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Nature/survival​

Hiking can be a very enjoyable activity.  You need to hike your own hike.  Go at your own pace and enjoy the wildlife around you.  If you have prepared for the hike, you will not have to worry about many unexpected events along the way.
For day hikes I always carry the bare essentials in my pack just in case I run into an emergency situation.  The essentials would include a tarp, fire starter with kindling, extra water bottle, a knife, one day's food ration, and an emergency blanket.
Longer hikes usually include a tent or hammock, two pounds of food for every day of hiking, a sleeping bag, ground cover or mat, fire starter, cooking stove, three liters of water, eating utensils, one liter pot, cup, extra clothes with rain jacket, and trekking poles.  
​There are many other items that you can include that will allow you to be more comfortable at the expense of the extra weight.
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12/18/2020

First Aid Kit

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what should you bring with you for first aid?

When hiking do you need a first aid kit?
      Many ultralight backpackers and some day hikers do not carry first aid kits.  
In the past 20 years of hiking 10,000+ miles I have never carried a first aid kit.  In that amount of time I have only seen a few hikers who have needed first aid.  But since the COVID-19 Virus more people have hiked the trails, and the demand for help has increased, not necessarily for me, but for other hikers.  
     Not long ago I saw an elderly woman sitting on the side of the trail wrapping ace bandages from her ankles to her hips.  I stopped and talked to her for a while, and she assured me she did not need any help.  
     Most of the problems I have seen are blisters, bee stings, scrapes, sprains, bruises, and dehydration.  Long distance hikers carry lots of Ibuprofen for pain, which they nickname vitamin I.  Knees, ankles and hips will sooner or later ache at some time during the hike.  Aching joints usually come from long days of hiking 20 to 25 miles  a day up and down mountains.
     Ultralight hikers try to get by with the lightest gear possible, many times at the expense of doing away with comfort and safety.  Lately, I have seen more sprained ankles, blisters, and dehydration on the trail.
What we should carry on the trail :
​​Band Aids - Scrapes, blisters and some insect bites
Mole Skin - Blisters
Ace Bandage - Sprains, strains, broken bones
Antiseptic - Cuts and scrapes - Usually wipes
Tape - Cloth tape for larger cuts - Usually 2 inch small roll
Gauze - Larger cuts - usually 2 inch - Single roll
Pain Pills - Aspirin, Advil, Ibuprofen
​Antihistamines - Benedril - Take for minor allergies - Rub or pills
Butterfly Closure Strips - Close wounds
Tweezers - Remove ticks and splinters
Hand Sanitizer - Sterilize hands
​Safety Pins - Take out splinters, hold sling
Emergency Contact Information - Who should be contacted for an emergency
Small Knife or Scissors - Cutting emergencies
Extra Item You May Also Consider
Epipens - Severe allergies such as bee stings and some types of  allergies
Medications - Prescribed medicines
​Insect Spray - Tick and mosquito repellent 
​CPR Mask - For easier CPR
Space Blanket - For emergency overnight shelter
Antiacids - TUMS - Upset stomach
​Cotton Balls or Sawbs - Steralize wounds 
Plastic Bags - Carry water, used to help keep wounds sterile
Duct Tape - Create a very tight hold
​Cell or Satellite Phone - To call for help
I make it a point to never help a person in trouble unless I have his/her permission, and I never help them unless it is a life saving situation and professional care is not available in a reasonable time. 

Psalm 89:15 - Blessed are those who have to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O Lord.

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11/8/2018

Appalachain trail markers

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trail markers

Is it easy to get lost on any of the most popular hiking trails in the United States?
Most of the popular hiking trails in America are very crowded during the hiking season which lasts from late February to early November. During this time it is very unusual to walk along the trail and not pass several people each day.  Very few people hike during the winter months.  Special preparation must be made during this slower time.  Often I have enjoyed sharing company along the trail, and other times I just like the solitude of hiking alone.  In order to solo hike in the winter you must be an experienced hiker.  Map reading, directional orientation, and compass reading are a few skills you need to keep you on the trail.  You cannot depend on always finding a trail marker to lead your way.  Markers may be worn away, eaten by animals, or torn down.  Fortunately so many people have hiked the Appalachian Trail that the trail is well worn into the earth, and it is hard to stray from the path.  During the fall and winter months, when leaves and snow cover the ground, it's harder to see the trail.

