Rachel Lower
Most false bindweeds (calystegia spp.) you’ll find in Ontario are nonnative and not very edible or medicinal. However, some false bindweeds have been used for food around the world. False bindweeds (calystegia spp.) are very similar to related “true” bindweeds (convolvulus spp.) and are sometimes categorized with them and swamp dodder (cuscuta gronovii). But our …
Indian tobacco (lobelia inflata) has yet to be renamed, but I imagine it will be decolonized in the future. Another less common name for it is “wild tobacco”. I was going to cover cardinal flower this month, a showier, bright-red close relation. But usage-wise our title plant is stronger. It’s considered toxic yet has medicinal …
Dear Wood Folk, Around Haliburton, Ontario we have 4 comma butterflies: the green comma (polygonia faunus), eastern comma (polygonia comma), gray comma (polygonia progne), and the question mark (polygonia interrogationis). They are all sorted into the genus polygonia. They stand out with their angular wing edges from lookalike crescents and fritillaries. But they are very …
In Haliburton Flora, there are 9 clubmosses (lycopodium spp.) listed. Although, since that survey was taken most of them have been reclassified. Genus flipping aside, by narrowest circumscription just 2 of these are lycopods hereabouts, and 4 Ontario-wide. Clubmoss/lycopodium species are vascular plants often referred to as fern allies, closely related to ferns and plants …
As far as medicago spp. go, alfalfa takes the edible and medicinal plant spotlight. Black medick (medicago lupulina) is a less potent version of alfalfa, an invisible sibling that gets no mention in my herbal library. Black medick (medicago lupulina) is uncommon around Haliburton, Ontario. Patches can be found trailside, along roadsides and in other …
Dear Wood Folk, A while back we covered the red admiral, who despite the shared moniker admiral, is quite different from the white AKA red-spotted purple admiral (limenitis arthemis) we’re featuring today. They aren’t even in the same family! Surprisingly, today’s featured “admiral” is more closely related to monarchs. The appearance of limenitis arthemis is …