Today Jonathan and I went to a deli a couple of blocks from the office for lunch. We walked back via the back allies. I wasn’t intentionally looking for blooms, but once you’ve trained your eye to do that, it’s hard to shut it off. I found an American nightshade (Solanum americanum).
American nightshade (Solanum americanum)
I had always thought this plant to be deadly poisonous, but a new book I received this week – Nature’s Garden, by Samuel Thayer, says otherwise. Thayer holds that the ripe berries and the leaves are both edible and quite palatable. I will have to test his assertion later this year!
We soon ran out of alley and went back onto Main Street which has a row of Basswood (Tilia americana) trees. They were in bloom, so I stopped and snapped a shot.
Basswood (Tilia americana)
We finished off the day, and then headed home. Penny was very excited (as she always is) and was more than ready to go outside and chase sticks and/or balls. I put down my laptop and headed out the back door with my camera bag still slung over my shoulder.
First I went to the woods in the back where I found that the partridge berry (Michella repens) had bloomed sometime during the past several days of rain.
Partridge berry (Michella repens)
I took several shots. It was still very cloudy out so the light was dim. This is not normally a problem except that the tripod mount on my camera is stripped. I packed it full of Quicksteel (a steel-infused epoxy) so that I could drill that out and re-tap it later. But later hasn’t come yet! Also, I’m not sure where I put my set of taps. As a result of this shameful state of disorganization, I had to take these photos with the camera either held in my hand, or sitting on a rock. Some of them turned out pretty OK:
Partridge berry (Michella repens)
I also checked in on the Pipsissewa (Chimaphila umbellata). The flowers have still not opened for me, but they must soon!
Pipsissewa (Chimaphila umbellata)
These unripe blackberries are growing at the end of my driveway.
Blackberry (Rubus spp)
Then Beth called out to me with an irresistible question, “Dad! What’s this flower?” I rushed right over and saw my first Heal-all (Prunella vulgaris) bloom of the year:
Heal-all (Prunella vulgaris)
While I was taking that shot, she also found some birdsfoot trefoil, but I’ve already taken shots of that this summer. I may even have posted them. Instead, I spotted some white campion (Silene latifolia) growing amongst the sweetfern (Comptonia peregrina):
White campion (Silene latifolia)
and some sort of wild mustard (Brassica spp):
Wild mustard (Brassica spp)
These are supposed to be good to eat as well, and mustard can indeed be made from the seeds. I’ll have to try that one of these days.
I then looked for some cow wheat (Melampyrum lineare) that has a habit of growing nearby. I’ve been looking for it already this summer, but hadn’t seen any until today:
Cow wheat (Melampyrum lineare)
And just for good measure, I took another picture of some whorled loosestrife (Lysimachia quadrifolia):
Whorled loosestrife (Lysimachia quadrifolia)
By then Penny had chased her ball into the catchment pond (which is quite full again, thank you). When she saw that I was not going in after it, she did. And even though she was good and wet, I was ready to come in.
Luckily, she was just wet and not too muddy!
June 24, 2011 at 11:11 pm
I’m fascinated when I see how many flowers you have there that I’ve never seen! We have only half of the ones in this series. The number of different wildflower species across America must be huge! I especially like the Partridge berry!
June 24, 2011 at 11:21 pm
I love the partridge berry too. The flowers always come in pairs, and they share an ovary. The two flowers produce a single berry (one of which can be seen in the background of the second photo). These berries have two scars on them – one from each of the two flowers that made it. Some people call the berries “snake eyes” because of that. I posted photos of the berries last year when they bloomed – https://jomegat.wordpress.com/2010/06/11/partridge-berry/ Indeed, those are much better photos! Having a functional tripod mounting hole is very useful!
June 24, 2011 at 11:32 pm
It’s sure an interesting plant. I’ve given up on using a tripod for wildflowers myself because most of them are so low to the ground, unless you count both elbows and a mustache.
June 24, 2011 at 11:40 pm
The tripod I use for these is tiny. It won’t raise the camera more than six inches off the ground so it’s great for partridge berry. For that, I set it pretty low. With a tripod I can set the exposure times to a couple of seconds if I need to.
I had my uncle (a retired machinist ) make me some extensions to raise it another 3, 6, or 9 inches (when both are used) and with those I can cover the gap between my mini-tripod and my regular one. It’s not as stable with the extensions, but far more steady than my hands.
June 25, 2011 at 10:29 am
I have every thing shown here in the field. No, that isn’t right, the partridge berries are down in the woods.
There are actually two nightshades. Here is the other one.
http://cal.vet.upenn.edu/projects/poison/plants/ppdeadl.htm
We have this one, too.
June 25, 2011 at 1:27 pm
Sandy, I thought you were still looking for the Pipsissewa. I’m sure you have it up there somewhere – it’s just a matter of finding it!
I’ve not seen the belladonna, but I am aware of it.
June 27, 2011 at 11:19 am
Great photos. . .thanx for sharing!