During one of our weekly birdwatching outings in early January, my friends and I noticed that the Snowdrops (Galanthus spp.)were already making an appearance through the leaf litter. It struck us as pretty odd to see them this early in the year, so we looked up the blooming timetable, and it turned out that the New York City Parks Department had already mentioned on their website that the first ones were spotted blooming on January 1stin Central Park, and then in the Lower East Side less than two weeks later, though they are usually not expected until the end of January (still considered early) or in the first few weeks of February.
Snowdrops (Galanthus spp.) in Central Park in Manhattan, NY
Other early bloomers around the city this year include Japanese varieties of Cherry (Prunus spp.) trees, such as Yoshinos (Prunus × yedoensis 'Somei-yoshino') and Okames (Prunus x incamp 'Okame'), as well as other Asian tree varieties, like Star Magnolias (Magnolia stellata) and Saucer aka Tulip Magnolias (Magnolia × soulangeana), all of which were expected between the last week of March and mid-April. I noticed some of the edges of unfurling magnolia blooms becoming blackened, and I suspect that the instability of the temperature, such as fluctuations of 30°– 40°F within 24 hours, are to blame.
Magnolia (Magnolia spp.) at New York Botanical Garden in Bronx, NY
But, all of this isn’t new information. We have been on this climate trajectory for several years. In his 2017 article, Tim Radford, of the Climate News Network,explained that spring had come 22 days earlier in the United States, and 26 days ahead of schedule for Greenland. This trend has continued in subsequent years, and an analysis of 244 U.S. cities, Climate Central has determined that “the six weeks after Groundhog Day are warming up 93%.” Also, this year our Spring Equinox, the first official day of the new season, which welcomes more daylight (Equinox: aequus– latin for “equal” and nox– latin for “night”), arrived on March 19, and according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, it’s the earliest seasonal shift in the last 124 years (since 1896).
So why is this all that bad?
What difference does three to four weeks make?
The Larger Impact on Plants
The warming temperatures in the Northeast ushered in an explosion of blooms, much to the dismay of seasonal allergy sufferers, and new growth for many introduced and invasive species. Due to this head start, several of these invaders (many of which hail from Europe and Asia) have been able to establish themselves much more quickly, able to flower and be fertilized (many by wind), as well as increased their ability to grow and spread, expanding their range before our natives have had a chance to awaken from dormancy. These species include Japanese Rose (Rosa multiflora), Wineberry (Rubus phoenicolasius), and Lesser Celandine (Ficaria verna).
But what about the native plants that may have actually cut their slumber short? One such example are our native maples. The Red Maple’s (Acer rubrum) crimson pompom-like blooms and the pendulous green flowers of the Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum), had been on display earlier than usual, with some being spotted blooming in late February in the city and upstate New York. Though a beautiful sight to behold, these flowers (that may be male, female, or both depending on the species) could be harbingers of an industry collapse to come.
At a recent “DIY Maple Sugaring” event offered by the Westchester Land Trust, Kristen O’Hara, Conservation Programs Coordinator, explained to us that as the winters have been milder, the sap carrying sugar to the aerial parts of the trees has begun flowing sooner, shifting the harvesting period from early March to as early as mid-January. Not necessarily a bad thing, right? Syrup makers could just start earlier, no? Shorter winters may actually mean the end of the road for many companies in the decades ahead. “In the last 50 years, sugar content has changed. The sugar content in a Sugar Maple used to be about 6%”, Kristen stated. Sugar Maples hold the title for the highest sugar percentage in maples, and now a decline is being noticed, with some trees having as low as 4% or even a devastating 2%.
Red Maple (Acer rubrum) at Forest Park in Queens, NY
Brief dormancy periods mean the trees refrain from producing excess sugar stores leading to less being packed away in their roots for future use come warmer weather. “So, these trees stop producing the kind of sap that we need for the industry,” Kristen continued, “They are not going to die. They are going to be fine, but their leaves will stop being red, because their sugar content is the whole reason why their leaves are red, and this will also impact tourism, and its impacting one of the biggest industries that New York and the Northeast has, which is maple sugaring.” She proceeded to test the sap that had just been collected with the refractometer (also called a saccharimeter), which measured a 3% sugar content. She said that their land was rich in healthy soil, which may be a reason that the content is higher than most trees in surrounding areas. Given the decrease of a little over half the previous content standard, we can theorize that within the next 50 years, there may be a crisis for maple syrup companies in our area, and that the industry will cease to be one able to carried out within the states, and will become exclusive to our northern neighbor.
