Tag Archives: walk in the woods

Spring flower walk in the woods

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Come along with me for another hike in the woods.

skunk cabbage in bloomskunk cabbageI grew up in Hudson Valley and would come across Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) all the time but rarely had the pleasure of seeing them in bloom. The maroon pointy hood, called a spathe, holds and protects the flower when it emerges out of the ground. Although they are known for their odor, I really couldn’t smell them even though there were quite a few along the path.

cut-leaved toothwortI have never noticed Cut-leaved Toothwort (Cardamine concatenate) before and was amazed how they seemed to be everywhere. How did I ever miss them? They get their name from their ivory colored roots as well as being used for toothaches.

MertensiaAnother new flower to me is Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica). Their blossoms are absolutely breathtaking.

Smooth Yellow VioletThe Smooth Yellow Violet (Viola pensylvanica) is always a treat to see in the woods. They differ from the Downy Yellow Violet (Viola pubescens) as their stems are smoothed unlike the Downy Yellow Violet.

Blue Cohoshblue cohosh in bloomIt is amazing that Blue Cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides) is an “at-risk” plant as it is so abundant in the Finger Lakes Region. I love the delicate dark wine colored blossom. It looks almost black. Blue Cohosh is a powerful medicinal herb for women.

Walking with old friends

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A couple of our old friends came to visit and of course, I had to take them for a hike in the woods. Here are a few of things we saw along the way.

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by Fabia Wargin

sharp-lobed hepaticaWe came across 2 different varieties of Sharp-lobed Hepatica (Hepatica acutiloba). Hepatica gets its name from its leaves, which, like the human liver has three lobes. It was once a very popular liver tonic. As a result, over 450,000 pounds of dried leaves were brewed into tea during 1883 alone.  That is a lot of leaves!

by Fabia Wargin

by Fabia Wargin

Isn’t Large-flowered Bellwort (Uvularia grandiflora) a beauty! It hides its flower as if it is shy.

rue annemoneRue Anemone (Thalictrum thalictroides) is such a lovely delicate plant. Because the flowers move around easily in the wind, it is sometimes called “Windflower.”

dutchman's breechesI am sorry this photo is not clearer but it’s a single Dutchman’s Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) blossom. This is one of many plants whose seeds are spread by ants, a process called myrmecochory. The seeds have a fleshy organ called an elaiosome that attracts ants. The ants take the seeds to their nest, where they eat the elaiosomes, and put the seeds in their nest debris, where they are protected until they germinate. They also get the added bonus of growing in a medium made richer by the ant nest debris. I guess you can think of the ants as farmers.

chickweedStar Chickweed (Stellaria pubera) is delicious in salads and is very soothing to irritated skin. A couple of years ago, I had a nasty rash; it blistered like a burn and looked like it was going to leave a scar. I made an infusion from fresh Chickweed. I let the infusion cool and then soaked a cloth in it and applied the cool compresses to the rash for a couple of hours, for several days. Every time the cloth cooled down, I re-soaked it. It was as if it removed the heat from my arm and healed the rash. Within a month, there was no evidence that I ever had a rash. It was quite amazing.