It has been an intense year, with many shifts and turns the past few weeks. I always hope to write more on my blog, but time is ticking and sadly, life is stretched and time has been a huge factor. But is life good? OH YEAH!!!! I hope you feel the same too, taking in the sun, fresh air and the plants we love.
Today was a harvest day, and a day to teach my 6 year old more about the plants we use most often. She was filled with wonder and so open to learning that it was pure bliss to be with her in the wild!!!
So today, I share the plants in our Teton wilderness that are flowering. So join Olivia and I on a plant walk, today and I hope you tap into your climate and conditions and reach out to touch the life growing around you as we have today.
Along the path we followed, we were surrounded with wild cherry and service berry flowers. Always on the path the Mt Sweet Cicely loves to flourish in this eco system
The flavor is licorice like in both flowers and leaves and we harvested a bit for teas later in the year.
Popping the flowers of Anise Hyssop (agastache spp.) into our mouths, you could feel the clearing energy from the lungs on up. Powerful stuff and seems to be far more mellow once dried, so we do eat this plant fresh as often as possible.
Yarrow is beginning to flower
We harvested some for our booty oil we make.
What is booty oil you may ask?I know it is a wierd name, but it is a main ingredient in this oil we use in our bathroom for wipage. Instead of using baby wipes, we use herbal oils with a but of basil and mint essential oils and yarrow oil being a base to help not only clean the anus region during toileting, but to keep hemorrhoids at bay. I know it sounds wierd, but it is a more eco friendly to baby wipes and has a purpose of keeping the region toned and free of troubles from difficult movements.
We can move on to the next plant now....lol
Oh yes, Olivia made friends with every bug int he forest today, even asking some come home with us to our 'cool" house! Of course they all fled before they were trapped int he suburban on the way to the town apartment...lol but it was cool how she connected to the insect world the way I do to the plant world. Her conversations were pretty amazing!
The baneberry is going to fruit.The berries are usually red or white.I am not certain why there is a difference as of yet, but if you see red or white shiny berries, it is likely to be the baneberry. They are considered poisonous so use caution. Even an edible like pedicularis, needs to be watched for growing around this plant, as a semi parasitic plant like pedicularis or indian paintbrush, can host on the plant that carries toxic alkaloids. Just be careful, but not fear. this plant looks alot like black cohosh, same family, different plant.
Pedicularis bracteosa, the Fernleaf lousewort is ready to eat. It is simple to pluck the flowers and eat them. Slightly radishlike but very veggie tasting. I like em!
I plan to write more about this plant in the near future. This pedicularis(figwort family) is also called lousewort or wood betony, not to be confused with the official Stachys spp.in the mint family. Pedicularis is a reputable muscle relaxant, especially for those that hold tension in their neck and shoulders.
Liv takes a break by the creek to get a drink. Despite out late spring/summers, once it emerges, the sun is intense here! Shirt off, my little wild woman!
The striped coralroot is a super special finf. All the coral roots here are in the orchid family. The way this plant feedsis by organic decaying matter in the soil, since it has no chlorophyll. The root system is said to be coral like,and how this plant feeds.
The scarlet gilia is blooming and a good flower for the hummingbirds. Rub the stems and you will smell an aroma between a skunk, weed, and rubber tires. It is an unusual plant indeed full of sticky resinous stuff on the stem. A beauty amongst the yellows of this mountain range!
Mules ears in a forest meadow
This is the unknown plant I found today.It seems to be an orchid family plant like coral root, but similar to the pedicularis. If anyone knows this plant, feel free to comment and I will surely share more of this sweet beauty when I know it
This is one of the angelica's that dwells here in the higher country. This is another plant I have not spent a whole lot of time with, but always feel blessed to enter its territory
Happy independence day, to liberate us all from the things that bind us and hold us back from our true purpose!!!
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