Earlier “green-up” periods also effect our agricultural industries because earlier emergence would expose leaves and flowers to unexpected late frosts, which could, in turn, destroy their blooms, eliminating their chances of being pollinated, bearing fruits, and ultimately, no seeds, or worse, defoliate plants resulting in premature crop death.
The Impact on Animals
Warming temperatures are affecting animal species because their life cycles are dependent on their synchronization with seasonal changes and all that it brings. While we are aware of the devastation of such tragedies like the melting ice caps, we may not pay attention to the smaller changes that are not extensively covered by the media, such as how these differences of only a few degrees are impacting the lives of wildlife big and small.
Mammals:
During the heart of the winter, we tend to see less rodents, for example, because most species go into hibernation. As the temperatures drop, they experience their own drops in activity levels, a physiological change known as torpor. Squirrels and chipmunks undergo this shift, but this winter they appeared far more visible on the landscape than previous years. This could mean that higher amounts of pests, such as mice and rats are being more active and starting to reproduce earlier.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the size spectrum, bears have been reported as awakening from hibernation a month earlier than expected, or even foregoing the dormancy period all together, such as some bears in Siberia, where the temperature barely dropped below 50°F.
Insects:
Millions of years of evolution have intrinsically linked the relationship between plants and insects. One example is the plant-herbivore relationship. Many plant species serve as hosts, a specific food source required for insect larvae to reach maturity, and if the timing of emergence is altered, the effects can be disastrous to their life-cycle. There have been reports of Monarchs (Danaus plexippus) migrating northward earlier, arriving to lay eggs in Kansas, Texas, and Oklahoma before their host plants, Milkweed (Asclepias spp.), have had the opportunity to establish themselves. Sandra Schwinn, a Monarch Watch Conservation Specialist, explained in an interview that the young native Milkweed sprouts are only about “3 inches tall with nine or 10 eggs. That wouldn’t even feed one [caterpillar].” These types of instances are a serious issue for specialist feeders because this would result in a lower rate of offspring survival.
Monarchs (Danaus plexippus) in Central Park in Manhattan, NY
However, early egg-laying periods may not be an issue for a generalist feeder, such as the larvae of the Gypsy Moth (Lymantria dispar), but it could spell trouble for the plant species they do choose to feed on. There is a strong plant-predatory insect relationship, such as that between several herbaceous and woody species with parasitic wasp species. These plants release volatile compounds that signal that they are being attacked and according to studies, such as one involving Black Poplar trees, these chemical cocktails are tailor-made to attract certain predators during certain times of the day. Many of these predators overwinter, but if such generalists herbivorous insects were able to begin their feeding of indiscriminate plant species earlier, those plants may be releasing volatiles to attract help to no avail, for their calls may go unanswered if the predators have not yet established themselves at that point in the season or have been decimated by unexpected late frosts.
What about the plant-pollinator relationship? While we have many generalists, there are specialized species that practice flower fidelity, and earlier blooms may spell disaster for both parties. If the flowers appear before the pollinators have transitioned out of dormancy, they may not be fertilized in time or the numbers of those that are may be greatly reduced. A decrease in fertilized flowers means a decrease in certain fruits and berries, which can impact food availability for native or migrating species. Along the same vein, less fruit means less seeds, again affecting the amount of resources available. Though there are many species that can self-fertilize (monoecious plants), dioecious plants, which have male or female flowers respectively, may have a harder time if they are dependent on insects, rather than wind, to transport pollen between them.
Temperature and humidity affect not only blooming times, but nectar and pollen production as well. The flowers themselves are food sources for thousands of insect species, and a shift in schedule can impact foraging activity and life cycle dynamics, such as output of offspring.
I actually spotted my first honey bee (Apis mellifera) and a Cabbage White butterfly (Pieris rapae) of the year, during the first week of March. They had begun to emerge and feast on the seemingly overabundant flowers. So, what could potentially go wrong? Before venturing out to enjoy the 65°F weather, I had seen the upcoming week’s forecast and saw that the temperature was due to make some sudden drops into the thirties. These fluctuations could mean death for our invertebrate friends.
