Rachel of the Woods
Blue cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides) is similar to its name twin black cohosh, but from a whole other genus of plants. They aren’t look-a-likes, but their medicinal uses are similar. “Cohosh” is from an Algonquin word related to pregnancy/women. Both cohoshes are species at risk of overharvest. Presently, motherwort is a more sustainable choice as a …
Dear Wood Folk, The general consensus is that the name nuthatch refers to these bird folk wedging their food into crevices for safe keeping. Especially this time of year (winter), I spend a great deal of time outside watching both the chickadees and the red-breasted (sitta canadensis) and white-breasted nuthatches (sitta carolinensis) hiding birdseed in …
False Solomon’s seal AKA Solomon’s-plume (Maianthemum racemosum syn. smilacina racemosa syn. vagnera racemosa. For now I’ve left an older Latin name in the title, as it’s the one you’ll find in reference books for the most part. If you’ve seen a plant with a massive cluster of speckled pink and red berries hanging from it …
Common junipers (Juniperus communis) “berries” aren’t as sweet as they appear. But common juniper is still an edible and medicinal plant, especially popular in Northern Europe. In Haliburton, Ontario, you’ll find J. communis var. depressa Pursh. It’s been fairly common around here, especially dotting open fields. With our forest taking back the land that was cleared it …
A type of buckwheat, lady’s-thumb (Polygonum persicaria syn. Persicaria maculosa) is a common garden “smartweed” here. It’s a smart beginner wild edible and medicinal green because of the distinguished triangular purple spot on the leaf making it easily identifiable. Check out the nice, clearest “thumb”print, bottom-left: There are lookalikes throughout Ontario, primarily also in the …