Soil settlers

Here are a few edible and medicinal plants you may find in disturbed soils in the Maritime Provinces and also over much of N.A. and even many of the world’s other temperate zones as well, though it is kind of interesting to see what will turn up in some small areas when the soil is dug and left awhile, in fact all these photos were taken on the edge of my driveway where my neighbor had some work done a few months ago on a very small piece of land 25 ft by 6 ft, some of these seeds potentially may have lay dormant for the best part of a century.  First up is Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) above.

Pineapple-weed (Matricaria matricarioides) makes a nice tea.

Lambsquarters

Lady’s-thumb (Polygonum persicaria), I find this is one of the better edible Smartweeds.

Peppergrass (Lepidium densiflorum)

Hedge-mustard (Sisymbrium officinale)

Sheperd’s-purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris)

(Left side) Mallow and Creeping Woodsorrel with the heart-shaped clover type leaves to the (right)

Common Plantain (Plantago major)

Black Medick (Medicago lupulina)

Evening Primrose, first year basal leaves.

Sow-thistle, this one is not the same as the perennial Sow-thistle I gather near the salt marsh, this one is an annual.

I’m hoping my neighbour will not mow or lay sod until some of these plants develop seeds for me to collect as I would enjoy having some young shoots for winter salads from at least some of these plants nature finds away to share with itself.

Here is the kind of thing I would do with some of the seeds I’m hopeful to soon gather, above is a bag of Yellow Goat’s-beard shoots from seeds I collected fresh a few weeks ago, they look like grass though they are quite good in salads, Life blows me away with its natural goodness. ciao

Seeing some early summer

Today let us look at some plants noticed while I was foraging, starting here with Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum), I decided to lift his little hood so you could see him there.

I don’t know the wild Ribes clan very well though I suspect this must be a young Bristly Gooseberry (Ribes hirtellum).

Dwarf Red Blackberry (Rubus pubescens)

Some succulent Dandelion greens, these leaves were well over a foot long and very tender. Click on to notice the group of snails enjoying a snack on one of the leaves on the left side of the photo.

I must show this photo as it is an open Yellow goatsbeard seed-head again though here the parachutes are hauled in straight to protect themselves from the rain, it is interesting to see the natural intelligence of plants in their movements.

I did gather some Milkweed  flower buds which I will post on later, but lastly here is a rather rare pinkish Yarrow that I encounter today, mostly in my neighbourhood the local Yarrows have white flowers.