Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Rhododendrons

Rhododendrons 
are woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae), either evergreen or deciduous, and found mainly in Asia, although it is also widespread throughout the Southern Highlands of the Appalachian Mountains of North America. It is the national flower of Nepal. Most species have brightly colored flowers which bloom from late winter through to early summer.
Rhododendrons
After a spring rain
People Enjoying The Rhododendrons Blooming 
At The Waterfront Boardwalk in Burlington, Vt.
Beautiful Girls And Rhododendrons


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Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Fungal Love

 This is Ustulina deusta also known as Kretzschmaria deusta - ‘Brittle Cinder’. I found it in the woods in Bolton, Vermont. 
This is a Pearl Oyster mushroom I grew on a log and it was delicious.

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Friday, June 2, 2017

Sustainable Harvesting

Foraging is a bit tricky, with over-harvesting and careless practices threatening the ecology of the plants and land. But when done properly, foraging provides the gatherer with plants full of nutrients and medicinal qualities, and one can take steps to make sure the environment is protected and nurtured.
Please commit to the Wildcrafter’s Sustainability Pledge:
  • Weigh the impact you have on the land before harvesting.
  • Harvest only healthy plants and fungi that are not contaminated by roadways, railroad tracks, industrial and agricultural runoff, urban areas, sewage zones, oil spills, and places heavily sprayed with pesticides, herbicides, etc.
  • Never harvest more than 30 percent of what grows in an area, preferably only 10 percent. (Wherever possible, it is best to leave at least 1/7 of the plant so that it may continue to live.)
  • Never harvest more than I can process.
  • Process the harvest as soon as possible after it has been picked.
  • Know how to make accurate plant identification to ensure the safety, health, and wellness of those who are consuming this harvest.
  • Leave more than I take.
  • Respect the environment that provides us with these gifts.
  • Never harvest rare or endangered species (for example: American Ginseng, goldenseal, and Wild Echinacea). Here is the full United Plant Savers list of wild medicinal plants which are currently most sensitive to the impact of human activities:
“At Risk” List
“To Watch” List 
  • Arnica - Arnica spp.
  • Butterfly Weed - Asclepias tuberosa
  • Cascara Sagrada - Frangula purshiana (Rhamnus)
  • Chaparro - Casatela emoryi
  • Elephant Tree - Bursera microphylla
  • Gentian - Gentiana spp.
  • Goldthread - Coptis spp.
  • Kava Kava - Piper methysticum (Hawaii only)
  • Lobelia - Lobelia spp.
  • Maidenhair Fern - Adiantum pendatum
  • Mayapple - Podophyllum peltatum
  • Oregon Grape - Mahonia spp.
  • Partridge Berry - Mitchella repens
  • Pink Root - Spigelia marilandica
  • Pipsissewa - Chimaphila umbellata
  • Ramps - Allium tricoccum (recently added)
  • Spikenard - Aralia racemosa, A. californica
  • Stone Root - Collinsonia canadensis
  • Stream Orchid - Epipactis gigantea
  • Turkey Corn - Dicentra canadensis
  • White Sage - Salvia apiana
  • Wild Indigo - Baptisia tinctoria
  • Yerba Mansa - Anemopsis californica
NOTE- Forage Only When NecessaryDo Not over harvest wild foods. Foraging is fun, but remember that as a human, you have the ability to source your food in your natural environment - wildlife does not. If you must forage for food or herbs for an ailment, only harvest 5% -10% of what you see of any plant or patch you find, so it has a good chance to keep growing and come back next year. Remember that other lives depend on it. 

Monday, May 29, 2017

Wild Vines

 
Wild Vines
If you know what these pink flowers are, please tell me. Wild grape vines, with tiny grapes forming, above what looks like wild honeysuckle, but I'm not sure.

Saturday, May 27, 2017

Strawberries On The Way

Strawberries Flowers are a sign of Strawberries On The Way

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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.