To keep from getting lost you must follow a few guidelines.  Pre-planning is a must for any hiking/bicycling trip.  You must tell someone when, where, how long the trip will take, as well as when you plan to begin the trip.    The use of proper equipment will make the hike much more enjoyable.

Detailed maps have been published for almost all the major hiking trails in the United States.  These maps include water sources, places to stay, post offices, stores, elevations, emergency contacts, and roadway crossings.  Most hikers hike at a rate of two to three miles per hour. Young hikers cover about fifteen to twenty-five miles a day.  Older hikers usually hike ten to fifteen miles a day.  There is a saying on the Appalachian Trail, “Hike your own hike.”  Do not let a fellow hiker determine your hiking speed or distance; maintain what is comfortable to you.

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Appalachian Trail Official Maps--Appalachian Trail Conservancy, New York-New Jersey Maps 1,2,3, and 4.  Exploring the Appalachian Trail Mid-Atlantic States by Scherer and Hopey.

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Appalachian Trail Thru-Hikers Companion by the Appalachian Trail 
Long Distance Hikers Association,  AAA New Jersey Pennsylvania State Series Road Map

Hiking The major trails

 Many of the major trails like the Pacific Crest and Appalachian Trails are marked with signs or colored blazes.  A blaze is usually a six inch by four inch rectangular mark painted at varying distances on trees.  At times signs are placed on the trail at key locations.   Signs may often be destroyed by animals or vandals.  Every trail may have its own unique colored blaze the entire length of the trail.  White is the color blaze for hikers along the Appalachian Trail (AT).
White Blazes: As mentioned, these blazes mark the AT trail. The single white blaze is most common, but a double white blaze (two blazes stacked on top of one another) indicate a sharp turn in the trail.  White blazes are the best friend of the AT Thru-Hiker, as they usually clearly show the way. However, white blazes can become faded over time, and if a trail maintainer isn’t there to refresh the paint, they can be worn away completely.
Blue Blazes: A blue blaze is a spur trail branching off of the Appalachian Trail. Blue-blazed trails could lead to a vista, water source, shelter or campground, or some unusual natural feature. The blue-blazed trails may be dead ends, so that it would be an out and return walk to something like a vista.  Or, a blue blaze can be an alternate route of the Appalachian Trail, where you would leave the trail and then rejoin it a mile or two further down the path.
A blue blaze is basically used to mark just about any trail that isn’t the Appalachian Trail (or some other named trail).  It’s likely that the trail leads to a really great spring or some awesome overlook.
Yellow Blaze/Brown: A yellow-blazing means a horse trail or bicycling trail.  Usually on the trail the horse rider has the right-of-way and then the bicycler, followed by the hiker. 

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A typical white colored blaze
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The Blaze May Be On the left or the right.  Notice how well worn the trail is.
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When the trail crosses a pasture, special steps are used to keep it secure.
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Bridges are used to cross streams.
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More complex bridges are used to cross larger streams.
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Rocks are used for markers where there are no trees.
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A directional change to the right
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Occasionally you will be asked to record your name on a pad in a box.  This is one way to help track hikers on the trail.
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If there are no trees or large rocks the trail may be marked using piles of smaller rocks called cairns.

The words of a man's mouth are deep waters, but the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook. Proverbs 18:4.

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11/7/2017

Bears

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Do we have to worry about bears?

I have always been fascinated by seeing black bears while hiking in the woods.  Let me share some of my encounters and a little knowledge about bears with you. 

Black bears, Ursus americanus, are wild animals, and we must respect them in their native habitat. They can be very unpredictable, and you never want to assume every bear will react to you the same way every time.   Their behavior can depend on their age, sex, time of day, and whether the bear is just having a bad day.  Only about 60 people have been killed by black bears since 1900.