European Honey bee (Apis mellifera) on a Crocus (Crocus vernus) at Central Park
At his lecture “Introduction to Beekeeping”, Nick Hoefly, beekeeper at Astor Apiaries, stated that such rapid changes could be the downfall for bee colonies that have emerged too early and ceased to form winter clusters. During the winter months, the cold slows down their metabolisms and the bees group together, with the queen safe in the center, generating heat (an average of 92°F) by vibrating their wings, enabling her to survive along with enough worker bees to forage come spring. Without the protection of this cluster, a sudden frost could kill not only their food sources, but too many workers or an even worse scenario -- the queen – sending the colony into disarray and potential collapse.
According to Nick, the honey bees that we have come to know and love, and that have become an integral part of our agricultural industry, were originally brought here from Europe during the 1600’s, and are considered an “beneficial invasive species that doesn’t negatively impact the environment”. A shift in the seasonal transition may lead to dearth, a term defined as “a drought of flowers” when used within the beekeeping community. This lack of food could promote die off in the colony, and even incite behavior such as robbing between hives which could increase the aggression and stress levels of your colony. When asked about his thoughts on how the early spring will affect the upcoming beekeeping season, Nick responded, “This is going to be an interesting year, just because of the early bloom”. He noted that he, along with other hobbyists’ he has communicated with thus far, are half expecting a week of freezing sometime later in March, that would possibly kill their bees. In reference to what the impact may be on honey production, he continued by saying that “if all the blooms have happened, then in the summer we might have an extended dearth and have to put on emergency syrup or some sort of emergency food source for bees. But you would just have to observe, manage it, and monitor it as you go.”
Birds:
What about our feathered comrades, especially those that have begun their long and treacherous spring migrations? On their website, Audubon details that in Queens County, NY alone, we are facing a 3°C increase and that we have 63 stable bird species, along with highly vulnerable species including the Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus)and Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus), along with those considered moderately vulnerable, like the American Woodcock (Scolopax minor) and Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii), and species of low vulnerability as well, such as the Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and the Wood Duck (Aix sponsa). Warming weather will contribute to habitat loss forcing species far from their original breeding grounds and into ecosystems with new competition and will become likely prey to predators in those areas, which can send a population into freefall. Human-driven habit loss and the use of pesticides are already an active threat to avian decline, and these drops will effect humans in a myriad of ways, including higher rates of disease due to less carrion consumers, higher rodent population damaging crops without raptors to keep them in check, and even the further fall of forests, such as rainforests in which many trees depend on birds for seed dispersal.
Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus) at Central Park; Courtesy of Carol Seffari
During the Audubon New York and Audubon Connecticut joint-webinar, “Spring Bird Migration: The Magical Mystery Tour”, available for replay here, Ken Elkins, Community Conservation Manager (Audubon CT), detailed the effects a milder winter may have on our traveling feathered friends. “The short distance migrants that are coming in February through early April -- their times are probably adjusted more because of weather patterns that they are triggered by temperatures and winds a bit more. The long-distance migrants, the neotropical migrants that are in Central and South America, they’re just preparing now based on day-length to start their migration and if they have the right winds, then they might be able to make that migration a couple of days sooner.” As an example, Ken brought up a bird mentioned earlier in the broadcast, the Grey-cheeked Thrush (Catharus minimus), that was recorded traveling from Columbia to Ontario, Canada in 47 hours when in previous years that route may have taken the same bird 96 to 120 hours. He stressed the point that “overall those birds are still migrating at the same times because it isn’t the exact temperature of weather that is triggering them to start their movement” but rather the increase in daylight.
Corrie Folsom-O’Keefe, Director of Science (Audubon CT) added that while temperatures and winds may cause an impact to the rate of migration, an important issue to note is the accessibility of resources along the route. “Take the Red Knot, for example, if they come from South America and land on the shores of the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays, but [the] horseshoe crabs haven’t started spawning yet, then they are going to have to wait for those resources to be available before they can continue their migration.”
