Monthly Archives: May 2018

Join Know Your Roots at the 8th Annual Herbal Hoedown!

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For the past seven years, I have had the honor to help coordinate the Herbal Hoedown. It’s a wonderful herbal conference in the Finger Lakes, which brings together a whole spectrum of people, from herbalists to the phyto-curious ~ those who want to dip their toe into the world of our green allies. The day is filled with classes and walks; we even have classes for kids and an herbal market, where you can buy a whole range of products and plants. This allows everyone to fully immerse themselves and broaden their knowledge base. I am always impressed with the class proposals, as we always receive an excellent assortment of diverse topics for all levels.

I’ll be teaching  “The Golden Answer,” which explores the amazing world of Goldenrod. An herb with so much more healing power than you ever knew. We’ll discuss its abilities to ameliorate allergy symptoms, support the urinary system, and soothe pain. And that’s just for starters.

I hope you will be able to join us for the 8th Annual Herbal Hoedown on June 2, 2018 at the beautiful Six Circles Farm on the shores of Seneca Lake in Lodi, NY. Space is limited so you better pre-register today. For more details go to our Facebook page ~ Herbal Hoedown.

Bring the whole family!

Leaves of three, some you should just let them be

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Whenever I take a group on a hike, someone always asks me what poison ivy, Toxicodendron radicans looks like. Someone inevitably recites, “Leaves of three, let them be.” I always mention that I love to eat raspberries and strawberries, which also have three leaves. So how do you really know?

Poison Ivy has compound leaves with three leaflets (leading to the saying “leaves of three, let it be”). It is really important to know how to identify poison ivy throughout the year because it is ever changing and the oils are always potent and can give you the rash regardless if it has leaves or not.Here are pictures to help you identify poison ivy throughout the year. I hope they help.

The twig breaks through the dried up fall leaves and comes up in early spring.

 

When the leaves first appear in the spring, they are red and are very shiny.

 

 

 

 

 

When looking at the three leaflets notice how they do not all look alike, at least one looks like a mitten.

Poison Ivy is a vine, and very hairy. There are many other woodland vines but none are as hairy.

Poison Ivy changes colors in the fall along with all the other deciduous plants.