue.edu/estmedia/FNR/FNR_237_pdf; (2) www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_Mulberry; (3) www.eattheweeds.com/broussonetia-papyrifera-paper-chase-2/; (4) www.plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=BRPA4; (5) www.denr.state.pa/us/cs/groups/public/documents/documents...; (6) www.leafsnap.com/species/Broussonettiapapyrifera/.
Notes: (1) native to China and Japan; long leaf petioles compared to Morus species; variable-shaped leaves; fruits--small,rounded "balls" attached directly to the twig and looks like a cross between mulberry and osage-orange fruit; (2) other names--Dak, Halibun, Kalivon,Kozo, and Tapacloth tree; syn. Morus papyrifera L.; (3) has pom-pom fruit; Invasive, but not "Trash" tree as some call it; source of paper and cloth; young leaves edible cooked; common source of woodland toilet paper; doesn't fruit in sub-temperate zones; has to have "chill" temps to produce fruit; larger leaves can be used to wrap food in for cooking; (4) not in Tarrant County, but in adjacent Dallas County.
Until I identified this tree (with help from Sonnia Hill), I called it the "Giraffe" tree.
Walnut Creek Linear Trail, Red Bluff
5.13.13
Sources: (1) www.extension.purdue.edu/estmedia/FNR/FNR_237_pdf; (2) www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_Mulberry; (3) www.eattheweeds.com/broussonetia-papyrifera-paper-chase-2/; (4) www.plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=BRPA4; (5) www.denr.state.pa/us/cs/groups/public/documents/documents...; (6) www.leafsnap.com/species/Broussonettiapapyrifera/.
Notes: (1) native to China and Japan; long leaf petioles compared to Morus species; variable-shaped leaves; fruits--small,rounded "balls" attached directly to the twig and looks like a cross between mulberry and osage-orange fruit; (2) other names--Dak, Halibun, Kalivon,Kozo, and Tapacloth tree; syn. Morus papyrifera L.; (3) has pom-pom fruit; Invasive, but not "Trash" tree as some call it; source of paper and cloth; young leaves edible cooked; common source of woodland toilet paper; doesn't fruit in sub-temperate zones; has to have "chill" temps to produce fruit; larger leaves can be used to wrap food in for cooking; (4) not in Tarrant County, but in adjacent Dallas County.
Until I identified this tree (with help from Sonnia Hill), I called it the "Giraffe" tree.
This tiny native cucumber has two completely opposite reputations. Some authors (and states) list the tiny watermelon-looking fruit as toxic (extremely purgative) while others say it's a safe and tasty addition to salads. The disparity seems to be related to the degree of ripeness of the fruit. The green fruit has a crisp, cucumber-like taste and is safe to eat while the ripe black fruit may have a laxative effect if eaten in quantity. The tiny flowers are about 10mm across and the fruit 20mm. This one lives at Frenchman's Forest Natural Area in Palm Beach County. Here is lots more information: www.eattheweeds.com/creeping-cucumber-melothria-pendula/
Walnut Creek Linear Trail, Red Bluff
4.28.13
Sources: (1) www.extension.purdue.edu/estmedia/FNR/FNR_237_pdf; (2) www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_Mulberry; (3) www.eattheweeds.com/broussonetia-papyrifera-paper-chase-2/; (4) www.plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=BRPA4; (5) www.denr.state.pa/us/cs/groups/public/documents/documents...; (6) www.leafsnap.com/species/Broussonettiapapyrifera/.
Notes: (1) native to China and Japan; long leaf petioles compared to Morus species; variable-shaped leaves; fruits--small,rounded "balls" attached directly to the twig and looks like a cross between mulberry and osage-orange fruit; (2) other names--Dak, Halibun, Kalivon,Kozo, and Tapacloth tree; syn. Morus papyrifera L.; (3) has pom-pom fruit; Invasive, but not "Trash" tree as some call it; source of paper and cloth; young leaves edible cooked; common source of woodland toilet paper; doesn't fruit in sub-temperate zones; has to have "chill" temps to produce fruit; larger leaves can be used to wrap food in for cooking; (4) not in Tarrant County, but in adjacent Dallas County.
Until I identified this tree (with help from Sonnia Hill), I called it the "Giraffe" tree.
Walnut Creek Linear Trail
6.22.13
Sources: (1) www.extension.purdue.edu/estmedia/FNR/FNR_237_pdf; (2) www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_Mulberry; (3) www.eattheweeds.com/broussonetia-papyrifera-paper-chase-2/; (4) www.plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=BRPA4; (5) www.denr.state.pa/us/cs/groups/public/documents/documents...; (6) www.leafsnap.com/species/Broussonettiapapyrifera/.
Notes: (1) native to China and Japan; long leaf petioles compared to Morus species; variable-shaped leaves; fruits--small,rounded "balls" attached directly to the twig and looks like a cross between mulberry and osage-orange fruit; (2) other names--Dak, Halibun, Kalivon,Kozo, and Tapacloth tree; syn. Morus papyrifera L.; (3) has pom-pom fruit; Invasive, but not "Trash" tree as some call it; source of paper and cloth; young leaves edible cooked; common source of woodland toilet paper; doesn't fruit in sub-temperate zones; has to have "chill" temps to produce fruit; larger leaves can be used to wrap food in for cooking; (4) not in Tarrant County, but in adjacent Dallas County.
Until I identified this tree (with help from Sonnia Hill), I called it the "Giraffe" tree.
An evening stroll, a basketful of wild stinging nettles for pesto, soup, iron rich winter tea, and with eggs for breakfast tomorrow, one of the earliest wild greens we always eagerly await. Urtica dioica is a nutrient powerhouse, containing all essential amino acids, minerals (rich in iron, calcium, magnesium amongst others) as well as Vitamin A, C, K and polyphenols and always a welcome sight in the woods indicating the arrival of Spring. Nettles are anti inflammatory, have potent antioxidant properties and have been used as a nourishing medicinal herb for thousands of years, being one of the most nutrient condensed greens available. We add them to medicinal tea blends to have on hand, and use them blanched in many meals while they are in season. And yes, Nettle sourdough bread is definitely one of the ways in which we incorporate this potent wild green into our nourishment! Grateful for this abundance in the woods this evening ❤️ #earth #nourishingtraditions #nutrition #foraging #wildfood #wildharvest #eattheweeds #antioxidants #aminoacids #polyphenols #anticancer #wholefoods #seasonaleating #sustainableharvest #sourdough #nettles #stingingnettle #urticadioica #plantmedicine #eatyourmedicine #wildgreens #gratitude #nourishing #cleaneating #wildfoodlove #abundance