Found in sandy roadsides

Wild Geraniums – Geranium SPP.: Edible & Medicinal Uses of One of the Strongest Astringent Herbs

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Wild Geraniums – Geranium SPP.

Wild geraniums are not your common garden centre “geraniums” (Pelargonium spp.). Today’s featured plant is from a different genus. Sometimes called cranesbills, this species is slightly edible, a popular medicinal astringent and also wonderful for native landscaping. Around Haliburton, Ontario, Northern Cranes-bill (Geranium bicknellii) and the more common herb Robert (G. robertianum) are found. In …

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Beggarticks – Bidens SPP.: Edible & Medicinal Uses of the Burr Marigolds of Wild Plants

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Beggarticks – Bidens SPP.

Beggarsticks (Bidens spp.) may look like flowers to choke on, but they are more edible and medicinal than they appear. We currently have around half a dozen species of beggarticks (Bidens spp.) in Haliburton county, Ontario. But the only one I’ve noticed is devil’s beggarticks (Bidens frondosa). It’s fairly common in waste areas, sand flats …

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Alfalfa – Medicago Sativa: Edible & Medicinal Uses of the Vitamin and Mineral Supplement of Wild Plants

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Alfalfa – Medicago Sativa

Alfalfa is a superfood of edible and medicinal plants, for some people to consume in moderation anyway. There are conditions and drug interactions that clash with this purple. Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is an uncommon sight here in open grassy areas, typically where livestock was foraging on old farmland, and sandy roadsides. It was brought over …

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Black-eyed Susan – Rudbeckia Hirta: Edible & Medicinal Uses of the Easily-sown of Wild Plants

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Black-eyed Susan – Rudbeckia Hirta

Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), while not edible like most plants we’ve featured, is a medicinal herb and a butterfly favourite that is so easy to plant. It adds bountiful pops of sunny yellow to meadows and path sides. For the most part I’m covering plants that are both edible and medicinal, but it’d be “sow …

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Horsetails – Equisetum SPP.: Edible & Medicinal Uses of the Scourer of Wild Plants

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Horsetails – Equisetum SPP.

Scouring rush and common horsetail (both Equisetum spp.) are used to scrub and clean, but common horsetail also has edible uses. And scouring rush is the Equisetum plant preferred for medicinal uses. Related to ferns, common horsetail AKA horsetail fern is the only living genus of the subclass Equisetidae. Common horsetail (Equisetum arvense) is indeed …

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Ragweed – Ambrosia Artemisiifolia: Edible & Medicinal Uses of the Sneeziest of Wild Plants

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Ragweed – Ambrosia Artemisiifolia

Oh, ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia). This maligned plant while rare-ish in Haliburton and considered a “weed” in this part of Ontario is actually native to North America. It’s at least as valuable to a swath of wildlife as it is likely to cause a human to sneeze. You might find ragweed here along a roadside or …

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