May is the month of flowers over showers. Post a picture and a description of a wild flower in your area. Try to find one you dont know and learn a thing. As of late, a random number generator will determine our winner. Post as many times as youd like.
I think this month will be the anniversary of the challenges. Something special will be in the prize pack.
Nice! I'm always looking to expand my wild edibles knowledge and the flowering variety are a great category. I'll get some shots together.
Here's one from last year (have more to post from recently). A large white Trillium (aka Birthroot, Birthwort), traditionally used as a uterine stimulant to aid birthing. The Trillium is a perennial flowering plant native to temperate North America and Asia. It's a part of the Liliales, or lilly order. It is also the official flower, emblem and symbol of the Province of Ontario, as well as the official flower of Ohio.
Aw Man my Brother Reno......why you have to show Ontario's flower, when you could show BC awesomeness....? man oh man.........Ontario? one step above Ottawa..........
Not a true wildflower around here but there are plenty around! It was to cool not to share . I will def try and get a actual wildflower later this month!
Pacific Dogwood, the Provincial flower of British Columbia since 1956. Once protected by law in BC, a law which also protected the Pacific Rhododendron and Pacific Trillium, was repealed in 2002. The Pacific Dogwood (Cornus Nuttallii), is a small-medium sized deciduous tree native to Western North America. From Southern BC, to the mountains of Southern California, and as far inland as Idaho, with some cultivated samples found as far north as Haida Gwaii. "Cornus Nuttallii" is named after Thomas Nuttall, who was an English botanist and zoologist who worked in North America throughout the 19th century. The wood of this tree is a beautiful light pale, hard, fine grained, strong and dense, and was traditional used to make bows and arrows. Some Plateau Native tribes used the bark as a laxative and emetic. More recently, rather close to where I live, the Cowichan people here on Vancouver Island have made knitting needles from it. The Straits Salish made a tanning agent from the bark, and the Thompson people made dyes - deep brown from the bark, black when mixed with grand fir, and red from the roots. The wood has even been used for piano keys.
Here's one more old one from last year. Botanical name: Vinca Minor. Common names: Creeping Myrtle, Common Periwinkle, Dwarf Periwinkle. Native to Central and southern Europe, it's an invasive species here, and is normally found in large patches growing wild. This particular picture was taken a ways into the woods. This member of the Dogbane family is commonly used as a ground cover, as it's tough, tends to keep weeds down and is completely pest free, and, IMO, is a rather pretty flower, but it does have a tendency to completely take over a given area. Pictured here next to my Winkler Belt knife.
Just spent the better part of 30 minutes researching this flowering shrub I found last night in the woods. I've never seen it before. From what I can tell, it's Berberis linearifolia "Orange King", a type of Barberry native to the colder, elevated parts of Chile and Argentina. Especially around the volcanoes of the Andes.
Found this guy along the path in the state park while watching my wife run a half marathon earlier this morning. I am thinking it is probably wood anemone...
Poor picture, but the best I could do in the given circumstances at the time. A little patch of Forget-me-nots.
Y'all know what this is right? It's a rose ( a snapdragon climbing rose actually) but did you know roses have a long history of medicinal use? Sure do. A "detoxification " additive for teas and infusions. Helps clean the liver and kidneys. Very nutritious. In olden times nobles and high born people would wash their hands in rose water before eating. They may not have known themselves but it was a "hand cleaner/ sanitizer " provided by the servants they depended on. Rose petals or rose buds would sometimes be added to the holy water fountains in medieval churches. It gave a nice aroma but it was also helping limit the spread of illness from many people touching the water. Not bad for a lowly wild rose bush.
Common Dandelion I have to be careful where Ingrab these from, I really like the slightly sour "zingy" taste so the millions that pop up in the city park after a rain are horribly tempting!
