Tuesday, August 19, 2008

I wish I knew This One!

If anyone does know what it is, please tell me!

When I was a kid, there were none of these around......then suddenly they were all over the place. They seem invasive, but I haven't seen anything about an invasive tree.

The berries are red with small brown/grey dots all over, the berries aren't on stems or in clusters, just short stems attached to the branch.

The berries are somewhat sour, leaving a bit of a pucker, but they are edible...at least they haven't killed me yet. lol

The trees are small and bushy, not usually getting over 10 feet tall, if that.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

100 Species in Two Days

Although it took three to get them all posted. lol

The first day's pictures (1-69) were all taken in our yard. The second day's pictures were all taken about a half-mile away...with the exception of the black walnut tree, which I had to re-take and took in our neighbour's back yard, and the dogwood tree, which I haven't re-taken yet...but will try to get today, and it will be about a quarter-mile anyway.

I have other (better in some cases) pictures to add, too, and I'll add what I know and what I've learned since starting this project, but I *really* wanted to get the 100 named and posted. If I find other interesting plants, I may post them, too.

#100! Catalpa Tree



#99 Wild Strawberry



#98 Burdock

Small plants... And larger plants with burs...

I HATE the burs that burdock grows! lol They get in your clothes (or hair, or your dog's hair) and then they break apart and you have to extract each little piece.

I know that my grandmother used it as an herb, but I don't know what parts or how it was used.

Something to learn! ; )

#97 Daisy

These daisies were transplanted to one of our flower gardens...
This daisy is still wild...out on the hillside.

#96 Shagbark Hickory Tree


#95 Teaberry


#94 Trillium

I really didn't expect to find a trillium when we went into the woods, most of them had already died down, but I did come across this one stem still alive.

#93 Tulip Poplar Tree



#92 Goldenseal



#91 Gooseberry Bush


#90 Skunkberry Tree


#89 Fern


#88 Mayapple


#87 Dogwood Tree




I *finally* got dogwood pictures...and they even have berries, which they wouldn't have had, had I gotten the picture before.

Birds eat the berries...or so I've heard. lol I haven't ever seen it myself.

#86 Buckeye Tree


#85 Onion

Onions in early spring...

#84 Puffball Mushroom


#83 Moss


#82 Fiddlehead Fern


#81 Goldenrod


One of my favourite flowers, a sure sign autumn is coming!
Something on the plant was used for yellow dye...the flowers or roots? I'll look it up. : )
AH...leaves and flowers....http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/g/golrod26.html...according to this site. : )


#80 Elderberry Tree (Bush?)


#79 Kudzu


#78 Black Walnut Tree




#77 Honey Locust Tree


#76 Hollyhock



#75 Black-Eyed Susan



#73 Hydrangea (Snowball Bush)



I think these are just the coolest flowers. Especially the way they dry. I dried some once and made an arrangement for my brother's kitchen...about a month before his house burned down. Maybe they're bad luck. lol

One thing I think is particularly interesting about them is that they will be different colors depending on the kind of soil they're in.

Wikipedia has a good article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrangea

#73 Redbud Tree


#73 Mullein (AKA Kitty Cabbage)



Locally Mullein is known as "Rabbit Tobacco". Anna couldn't remember what it was once, and yelled excitedly when she saw some, "Look! It's Kitty Cabbage!". So for us, it's Kitty Cabbage. lol
Mullein is used as an herb for asthma...it's supposed to help ease breathing, but I've never tried it. I've always been afraid of it. It's also a blood thinner, and I don't want to mess with that sort of thing.
When I was a kid I would collect the leaves to use as blankets for my dolls, because they're soft and furry. ; )
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This is a delightful page with information about mullein.

#71 Shelf Mushroom