Columbine

 Blue & White Columbine

Purple  Columbine

 Pink Columbine

So Pretty In Pink

Columbine In Purple & White

 Purple  Columbine

 Wild Columbine

 Wild Columbine

Wild Columbine & Wild Blueberry Flowers

Wild Columbine or Aquilegia canadensis is an herbaceous perennial native to woodland and rocky slopes in eastern North America, prized for its red and yellow flowers. This beautiful woodland wildflower has showy, drooping, bell-like flowers equipped with distinctly backward-pointing tubes, similar to the garden Columbines. These tubes, or spurs, contain nectar that attracts long-tongued insects and hummingbirds especially adapted for reaching the sweet secretion. It is reported that Native Americans rubbed the crushed seeds on the hands of men as a love charm.

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.

Squills

Siberian Squills

(Scilla siberica) is one of the earliest spring bulbs to come to flower. They originate from Russia, Turkey and the Caucasus, and is widely cultivated for its dark blue flowers.

Siberian Squills

Siberian Squills

Bunny in a field of Siberian Squills.

 

Striped squills 

also known as Puschkinia scilloides, or Lebanon squill, is a perennial bulb that originated in Asia Minor, Lebanon, and the Caucasus. A member of the Asparagaceae (asparagus family), this small relative of the hyacinth also blooms in spring.

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 PHOTOGRAPHS ARE AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE

Sustainable Ramp Harvesting

For a brief time in spring, ramps, or wild garlic, or wild leeks, can be foraged in the woods. I only pick aa few that I can cook up and eat. And I only pick a few leaves from one patch here, a few leaves from one patch there, and so on. We don’t ever want the ramps to be over picked. We don’t dig up the bulb, either, as we just need the tender stalk and leaves for the flavor and vitamins in sautéed dishes or pesto or soup. I even cut up a few to dry and save to add flavor to my winter soups (just like I do with chives from my garden).

What is a sustainable ramp harvest? Thank you @unitedplantsavers 

Please share far and wide!

~leaves only
~no bulbs, folks!
~one leaf per plant
~from plants with 2+ leaves
~from an abundant population
~you have permission to harvest
~harvest only what you will use
~tread lightly—plants will thank ya
~it should look like you weren’t there
~plant ramp seeds in the fall
~bulbs from @ruralaction in spring
~educate others to do the same

If you love ramps, leave them in the ground! Did you know it takes one plant SEVEN years to reach reproductive maturity? Every bulb you dig is cutting short the life of the patch. It’s okay if you didn’t know before—share your newfound knowledge with others to prevent overharvest in your area.

Ramps (Allium tricoccum) are on United Plant Savers To-Watch Species List due to their status as a threatened native medicinal plant.

Over-harvest and poaching has decimated local populations to meet the demands of rising culinary popularity in big cities, annual ramp festivals across the eastern U.S., and surging local popularity among foragers and wildcrafters. When you see ramps for sale at the farmers market ask the seller how they source them. Don’t buy ramps that aren’t sustainably sourced or that are harvested with bulbs. Replant fresh bulbs with rootlets!

Bottom line, don’t harvest ramps unless you know what you’re doing. If not, leave ‘em alone. It shouldn’t look like you’ve been there at all. A modest leaf-only harvest ensures the patch is viable for years to come. I promise your ramp pesto will taste the same with leaves instead of bulbs—leaves are where the flavor is, folks.

For more information on ramps and sustainable forest farming visit unitedplantsavers.org.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CcI93rUryfF/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Becoming a responsible wildcrafter sometimes means not harvesting a plant if the population simply cannot support that impact and sustain itself, or whenever you are not sure what the impact of harvesting could be. This is why it’s so important to study foraging with a mentor or reputable school and to make sure you’re aware of sustainable guidelines before you start harvesting.

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 are poisonous or can have serious adverse health effects.

Coltsfoot

Coltsfoot

(Tussilago farfara), is a common dirt road, roadside plant. Some of the first spring blooming flowers, it has blossoms before there are leaves. Cough remedies can be made from coltsfoot flowers. The leaves of this low-growing perennial act as a bronchial decongestant and expectorant, and also help  the respiratory tract and reduce lung-tissue inflammation, making it a useful remedy for allergy-induced asthma. 

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 are poisonous or can have serious adverse health effects.

 

Barns Of Vermont 2020-2024

 

Barn & Silo At The Intervale

Farm In Fairfax

Farm In Fairfax

Farm In Jericho

Horse Barn In Underhill

Farm In Underhill

Adorable Barn In Underhill

Autumn At Last Resort Farm 

In Monkton

Waitsfield

Hudak Farm Barn With Hand Carved Wood

 In Swanton

Hudak Farm Cider Barn 

In Swanton

Antique Looking Barn 

In Underhill

Red 

In Fairfax

View Of Mt. Mansfield 

from Tinker Farm in Fletcher

Gorgeous View Around This Farm 

in Monkton

Maquam Barn & Winery

Farm In Milton

Round Barn loveliness at Shelburne Museum, with all the peonies in bloom.

Barns In Winter

Colchester, Vt.

Barn With A Lovely Stone Foundation

in Hinesburg, Vermont

Another Red Barn

in Hinesburg, Vermont

Lovely Stone House & Barn in South Hero, Vt.

Farm With A Snowy Mountain View of

Mt. Mansfield On A Sunny Winter Day in Vermont

Feel the Bern Barn

Red Barn with a Mural of Bernie Sanders

Barn at Meach Cove

Meach Cove Farms is located in the southwest corner of Shelburne, and is a privately owned 1,000-acre certified organic farm.  The primary crops are 300-plus acres of organic and conventional soy beans, organic hay, wheat, rye, corn, three-acres of wine grapes and 350-acres of productive woodland. As an organization they conduct research on projects which provide renewable energy alternatives to fossil fuels.

This barn looks like a castle to me.

My photographs are available for purchase

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. 

Crocus First Signs Of Spring

Crocuses

 First Signs Of Spring. Purple Crocuses With A Bee.

More Crocus Beauty

Purple Crocuses in my garden. 

This photo was awarded Photo of the Day on Capture My Vermont, for April 2, 2016.

Crocus Pollination

I love the frilly looking stigma on this flower and so does the bee.

Bee In A Crocus

Crocuses Being Pollinated

The bees were busy today. I love the frilly looking stigma on these flowers and so do the bees.

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.