I have had lots of encounters with bears in my years of hiking the eastern United States.   I am not an authority on black bears behavior, but I can tell you what I have experienced.
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Black bears, with their large heads and short ears, can weigh on an average of 200 to 550 pounds.   Their large canine teeth are used for holding and tearing food.  On their front and hind legs are large nine-inch, non-retractable black claws.  On the trail one day I found a small bear cub.  It was the size of a football, and its ears and claws were almost full grown.   It gave a sound like a newborn calf.   I could hear the mother calling back to the cub from a safe distance away.   I have found that mother black bears are not as protective of their young as grizzly bears.   Black bears have very good vision and sense of smell.   I have seen a bear swim across a large lake, and they are known to be able to run at speeds up to thirty miles per hour.   They can stand up on two legs and hop over a two-foot tall roadway guard rail.  There are approximately 750,000 bears in North America with 300,000 of them in the United States.  Bears are usually active during the early and late day hours.  Unlike the grizzly, the black bear is an excellent tree climber.  I once saw a bear climb a fifty foot tree in only seconds.  Most black bears live to be eighteen years old.
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Black bears are omnivores, eating plants, insects, fruit, nuts, honey, fish, and small animal life.   Bears often tear the bark off of trees looking for insects to eat.    I have been stung by yellow jackets from a nest that a bear disturbed along the trail.  Bears like to eat the yellow jacket grubs, and because their fur is too thick to feel the sting, the bees may attack the next hiker who comes by.
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Bear boxes for food storage are often placed in hiking and camping areas with the most bear activity.   The food is well protected because bears do not have the dexterity to flip the latch on the door.  Hanging food by a rope in a tree is discouraged because bears have learned a way to knock the food out of the tree.
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About 85 % of a bear's diet is plant material.  Berries and seeds are good examples of what was left behind by this bear.  Bears have been known to eat their fill of berries in a wild blueberry patch.  If you stop to eat wild blueberries be sure you keep an eye open for them.  Before winter hibernation, bears usually eat large amounts of woody materials to aid in the production of a fecal plug.  This plug keeps them from going to the bathroom during winter time.  A bear will gain up to thirty pounds of brown fat before hibernation.  There are more stored calories in brown fat.
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In areas where there have been lots of bear sightings, hikers are often warned with bear posting signs on trees.
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It is easy to identify bear scat along the trail.   There are few animals that leave their calling card this large.
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Bears are not true hibernators, but they do sleep for the majority of the winter months.  They can and do come out of their den when disturbed or when they get hungry.   A pregnant female will try to kick the male out of the den.
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Bears mate in November and birth their young in January or February.   I found a cub on the Appalachian Trail in early March.  The females usually bare new young every other year.   The cub stays with its mother for about eighteen months.
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Bears find caves or hollowed out logs to spend the winter.  Several times I have walked within feet of a sleeping bear on the trail.

I have found that bears are just as happy to run away from you, as you want to run from them.   I have walked up to a mother with cubs, and she ran one way while the cub went the other.   
Bears for the most part are very quiet while walking in the woods, and you have to be very observant and quiet to see them.

People often ask me what should you do if you encounter a bear.  This is what I would do....
  • Do not panic.
  • Carry bear spray.
  • Try to make yourself as big as possible.
  • Do not throw food.
  • Make lots of noise.
  • Throw large sticks and rocks.
  • Back away slowly.
  • Try not to run.
  • Do not climb a tree.
  • Do not walk alone in bear country.

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6/26/2017

APPALACHIAN TRAIL WILD FLOWERS AND SELECTED PLANTS

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NATURE/SURVIVAL
​APPALACHIAN TRAIL WILD FLOWERS AND SELECTED PLANTS ​