As temperatures around the globe rise, there have also been studies on the decreasing sizeof many bird species. The decline in overall body mass is believed to benefit a bird’s ability to thermoregulate, which may make them more resilient when faced with hotter climates. An interesting studyon incubation calls and their effect on a chick’s growth before they hatch, proposes that these songs may be their only hope for survival in this shifting world. Kate Buchanan, a Deakin University Associate Professor, explained the process in an interview with Smithsonian Magazine, referring to the calls as an “acoustic signal” that is “potentially being used to program the development of offspring”, serving as a warning as to what to expect. The researchers conducted controlled experiments in which Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia guttata) eggs were either left with their parents, or removed early and therefore deprived of hearing their parent’s incubation calls, which occur only in the late stages of incubation. “Hearing that call before you even hatch affects your development, affects your growth rate, probably affects your vocalization and it affects your behavior and choice 100 or 200 days later when you go to nest yourself”, continued Buchanan, adding that those exposed to the calls would later go on to successfully nest in areas that were warmer than normal versus their deprived counterparts.
Our Oceans:
Changes in ocean temperature, decrease of pH, and species abundance are disrupting the food web and life cycles of countless marine creatures.Our oceans have experienced an increase in temperature“by over 1°C”, according to evolutionary ecology professor Martin Genner of the University of Bristol in Britain. Not only has there been significant coral die-off (also known as coral bleaching), but many fish species are also unable to survive in the warmer waters and are making their way away from their native ranges to cooler waters towards the poles that have now become more hospitable. In a studythat involved reviewing extensive data collected over the last century, Professor Genner and his colleagues were able to identify substantial changes of population densities, and fellow study authorLouise Rutterford, explained that they “predicted that warming seas would lead each species to increase in abundance at the pole-ward side of its range, as the warmer climate made the habitat more agreeable. We also predicted that each species would decline in abundance at the equator-ward side of its range, as temperatures become too warm to survive…Some marine life suffers as it is not able to adapt fast enough to survive warming, and this is most noticeable in populations nearer the equator…This is concerning as both increasing and decreasing abundances may have harmful knock-on effects for the wider ecosystem."
Another issue is that of ocean acidification, which has been affecting crustaceans and mollusks, including our native New York oysters. The acidity of the water impedes shell formation, so many young oysters are not surviving long enough to mature and spawn. Our local populations are already struggling with the effects of pollution, and are an important species to protect thanks to the ability of oyster reefs to work as storm breaks and losing them means more coastal erosion and more damage during hurricanes. Oyster farmers have also been affected, experiencing massive die-offs, but some have started to experimentwith using carbonates as buffers in their water supply to increase alkalinity and help their oyster stands survive.
Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica) at Orchard Beach, Bronx, NY
What Now?
These temporal shifts are causing major disruptions in processes that nature has fine-tuned over millennia, and the relationships between all organisms, including humans, are under threat. There needs to be a shift, instead, in policy-making, conservation and reforestation efforts, waste management, and consumerist ideology – all of which are enormous feats, but many efforts are currently ongoing. Then, there is the possibility that even if we take all of the appropriate action, it may be too late to make a substantial difference.
It is ironic that this year, upon witnessing many of these changes firsthand, and learning about the systems at work and how each can get affected, like a row of dominos collapsing upon the other, the arrival of spring has been a bittersweet one. Climate change is continuing to set off a chain of events that so many living beings will fail to recover from. Spring is supposed to be symbol of rebirth and new life, but for me, it’s lost some of its magic.
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Its name was derived from the word for “thunder” used by the indigenous peoples of the region. There are several craters scattered throughout, each at different depths, one of which is 980 feet (300 metres) deep.
Boulders and ash during eruptions have been bad enough to destroy acres of crops, as well as dam rivers, causing flooding, and even effected those living 34 miles (54 km) away in the nation’s capital, San José.
The plants and lichens in the immediate area are damaged by the ash but if not engulfed by the eruption they will actually derive minerals and nutrients from the ash and cooled lava, then break down the sediment enough to create soil for other organisms to flourish.
The museum was always my favorite place as a child, and my parents and grandparents would take us to roam the halls for entire days, from opening until closing. We’d create entire stories about what was happening in the dioramas, and which person resembled which creature the most.
It was a beautiful age to be allowed to explore and imagine, and I am so happy that they’d been so supportive in my studies and the path I have chosen for my life. I am on a continuous path of learning, and the museum is still a lovely place to escape to and nurture the inner-child within.
