Water Lily

Water Lilies & Cattails

Water Lilies and Cattails are found in a variety of wetland habitats.

Almost all waterlilies (Nymphaea and Nuphar species) are edible and can be gathered most of the year. During the summer months, when the rootstocks become mushy and rather tasteless, they're still an excellent source of survival food. Additionally, the young, unfurling leaves can be eaten raw or with unopened buds prepared as a potherb.  The seeds, high in starch, protein, and oil, may be popped, parched, or ground into flour, and the potato-shaped tubers of the tuberous waterlily (N. tuberosa) can be dug from the mud and prepared like, potatoes.

The cattails (either Typha latifolia or T. angustifolia) can be utilized at almost any time of the year, because at each stage of its life cycle it has a number of edible parts. For example, you can mash the root up in cold water to separate the soluble starches, and—once these have settled, and the fibers and water have been removed—add the material to stew or mix it with other wild flours to make bread. The new shoots can be eaten raw, and those up to a foot tall may be prepared like asparagus. The head, before it emerges, can be cooked and eaten like corn on the cob. Finally, it's possible to collect cattail pollen for use in soup or as a flour.

Water Lilies & Cattails

Water Lilies

This photo reminds me of an Oriental Painting

Water Lilies & Cattails

Waterlilies In A Friends Greenhouse

The white water lily is the national flower of Bangladesh and State flower for Andhra Pradesh, India.

Water Lilies Landlocked

The water in the lake is so low that you can actually see the water lilies and some other water plants growing out of the ground.

My photographs are available for purchase through EliseCreations.artfire.com

Thanks for your visits, favs and comments. As always, appreciated very much!

© all rights reserved by Elise T. Marks. Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission.

Art Show

Ceramic Still Life

This photo was awarded Capture My Vermont, Photo of the Day, for August 11, 2016.

Pottery at the 10th annual, Farm & Open Studio Tour, in Grand Isle.

The Face Of Raku

Demonstrating Raku Pottery at the 10th annual, Farm & Open Studio Tour, in Grand Isle.

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Sea Gulls

Gulls At The Waterfront

Gulls Flying Over Lake Champlain

Gull In Battery Park

Coming In For A Landing

Coming In For A Landing

Gull Under An Apple Tree

Ring Billed Gull At The Park

Gulls Flying Over Lake Champlain

Gulls Flying Over Lake Champlain

Gulls Flying Over Lake Champlain

Seagulls are intelligent, adaptable and often beautiful birds. There are over 50 species of seagulls worldwide, there are 28 types of gull species seen in North America.

They, are seabirds. The average lifespan for a seagull is 10-15 years in the wild, but there have been cases where they have lived up to 30 years old. Seagulls can eat up to 20% of their body weight in food each day. They can achieve average flight speeds of about 23-25 mph in headwind conditions and 29-30 mph in tailwind conditions. Gulls have an impressive sense of smell that allows them to detect the faintest trace of food from over 3 miles away. Some types of gulls nest on the ground or on cliffsides while others build nests on the water’s surface. ​​​​​​​Seagulls have incredible vision- they can see clearly from as far away as 2 miles, their eyes are set at the side of their head, giving them a panoramic view. 

They have excellent memories and can remember specific people’s faces and places where food has been hidden from days ago. Seagulls also recognize other seagulls who they associate with as friends or enemies, by their calls.​​​​​​​

They mate for life and form a lifelong bond with their partner. They work as a team to find food, protect the nest, and raise chicks. The male seagull brings most of the food while the female cares for the eggs or young chicks at home. Many species of gulls have an amazing ability to return to their original nest year after year. Some gulls even return in a span of two years. Gulls also share the same nesting site for generations

Seagulls feed mostly on seafood like crabs, clams, mussels, shrimps and small fish but also scavenge for scraps of human food left behind. ​​​​​​They also eat various types of insects and worms as well as sea vegetation like seaweed and kelp. 

The seagull is a symbol of healing, wisdom and tranquility. The belief that the seagull is a messenger from the creator has been traced back to Ancient Greece. In Native American symbolism, the seagull represents peace and prosperity, as well as emotional balance and strength in numbers.

My photographs are available for purchase through EliseCreations.net

Thanks for your visits, favs and comments. As always, appreciated very much!

© all rights reserved by Elise T. Marks. Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission.

Disclaimer

My blog is meant to inform and I strive to be totally accurate. It is solely up to the reader to ensure proper plant identification. Some wild plants and mushrooms are poisonous or can have serious adverse health effects.

Balloon Flowers

Balloon Flowers, also known as Chinese bellflower, (Platycodon grandiflorus). Though I'm partial to the blue, this white one caught my eye. 

This plant is known for its root. In the greater Campanula clan, the root of the Balloon Flower, Platycodon grandiflorus, is very popular in Korea where it is cut into strips, seasoned with chili’s, vinegar, sesame oil and soy  sauce and eaten as a salad. It is also used in soups, stews, dishes with vinegar, and is one of the ingredients in Toso, or sweet Japanese sake. Boiled young leaves are eaten in salads. Its blossoms are sweet in taste, have a bit of texture, and are used in salads, stuffed, candied or dipped in butter. The Balloon Flower is so called because before the petals open are fused at first making the blossom look like a balloon.

My photographs are available for purchase through EliseCreations.artfire.com

Thanks for your visits, favs and comments. As always, appreciated very much!

© all rights reserved by Elise T. Marks. Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission.

Having A Ball With Bees

Bees congregating on Blue Allium.

Ordinary Onions They're Not 

Onions, shallots and garlic are members of the allium family that belong in the vegetable garden. But there are many ornamental alliums that deserve a hearty welcome in your perennial gardens.

There are more than 700 different types of alliums in the world. It wasn't until the late 1800s that this vast group of plants started to intrigue plant lovers. Russian botanists began collecting some of the spectacular alliums from Central Asia and introducing them to avid horticulturists through the Imperial Botanical Garden in St. Petersburg. Of course, it didn't take long for the consummate plant hunters, the British, to get wind of this "new" family of garden-worthy plants. Their expeditions yielded many more interesting alliums varieties.

My photographs are available for purchase through EliseCreations.artfire.com

Thanks for your visits, favs and comments. As always, appreciated very much!

© all rights reserved by Elise T. Marks. Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission.

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Silvery Checkerspot Butterfly

The Silvery Checkerspot (Chlosyne nycteis) is a species of Nymphalinae that occurs in North America.

My photographs are available for purchase through EliseCreations.net

Thanks for your visits, favs and comments. As always, appreciated very much!

© all rights reserved by Elise T. Marks. Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission.

Django Takes A Plunge

With a little encouragement from Liz, Django leaps from his inner tube to cool off in the water. He loves to be towed around on this tube, but rarely gets wet. When he does get wet, he has to lick every drop of water off, like a cat cleans itself.
This photo was Photo of the Day on Capture My Vermont, for July 30, 2016.

My photographs are available for purchase through EliseCreations.artfire.com

Thanks for your visits, favs and comments. As always, appreciated very much!

© all rights reserved by Elise T. Marks. Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission.

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