Common Hackberry – Celtis Occidentalis: Edible & Medicinal Uses of the Wartiest Tree

Common Hackberry - Celtis Occidentalis

Common hackberry (Celtis occidentalis) isn’t listed in Haliburton Flora, but this rapidly growing Ontario native can be found in the south. The bark, especially characteristic on younger trees, is unique: This plant is in the same family as hops and cannabis. While I’m writing this I noticed a thread in my native plants group asking …

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Chokeberries – Aronia SPP.: Edible & Medicinal Uses of Choke Berries Not Choke Cherries

Chokeberries – Aronia SPP.

Todays plant is chokeberries (Aronia spp.), not the more popular chokecherries. Sometimes chokeberry shrubs are included in the genus Photinia instead of Aronia. Chokeberries are one of the less popular native shrubs. Even unheard of. These under-the-radar native shrubs are related to roses. The only species listed in Haliburton Flora is purple chokeberry (Aronia x …

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Walnut – Juglans Spp.: Edible & Medicinal Uses of a Highly Prized Wild Nut Tree

Walnuts - Juglans Spp.

In Ontario, black walnut (Juglans nigra) and butternut AKA white walnut (Juglans cinerea) are our native walnut species. Around Haliburton we’re barely in range, with only a few black walnuts and butternuts noted on iNaturalist. Both species are more abundant to the south. There are a few nonnative Juglan species around Ontario too. As a …

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The Wood Folk Diaries: Volume 3, Chapter 20: Sulphurs Eat Their Peas

The Wood Folk Diaries: Volume 3, Chapter 20: Sulphurs Eat Their Peas

Dear Wood Folk, Lately, we’ve been covering a lot of overwintering butterflies, but this month’s sulphurs (colias spp.) are migrators. We have three species around Haliburton, Ontario, noted on iNaturalist. The clouded sulphur (c. philodice) is the species you are vastly more likely to see. It’s followed by the orange “alfalfa butterfly” (c. eurytheme) who …

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The Wood Folk Diaries: Volume 3, Chapter 18: Commas, Question Mark and Elms

The Wood Folk Diaries: Volume 3, Chapter 18: Commas, Question Mark and Elms

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 …

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