Rachel of the Woods
In Ojibwe, agoñgosî’ mînûn meaning chipmunk berries, wild lily-of-the-valley is not a lily. Wild lily-of-the-valley is of the Asparagaceae family (as of 2016). It’s an edible and medicinal plant, but be sure not to confuse it with true lily-of-the-valley! Another lookalike to be ware of is 3-leaved Solomon’s seal. Chipmunks are cute, but the alternative name …
Another escapee from settler cultivation around here, comfrey is an historically renown and presently semi-controversial edible and medicinal plant. Around Haliburton, we have both common comfrey and the blue flowered wild sort (now andersonglossum boreale). The proper one of the title name has creamy yellow flowers. The pictured purple flowered I see more often and …
Here in Canada, cannabis is a legal (and hopefully decriminalized someday) edible, medicinal and industrial plant. In Haliburton, we even have our own pot shop Capturing Eden. It’s a December day as I post this, the 24th! Mary Christmas! When Haliburton Flora was compiled, there was one cannabis sativa noted on waste ground up in …
The daisy, commonly seen woven into a crown on the heads of ethereally dressed children in aesthetic photography.. who knew this familiar flower is edible and medicinal too? Daisies are quite neglected in my herbal library. Yet they’re one of the first plants many young folks will recognize; the token “he loves me, he loves …
Dear Wood Folk, Around Haliburton there are some special birds that will feed from your hand: the grey jay, maybe a red breasted nuthatch, but most of all – the tiny chickadee. Here, specifically, the black-capped chickadee (poecile atricapillus): They are the most widespread bird species across the land. Brave.. gregarious.. popular. Their popularity is …
We’ll cover the edible and medicinal wild mint, peppermint and spearmint in this post. There are other mints I will cover separately: heal-all, catnip, wild bergamot, etc.! Wild mint (mentha arvensis) and peppermint (mentha x piperita) are listed in Haliburton Flora, with the native wild aka corn mint being more common. Spearmint, called the mother …