Thursday, May 18, 2017

Spring Blooming Of Trees

Red Maple (Acer Rubrum) In bloom. I just learned that they bloom red fuzzy looking flowers. I'm still learning new things every day.
Crab Apple Tree In Full Bloom-Loving spring.
  Crab Apple Blossoms
I love the white Crab Apple Blossoms, especially with the touch of pink of the unopened flowers.

Red horse chestnut (Aesculus x carnea ‘Briotii’) Tree Flowering 
This is a hybrid cross between red buckeye (Aesculus pavia) and Common horse-chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum).

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Thanks for your visits, favs and comments. As always, appreciated very much!
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Thursday, May 11, 2017

Tropical Flowers

Angel's Trumpet Flower (Brugmansia). Most Brugmansia are fragrant in the evenings to attract pollinating moths. Brugmansia are native to tropical regions of South America, along the Andes from Venezuela to northern Chile, and also in south-eastern Brazil. They are grown as ornamental container plants worldwide, and have become naturalized in isolated tropical areas around the globe, including within North America, Africa, Australia, and Asia. All parts of Brugmansia can be toxic.

 Flamingo Plants
 The Anthurium is also known as Painted Tongue, Flamingo Flower (Flamingo Lily) or Tail Flower. The flowers are contained in dense spirals on the spadix. The spadix is often elongated into a spike shape. Anthuriums are herbaceous epiphytes native to tropical America. Anthurium is a genus of more than 800 species found in the New World tropics from Mexico to northern Argentina and Uruguay.

 Pitcher Plant - Nepenthes
Pitcher plants are carnivorous plants which have modified leaves known as pitfall traps-a prey-trapping mechanism featuring a deep cavity filled with digestive fluid. Foraging, flying or crawling insects such as flies are attracted to the cavity formed by the cupped leaf, often by visual lures such as anthocyanin pigments, and nectar bribes. The sides of the pitcher are slippery and may be grooved in such a way so as to ensure that the insects cannot climb out. Pitcher plant, nepenthes, or monkeys cup, are a genus of carnivorous plants that attract & ingest insects. The name monkey cups refers to the fact that monkeys have been observed drinking rainwater from these plants. 
Tropical pitcher plants of the genus Nepenthes are distributed in tropical areas of northern Australia, southeast Asia, southern China, India and Madagascar. These plants grow as vines, in the undergrowth, or up in the canopy of tropical forests.

Zebra Plant - Aphelandra Squarrosa, commonly called zebra plant, is a compact shrub growing to 6’ tall in its native tropical habitat in Brazil.

The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) native mainly to the tropical Americas, with a few species found in the American subtropics and one in tropical west Africa
As if bromeliads weren’t cool enough, with their amazing ability to thrive without roots in soil. One of the world’s most beloved fruits, the pineapple, is a bromeliad. At least three types of bromeliads are carnivorous. With urn-like pitfall traps formed by tightly packed leaf bases, they rely on bacteria to break down their prey (instead of digestive enzymes like other carnivorous plants). Other bromeliads take on a more hospitable approach, acting like mini-ecosystems unto themselves: tree frogs, snails, flatworms, tiny crabs, salamanders, and other animals may spend their entire lives dwelling in one such bromeliad. This is just one of the more than 2,700 species native to the Neotropics.
Datura, One Of My Favorite Exotic Looking, Tropical Flowers. Datura metel, also known as devil's trumpets, they are also sometimes called moonflowers, jimsonweed, devil's weed, hell's bells, thorn-apple, and many more. Datura belongs to the classic "witches' weeds", along with deadly nightshade, henbane, and mandrake. Most parts of the plants are toxic, and datura has a long history of use for causing delirious states and death. In India it has been referred to as "Poisonous" and as an aphrodisiac. In little measures it was used in Ayurveda as a medicine from the ancient times. It is used in rituals and prayers to Shiva. It is also used in Ganesh Chaturthi. The larvae of some Lepidoptera (butterfly and moth) species, including Hypercompe indecisa, eat some Datura species.

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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.

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.