Check out their current programming, which includes a live butterfly exhibit, and a "Trex: The Ultimate Predator" exhibit starting on March 11!
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She passed away a few weeks shy of her 30th birthday. Though she suffered from illness throughout her life, that kept her close to home, she was treated with mercury, which at the time was touted as a cure, that would have poisoned her in consistent amounts. However, despite her ill health and the responsibilities as caretaker to her disabled brother and elderly mother, Ellen took the advice of her original doctor to get as much fresh air possible by taking on a hobby to busy her time, such as botany.
She quickly fell in love with the subject, and shared her findings with prominent botanists via post, though she avoided signing any of her work due to her poor relationship with praise. She admits in letters that she had anxiety and feared people who held high opinions of her through involvement with her work would be disappointed when they met her in person. Her friends and family finally convinced her to credit her findings, though unbeknownst to her, her name had been published in James Mackay’s catalogue in 1806.
Ellen went on to collect over 1000 samples, with a particular focus on seaweeds, a topic just beginning to be studied at the time, and painted many watercolors of her specimens, many of which included close-ups of their little known spores.
As a result, Ellen is now celebrated as Ireland’s first female botanist, though she was not as widely known about until the 2015 Ellen Hutchins Festival with the Bantry Historical and Archaeological Society, which was created to celebrate her contributions to botany, science in general, and to safeguard her legacy.
Read more about Ellen's work here.
Watch a short video on the Botanist of Bantry Bay here.
]]>This Honey Locust (Gleditsia triacanthos) with an old lock and chain that had been left around its trunk.
This tree has already been given its death sentence. The chain left around its trunk is being engulfed by the tree, but upon being embedded into the bark it will eventually cut off the flow of water and nutrients above the chain.
Though the subject of many a tree meme, the item, whether a chain or a fence, is not "being eaten" by the tree, but rather the tree is continuing to grow while overcoming the obstacle in a way the may ultimately injure or kill it. The repeated rubbing against a fence or pole will continuously injure the tree's bark, opening up wounds for pathogens to enter. When the tree grows around an item that is along its trunk's perimeter. it will effectively strangle itself, and starve to death over time. This process is known as girdling.
Courtesy of Instagram
You may see trees engulfing fences and poles and seem to be doing fine. This could indeed be the case, because if only part of the trunk is girdled, then the tree should be able to survive. However, this weakens the integrity of the trunk and increases the chances of it toppling over during a strong storm or if weighed down by ice and snow.
A type of girdling is also commonly used as a way of passively killing invasive trees, referred to as ring-barking, which is achieved by stripping the bark around their circumference and causing their eventual death. There have been cases of illegal ring-barking in several nature preserves and state parks around the country, most notably a case of a "serial tree killer(s)" in Michigan that killed over 30 cherries and .
Courtesy of City of Burnsville
The motive may have been to return and poach (harvest) the wood, and many theorize it would be a contractor that wishes to be hired to remove the trees after they perish, so that they in turn could use the wood in carpentry and make a profit.
If you notice a badly girdled tree, especially if it has died and could potentially be in danger of falling over, please call 311 and have them connect you to the proper channels to have it safely removed.
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These neat lines of shallow holes on this Crabapple tree (Malus spp.) are examples of sapsucker (Sphyrapicus spp.) damage. Sapsuckers are a group of American Woodpeckers made up of 4 species. While they do also forage for insects, nuts and fruits, they are easily recognized for their method of boring into and maintaining sap wells on live tree trunks by drilling through the bark to access the cambium layer. See below a common species we see around New York City, the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.
Courtesy of audobon.org by Linda Huffman/Great Backyard Bird Count Participant
Though unsightly, it isn’t incredibly harmful to the tree’s growth, but will slightly increase the chance for infection. They precisely follow the trunk all around with the holes spaced closely apart, and the sap sucker will not drill into a previous hole, because once it heals, the sap will not run through that channel in the same way, if ever.
So next time you notice this damage on a tree in your local green space, or even in your own backyard, keep your eyes peeled, because there may be a woodpecker just a few flaps away.
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A common practice meant to be a visible statement of your love for each other is not as innocent as you may have thought. I took this photo of some Beech (Fagus spp.) trees in the New York Botanical Garden last fall.