There are many plants found on and around the Appalachian Trail. The following photos represent some of them.  Because of the ecology, the trail may be considered a deciduous tree forest. There are many insects and birds that aid in the production of plant species. For example, bees and other flying insects help pollinate flowers, and many birds eat the plant seeds in one area and later "poop out" in another area.
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This flower, known as Smooth Gerardia, Gerard laevigata, is found in dry woods among oak trees, usually from July to September.  It is a bright yellow funnel or bell shaped flower, about one to one and a half inches long. It is called "false yellow foxglove," and it is fairly common in the southern mountains.
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Chinese clover, Sericea lespoedeza, is a perennial legume.  It is herbaceous with a woody stem.   A small cluster of flowers is located on a branched stem.  On the average it grows with a three-feet tall stem surrounded by small leaflets.  It flowers from July to October and is used for erosion control and feed.
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The sugar maple, Acer saccharin, is often called the sugar tree and is found in the cool slopes in the mountains.  It is usually a slow growing tree, forming a dense crown for heavy shade.  The leaves are three to five inches across, pointed, with sparsely toothed lobes.  These leaves are responsible for the bright red colors in the fall.
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Mountain laurel, Kalmia latifolia, is found in the wooded areas around rocky or sandy soils from New Brunswick to Ontario and south to Florida and Louisiana.  It has a very beautiful flower but, it is poisonous and should not be used for cooking.  It grows three to fifteen feet high.
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Hair cap moss, Polatrichum commune, gets its name from hairs that cover a cap where each spore case is held.  It has a star-shaped appearance because of the way the leaves are shaped on the stem.  It grows four to twenty centimeters tall.  The average life span is five years.  It lives in lightly shaded areas with moist acidic soil and sometimes in full sunlight.  It grows wild from granite outcroppings to the coastal plain.  It is used by some people to make a tea to dissolve kidney and gall bladder stones.  It is also believed by some to be good for the hair as a rinse to straighten hair. In the past it has been woven to make baskets..
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Wild geranium, Geranium maculatum, has lavender flowers with five petals (sepals) with deeply forked leaves.  It can be found in wood thickets and meadows.  It flowers April through June.
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The fire pink, Silene virginica, has bright red long-stalked flowers in loose clusters at the top of a slender stem.  The flowers have five petals that bloom in April through June.  A common name is "catch fly" because of the sticky hairs that trap insects. ​
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The rue anemone, Anemonella thalictroides, flower has three leaves, each with three lobes, that form a whorl on the stem below the flower cluster of this six to eight inches plant.  The flowers are white to pinkish with five to ten petal-like sepals.  The flowers bloom from April through June.  It is found in open, wooded areas. 
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The large-flowered trillium, Trillium grandiflorum, grows eight to eighteen inches tall.  The color of the flowers ranges from white to deep pink.  It grows in rich foods and often in coves and on slopes.  The trillium goes through a long process to bloom.  The flower becomes pollinated and develops a berrylike fruit.  The seeds inside the fruit enlarge, and the fruit breaks open and falls to the ground on fertile soil.  The seeds are carried underground by ants where they spend two years, and then they break the surface and continue to grow for four more years developing leaves.  After a minimum of six years from the time the seeds touched the ground, a blossom will appear, and the plant will continue to produce flowers for many seasons.  It blooms April through June.
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White snakeroot, Eupatorium rugosum, has heart-shaped or triangular leaves and is very common in rich woodlands at high altitudes.  This plant, with snow-white flowers, has coarsely toothed-shaped leaves on a slender stem.       The clusters bloom in August and September.  There have been some fatal cases of "milk-sickness" in man and cows that have been traced to the use of milk from cows that had eaten white snake.
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The small flowers on the white aster, Aster vimineus, bloom August through October in dry to moist fields and meadows to shores.  It grows two to five feet.  The flower head is about a third inch wide and is arrayed in groups of fifteen to thirty.
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Lady's thumb, Polygonum persicaria,  is made up of dense, erect, oblong or cylindrical spikes of small pink or purplish flowers at the tops of simple stems.  The flower clusters are four mm long to two inches long.  There are no petals, but the sepals are four to six and colored.  The fruit is seed like and glossy black.  It flowers in June through October alongside roads, damp clearings, and cultivated ground.
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Tall bellflower, Campanula americana, has a stem one to four feet in length.  The one inch flower has five light blue petals in a star shaped pattern.  It flowers June through September.  It is found in moist woods and on open slopes off the Blue Ridge Parkway and in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
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Crested dwarf iris, Iris cristata, was named by the Greeks for their goddess of the rainbow. It prefers wooded slopes and ravines.  The pale to deep purple flowers are divided into parts.  The three petals are narrow and arching, and the three petal-like sepals are broader, curved downward. It is streaked with purple and is crested with white to yellow ridges.   It blooms from April to May.
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Pale jewel weed's, Impatiens pallia, flowers are a yellow coloration and side-turned sepal spur divided into two parts.  Because of its fruit it is also called snapweed and touch-me-not.  The seeds mature inside a coiled capsule, and when ripe explode out of the capsule when touched.  Some people believe the sap of this plant will ease poison ivy itch.  It is found in moist woods, gaps, and coves.  It blooms from June through September.
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Rock tripe lichen, is found growing on the rocks throughout the trail. Lichen is a combination of an algae and a fungus.  The fungus aids in anchoring the algae to the rock, and the algae helps provide nourishment for the fungus.  In a survival situation you can eat the lichen after a series of boiling and water changing.  It might be a little on the chewy side.
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​​​Bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis, is usually two to eight inches tall, with one leaf folded around the stem.  The majority of the plant is found underground, and that is why it is called bloodroot.  The plant may be poisonous if eaten.  It is a skin irritant to some people.
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Sassafras, Sassafras albidium, is a small aromatic tree usually not over forty feet in height and a foot in diameter.  It is common in dry soils and is the first to repopulate abandoned fields.  The seeds are spread by birds.  There are three different leaves on the tree -- a three lobed, single lobed, and a dual lobed.  The wood was originally used for posts, rails, and boat-building.  The oil from the bark and roots was used to flavor candles.
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The mountain maple is really an ash tree, but the leaves resemble a large maple leaf.  It was originally classified as a maple but later reclassified as an ash.  It is very unique because it has long longitudinal white stripes leading up the plant stem.  You may see this tree often along the trail. ​
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​​The tulip poplar, Liriodendron tulipifera, is better known as the tulip tree or yellow poplar.  It has a yellowish flower as well as the heartwood of the tree.  It is one of the largest and most valuable hardwood trees.  It grows in deep moist soils, usually along streams and the lower mountain coves. Trees may grow from sixty to one hundred feet tall and three to four feet in diameter.  Bees are known to make honey from their very large flowers.  The wood is cut into lumber and used for veneers and furniture.
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​​​Ferns like the Christmas fern, Polystichum acrostichoides, grow to a height of one to two feet and spread one to two feet.  They are non-flowering and grow in part shade to full sun.  The soils may have dry to medium water content.  The leaves are long green blades with many leaflets shaped like Santa's boots.  This is one of the only plants that tolerate rabbit, deer, drought, heavy shade, erosion, and shallow rocky soils.

