Click on the image for a larger view.
Tag Archives: Wild Plants
Violets
Violets blooming in Soapstone Valley. Click on the image for a larger view.
KC Cherry Blossom Stereo
Kansas City is blessed with flowering trees. The season starts in April and ends by May. This stereo pair can be viewed by crossing your eyes to merge the left and right images, similar to the other stereo pairs we have shown before. Click on the image for a larger view.
Cactus
Phoenix, Arizona. Click on the image for a larger view.
Magnolia
The magnolia trees are in blossom in Florida. Click on the image for a larger view.
Forest Fern
Last evening I took a walk through our forest. The last rays of sunlight were still penetrating the forest canopy, at least for just a minute or two. Click on the image for a larger view.
Blue Spruce—Edible Plants
Blue spruce, picea pungens, is native to the Rocky Mountains, but can be found as ornamental trees throughout the United States. The young shoots can be used to make tea high in vitamin C. This bitter, resinous drink is surprisingly refreshing, although it is not uncommon for people to add a sweetener. Click on the image for a larger view.
Spring Trillium
Red trillium, or wake robin, is appearing on the forest floor. It is one of the first flowers of the season, taking advantage of the light before the foliage returns. Trillium is a striking plant, but its scent of rotting meat is for a slightly different audience. Click on the image for a larger view.
Winter Blackberries
I explored our land this weekend. We have had unusual amounts of rain, freezing rain, and sleet this winter. The snow pack is hard and slippery–normally when I wear snowshoes, it is so I don’t sink too far into the snow, but now I just need the crampons on the shoes to stop from slipping.
Our blackberry field is like an abstract painting of hard black strokes on a brilliant white canvas. This is such a stark transformation from what this field looks like in the summer. Click on the image for a larger view.
Small Cranberry
Small cranberry, Vaccinium oxycoccos, can be found in peat or acidic soils, which gives it its other common name, bog cranberry. This is one of the first plants to colonize burnt bogland and native Americans would burn bogs to stimulate its growth. Like the cultivated cranberry, these are tart. Naturally, this fruit is sought after by wildlife. This plant is on Little Moose Island at the tip of Schoodic peninsular in Acadia National Park. Click on the image for a larger view.
