Tulip tree AKA tulip poplar AKA arbre aux lis (Liriodendron tulipifera) is only native to parts of southern Ontario, so it’s near native in Haliburton and it’s not listed in Haliburton Flora. A stunner, the flowers really do look like tulips: My pictures on this page are from a tulip tree in my eldest sisters backyard … [Read more…]
Around Haliburton, nannyberry (Viburnum lentago) is one of our uncommon bush cranberries. It may be found on wet banks, river edges, or in wet meadows. It’s on the taller side as bush cranberries go. In appearance and usage, it’s much like black haw, which grows just to our south in the States. It’s also similar … [Read more…]
Red elderberry or red-berried elder (Sambucus racemosa) is not as edible and medicinal or renown as its relative common elderberry is. But it wins in another area. It’s a wildlife favourite. As soon as the berries are ready, birds flock to this shrub and clear them out quickly. Its early blooms attract pollinators too. And … [Read more…]
Heartleaf foamflower AKA creeping foamflower (Tiarella stolonifera syn. cordifolia) is native to Ontario and found on leafy hummus in deciduous or mixed woods. The leaves resemble miterworts, making one of the folk names false miterwort. I spot foamflower on the roadsides often, and mitrewort more on rocks in streams and deeper in the woods. I … [Read more…]
Dear Wood Folk, Have you seen the plant with doll’s eyes for berries? In Samuel Thayer’s newest book, Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants, he calls baneberry “possibly the most poisonous fleshy berry” in our region. As far as berries go both white (Actaea pachypoda) and red (Actaea rubra) baneberries can make you feel pretty … [Read more…]
Yew is an important shrub to know if you’re going to forage conifers. It’s trendy to make teas out of evergreens like spruce or cedar, but just a cupful of fresh yew leaves can actually kill you. While parts of yew have been used both for edible and medicinal purposes, most of the plant is … [Read more…]