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Poison ivy, Toxicodendron radicals, leaves are all in groups of three on the stem or vine.  The leaves are often shiny and green; the vines are covered with hairs.  They bloom in May through June.  All parts of the plant are poisonous and touching causes severe, weeping rashes on people who are sensitive to the plant oils.  ​
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Fringed polygala or gaywings, Polygala paucifolia, with three-quarter inch reddish or purple flower has a center tube and two tubes perpendicular to the center tube.  It blooms in April through June.  They thrive in woods with acid soils and small colonies up to elevations of 2,500 feet.  These flowers were once considered as members of the milk wort family and believed to be able to stimulate the increase of milk in cows, hence the scientific Greek name "poly" and "gala" or much milk. ​
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Jerusalem artichoke, Helianthus tuberosus, the toothed egg-shaped upper leaves are alternate, and the lower leaves are opposite on the stem.  The flower is yellow and blooms in August thru October.  The plant does not come from Jerusalem and is not in the artichoke family.   The Native Americans and colonists ate the tuber of this plant. It sometimes can be found in supermarkets.
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The red maple, Acer rubrum, is a medium-sized tree--quick growing and relatively short lived.  It is used as a shade tree, but it is inferior to other maple trees.  The bark is smooth and light to dark gray in color. The normally green leaves turn bright red in the fall.  The fruit consists of pairs of winged seeds about one half to one inch long.  The wood is a soft close-grained and rather weak light brown.  It is used to manufacture furniture, wooden ware, and for fuel.
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Columbine, Aquilegia canadensis, reminded people of a flock of hovering birds and so it earned the Latin name columba or "dove."  The flowers long curved spurs resembled an eagle's talons or Aquilegia Latin for eagle.  Bees just nip the flower tip to drain the nectar out, and hummingbirds love these flowers, as well.  It was believed that juice from a fresh flower was used to reduce a swollen liver from jaundice or to cure measles or small pox.  The plant may have a soothing effect on pain.  It blooms from April thru July.  The flower may be red or yellow.
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​Virginia spring beauty, Clayton virginica, has two long lanceolate leaves opposite each other on the stem.  The one-half inch, five petal flowers are white with pink lines.  It blooms from March through May and is found in moist wooded areas.  The flowers only last three days.  Deer and moose browse on the tiny flowers, but humans and small animals like to eat the roots.  The roots taste like radishes when raw and like potatoes when cooked.
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​ Star chickweed, Stellaria puberal, is known for its white flower, but it is valued by birds,animals, and humans.  Birds find its seeds to be quite delectable, so it is also known as birdseed.  Grazing animals are drawn to it because the plant is a source of copper.  European markets sell it because it is considered a very tender, edible green and is added to many salads.  It is also high in vitamins A and C--helpful treatment for scurvy.  It has also been known as a poultice for abscesses and boils.  According to folklore the sun will be shining bright, if the blossoms are spread out to their fullest.  If the flower begins to close that means rain is coming.
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PSALMS 103:15--As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.



  • © John Baranowski

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    An avid plant ecologist.

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