Monday 4 August 2014

On the Path
August 3rd, 2014

August is upon us, along with back-to-school ads in the local papers. They do like to rush things don't they.

These shots were all taken with a shirt-pocket point & shoot so they're a bit grainy... but the camera is much lighter. :-)

The wildflowers that are out now are already making the landscape look a bit like fall. Growth along the path (and everywhere else) has been crazy this year. The rain and milder temperatures maybe? This is a patch of Garlic Mustard, etc. that has gone nuts.

The tree tunnels are going full bore. One of my favourite shots on the path was a tree tunnel shot a couple years back but it turns out to have been a one-off. The trees change enough each year that the look of that particular spot is gone for good. So often nature gives you one chance and one chance only.





















Wild Cucumber--one of the most common vines, and one of the easiest to spot as it climbs up & over whatever is nearby.























Bitter Nightshade berries are easy to spot too, with their many colors. I guess they all end up red eventually. Pretty.
Chicory is another of my favourites... a gorgeous shade of blue. Apparently it's still used as a coffee substitute in some parts of the world.

It's interesting how many common names some wildflowers have. According to Wikipedia, these are all common names for Chicory:
Blue Daisy, Blue Dandelion, Blue Sailors, Blue Weed, Bunk, Coffeeweed, Cornflower, Horseweed, Ragged Sailors, Succory, Wild Bachelor's Buttons, Wild Endive


















The sawtooth-edged petals add a touch of uniqueness. Chicory seems to come & go quickly. So, as we can so easily do now... I googled it and found:
"You can't see chicory blooms all day, even when the weather is warm. The blue flowers open as the sun comes up, but they close around midday when the sun is strongest. The chicory stem produces several blooms at a time, but each bloom opens only once."

















This is the time of year for climbers. It's a toss-up which of Wild Cucumber, Wild Grape and Dog-strangling Vine is the most aggressive. Maybe it's a tie. Here the grape is competing with the Dog Strangling Vine.
















If I had to pick a winner though, I'd probably choose Dog-strangling Vine. It produces 100s of seed pods which is no doubt why it spreads so quickly over such a wide area from year to year. It's definitely one of the more successful invasives.


Himalayan Balsam's time is here. Aka Policeman's Helmet and Kiss-me-on-the-Mountain. Yet another pretty invasive. I've never timed it right but apparently they can shoot their seeds (up to 5m) when touched, just like Jewellweed/Touch-Me-Not.
The lowly Common Plantain, found in sidewalk cracks, lawns and just about everywhere else, is pretty easy to spot with it's pencil-like spikes. Turns out that it's a free medicine chest in our back yards. 



Common Plantain:
http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/medicinal-properties-plantain
The leaves as well as the juice have been widely used as topical substances in poultices and lotions for treating sunburns, stings, insect bites, snakebites, poison ivy breakouts, rashes, burns, blisters, and cuts.

Furthermore, the leaves have also been heated and applied topically to swollen joints, sore muscles, sprains, and sore feet. Interestingly enough, Plantain is a common folk remedy in many part of Latin America for treating cancer. It has also been used for many centuries in treating sore throats, coughs, bronchitis, tuberculosis, and mouth sores.

Studies have shown that plantain has anti-inflammatory effects, and it is also rich in tannin (which helps draw tissues together to stop bleeding) and allantoin (a compound that promotes healing of injured skin cells). Further studies have indicated that plantain may also reduce blood pressure, and that the seeds of the plant may reduce blood cholesterol levels. Plantain seeds were also widely used as a natural laxative, given their high source of fibre. Teas made from the plant, were used to treat diarrhea, dysentery, intestinal worms, and bleeding mucous membranes. The roots were also recommended for relieving toothaches and headaches as well as healing poor gums.
http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/medicinal-properties-plantain

I can't see many of us running outside to dig it up though so Shopper's Drug should survive. It is fascinating though how those that have gone before us learned how to use what nature has to offer.

Any flower in large numbers makes for a pretty sight. Queen Anne's Lace (aka Wild Carrot) is having a good year. There's lots of it and the flowering heads (some at least) are bigger than usual it seems to me, and some are much taller than usual. Though it could just as easily be my memory, or lack of, from year to year.
















If you haven't had the 'wild carrot experience', break a stem and smell it. The scent can be strong or weak. You may have to try a few to get the true carrot smell.
















One of the taller ones here--6 feet.
















The purple floret that most have at the center of their blossoms is a curiosity. Botanists always try to explain the 'why' of things. One guess for the purple floret is that it looks like an insect from a distance so it might attract pollinators.




















This has nothing to do with my blog but it's very interesting. I caught a clip on TV about wild pigs/boars becoming a problem in the U.S. and in parts of Canada too. I found these articles on the web. Sounds like they're more of a problem out west but some have been spotted in Ontario... a couple close to home.

Sounds like they could cause some serious problems. Has anyone seen one?

Out west:
http://www.calgarysun.com/2013/03/23/feral-boars-cutting-a-destructive-swath-across-canadas-wilderness

Ontario:
http://www.discover-southern-ontario.com/wild-boar-by-lake-simcoe.html

- fini -

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home

Search my Blog...