Covid Journal, Day 47: Joe's Run Wildflowers

48 this morning, cloudy and threatening more rain after an afternoon and evening of high winds and heavy, blowing rain. The skies cleared a bit as this day has gone on, and although there were some drops here and there, no real rain. Plenty of wind though.

So this morning I had two goals. First, get my blood test done. That meant a trip to town, where believe it or not, they are doing drive-up blood tests at the hospital! This wasn't for anything big, just a possible underactive thyroid, but I think it might be why I have felt so tired. It took about 10 minutes total, to wait in a line of three cars, pull up, get stuck, and out of there. Everyone masked, gloved and the staff gowned. It felt safe and easy. What a relief. I am loving these new ways of getting medical things done, so much simpler for patients. I am not sure the medical people like it as well, though.

The second goal was to pick raspberry and blackberry leaves to dry for tea. I've been scouting along our road for likely spots to find leaves that are accessible, and then I waited for the leaves to get big enough. They've been very slow this year for some reason, but today I found enough to make it worthwhile to pick.

Ready to dry. I'll put this pan over two burners on my gas stove--the pilot light is ideal for having just enough heat to dry herbs nicely.

It was a chilly day for the task, with the wind blowing wildly from time to time, and a smattering of rain here and there. But it was also really nice to be out foraging and rambling along the road to see what else I could see. There is such a variety of wildflowers in the Joe's Run ecosystem, which makes this my favorite springtime walk. Here are some of the plants I saw today:

Mullein is an interesting plant. It can grow up to six  feet or more tall, with a flower spike sprinkled with yellow bloom by midsummer. It has many uses in folk medicine.

Mullein is a hardy plant--as you can see here, it's growing from a stone outcropping!

Here is some of the lore I've collected about mullein:

• Also known as Candlewick plant, Hag Taper, Jacob’s staff, Jupiter’s staff, Aaron’s Rod and many others
• Native Americans  (and early settlers) used the large, furry leaves to line their moccasin soles.
• Native Americans also smoked the leaves as tobacco.
• Some say it was used to “buff" cheeks by Quaker ladies, so it is called Quaker's Rouge by some.
• A yellow dye was made from the flowers to color hair.
• Romans dipped the leaves in lard and used as a lamp.
• People believed witches dipped the long stiff stems in tallow and used them as torches, hence the name "hag taper".
• In folk medicine, it is believed to be good for bronchitis. Leaves and stem contain mucilage, good for soothing irritated membranes. 
• Also believed to have antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties. 
• Tea made from the leaves was used to soothe coughs; 
• Native Americans rubbed it in their armpits to soothe prickly heat.
• Weather prediction: flowers low on the stalk mean early snowfall

All that from one plant! It grows in many places on our road, and can be seen in waste fields, roadsides, and wild places across the US.

Creasy greens, or wintercress, and dead-nettle.

I've written about creasy greens before. We harvested them a month or so ago for potherbs, and they are absolutely delicious that way. Also known as wild mustard, the plants bloom the prettiest shade of yellow. I believe the seeds could be gathered to make mustard, but it would take an immense quantity, I'd think.

Dead-nettle is another edible wild plant, but I've not yet tried it, even though I certainly have plenty of it in my flowerbeds this year. I like its shape and color and leave it until it begins to yellow and die off. The leaves are the edible part--they're a bit fuzzy so probably best to use with other greens to mask that factor. The leaves are also used for tea, and can be used in poultices and other medicinal salves and preparations. It's a member of the mint family, and has the telltale square stem.

False Solomon's Seal

I found a nice patch of false Solomon's Seal in a rough-and-tumble bit of the roadside. This plant is part of the aspargus family, and although parts are edible, it's not really very tasty. It can be distinguished from Solomon's seal by two things: first, real Solomon's seal's leaves look like they are pierced by the stem of the plant, and its flowers hang from the leaf axil. False solomon's seals leaves are different, as you can see by the photo above; they alternate along the drooping stem but are not pierced by the stem. The flowers on false Solomon's seal are a large, fluffy white cluster at the end of the stem, and quite pretty, where the flowers of real Solmon's seal are relatively hidden. 

Wild ginger

Wild ginger's flower--can you see it?

Wild ginger is one of my favorite wildflowers because its leaves are so beautiful, a velvety green, and its flower is one of the strangest, I think. Here's a bit about this unusual plant:

• The flower evolved to attract small pollinating flies that emerge from the ground early in the spring looking for a thawing carcass of a dead animal. By lying next to the ground flower is readily found by the emerging flies. Color is similar to that of decomposing flesh. Some pollen attaches to their bodies and is taken with them when they visit the next flower.
• When the seeds finally ripen, they have a little oily bit of food attached to the seed called “elaiosome.” The “elaiosomes” attract ants that carry the seeds off to their underground home where they consume the food and leave the seed to germinate. 

Uses:

• Native Americans and early Euro-American settlers used wild ginger as a spice. Harvested root & dried & ground into powder. 

• Early settlers cooked pieces of the root in sugar water for several days to make ginger-flavored, candied root. 

• Left over liquid boiled down to syrup that was used on pancakes and other food items. 

• Scientists have determined that the plants may contain poisonous compounds and consumption of the plant is highly discouraged.

• Poultice to treat wounds. Two antibiotic compounds in the plant so its historical use as an antibiotic has been validated.

• Alternate host plant for the beautiful Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly. Its caterpillars are brownish black with two rows of orange spots down their back.

Enough for today. I'll try to post more tomorrow. Right now it's time for some brandy, my book, and a fire in the fireplace.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.