Horseweed – Conyza Canadensis: Edible & Medicinal Uses of Another Overlooked Pollinator Fav of Wild Plants

Horseweed - Conyza Canadensis

Maybe it’s the name “weed”. Or maybe it’s the location; weedy parking lots and driveways. But I always assumed horseweed was a nonnative plant. Surprise! It’s actually native to Ontario and a powerhouse for small pollinators. Horseweed (conyza canadensis syn. erigeron canadensis) is fairly common around Haliburton county in sand flats, disturbed ground, and roadsides. …

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Swamp Milkweed – Asclepias Incarnata: Edible & Medicinal Uses of the Hot Pink Milkweed of Wild Plants

Swamp Milkweed - Asclepias Incarnata

In Chippewa, bu’giso’win meaning “swimming“, swamp milkweed is not as edible and medicinal as its common relation. So we’re all the more talking about how much of an all-star this plant is for pollinator gardens and native landscaping. Swamp milkweed (asclepias incarnata) can be found in the margins of swamps, marshes and other low wet …

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New Jersey Tea – Ceanothus Americanus: Edible & Medicinal Uses of the Redroot of Wild Plants

New Jersey Tea - Ceanothus Americanus

In Chippewa, odiga’dimanido’ refers to prairie redroot, New Jersey teas close relation. Both have red roots and thus redroot as a folk name. They have the same uses and host the same caterpillars. This edible and medicinal plant will certainly end up in our pollinator series for the Wood Folk Diaries! The shrub New Jersey tea …

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Cinquefoils – Potentilla SPP.: Edible & Medicinal Uses of the Mock Strawberries of Wild Plants

Cinquefoils - Potentilla SPP.

In Ojibwe, tcode’ imînaga’ wûnj meaning “like a strawberry” is a name for one of the cinquefoils. You can find at least seven species in our area of Central Ontario, with varying levels of edibility and medicinal quality. Around the world the most popular cinquefoils are tormentil and silverweed, neither of which are in Haliburton, Ontario. …

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Pickerel-weed – Pontederia Cordata: Edible & Medicinal Uses of the Purple Sea of Wild Plants

Pickerel-weed - Pontederia Cordata

In Ojibwe, kinozhaeguhnsh meaning “pike’s plant“, pickerelweed is another edible aquatic plant in Ontario. Many will notice its lush purple blooms covering the shorelines in our area in the summertime. The bees notice too! Pickerel-weed (pontederia cordata) is a common sight around Haliburton in shallow water, usually in large dense colonies. When flowering it’s a sea …

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Coneflowers – Echinacea SPP.: Edible & Medicinal Uses of the Trendiest of Wild Plants

Coneflowers - Echinacea SPP.

In Chippewa,  gi’zuswe’bigwa’is meaning “it is scattering”, who hasn’t heard of coneflowers AKA echinacea? It’s one of the biggest fads in herbal medicine in recent decades. But are the claims about echinacea legit or overblown hype? Friend or fad? I’ll admit I’ve taken echinacea at the first sign of sniffles before. It’s one of if …

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