In front them a plaque reads:
“Carving Harms Trees… Trees are living things and their bark is like our skin. Though it may seem harmless, carving into the bark damages the tree’s defensive barrier, creating openings for deadly infections and pest infestations. Very deep cuts can even damage the xylem and phloem, plant tissues that transport water and nutrients throughout the tree. Disrupting this flow of nutrients can starve a living tree to death.”
The bark of a tree is its first line of protection, and destroying that tissue is unnecessarily cruel. The tree becomes susceptible to pathogens, and often one carving seems to offer others the go ahead to make one themselves, further putting the tree at risk.
Beech trees are one of the species most affected by this type of damage due to their pale, smooth silver bark. Though not a threatened species, these trees are currently battling Beech Bark Disease, which takes hold after beech scale insect (Cryptococcus fagisuga) infestations and therefore, in my opinion, have enough to contend with.
Please take the trees around you under careful consideration, and instill a sense of respect for this vital organisms in future generation.
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I definitely want to direct you to check out the speakers who joined in on the discussion, which was mediated by the VP for Curatorial Affairs at Brooklyn Historical Society, Julie Golia.
Ann Fraioli, is the Director of Education for the Billion Oyster Project. They hope to meet their goal of distributing one billion live oysters across 100 acres of reefs around our harbors by 2035, or even sooner if successful breeding in the wild increases. They have also partnered up with ConEdison to launch an “Ecosystem Engineers” program, a STEM curriculum for grades 4 through 10 that includes 5 specializations: Oyster Anatomy; How Oysters “Clear” Water; The Food Web in New York Harbor; Oyster Reef Construction; Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs).
Courtesy of @billionoyster
Kerry Heffernan is an oyster Farmer and Chef at Grand Banks restaurant. He is also an accomplished angler, and very active in conservation efforts and promoting sustainable seafood options. He demonstrated the best shucking technique, oyster shelf-life, and explained the difficulties related to trying to farm in an ocean that is greatly suffering the consequences of climate change.
Courtesy of www.grandbanks.nyc
Last but not least, the amazing Mark Kurlansky, author of “The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell”. I’m a big fan of this prolific writer, and he has a long list of titles under his belt, many of which I am happy to have on my own shelves, including books on Cod, Salt, Paper, Endangered Insects, and soon to be released — a new book on Salmon. He talked about how deeply oysters and the history of New York City are intertwined and how over harvesting along with the amount of pollution dumped into our waters did our city a disservice. Oyster reefs work as storm breaks and losing them means more coastal erosion and more damage during hurricanes. Check out his interview with NPR on the conception of the book and the oyster's importance to NYC here.
Courtesy of amazon.com
Get your copy here!
Brooklyn Historical Society offers many brilliant programs that are worth a look: https://www.brooklynhistory.org/public-programs/
]]>Summer is finally upon us, and everywhere I look there seems to be herbs sprouting and blooming in the unlikeliest of places!
So what is an “herb” exactly? Well, I think renowned herbalist, Rosemary Gladstar put it best when she described an herb as “any plant that can be used in healing”. This includes vegetables, flowers, shrubs, trees and their fruits and berries, nuts, bark, roots, seeds, and leaves, as well as seaweed, algae, and mosses, and even non-plants like mushrooms!
Now, I DON’T recommend that you forage herbs found in parking lots, sidewalk cracks, or your neighbors’ garden for consumption, but I figured it would be a great chance to share some identification photos I took, and some historic medicinal uses.
I DO recommend collecting some of the flowers and leaves from these plants (but not your neighbors!) to press into an herb journal, because the more you study them up close and personal, the more second nature herb identification will become!
I have been making it a point to walk around my neighborhood to take in these sporadic days of nice weather, and have been stumbling upon common medicinal herbs, and I think I have a nice collection so far to show you what you are mostly likely to find as you make your way around the city this time of year!
Japanese Honeysuckle! This fragrant little flower is blooming all over the right now, and makes a sweet treat! Simply pluck the flower, sepal (the green piece holding the petals together at the base) and all, and bite it off with your teeth and suck out the drop of sweet nectar! The flowers can be brewed as a tea and are an excellent antibacterial, and antiviral bronchodilator during cold and flu season, as well as soothing to the stomach when its unsettled. Japanese Honeysuckle is an invasive species to the United States and has nestled itself into our ecosystems reeking havoc on local flora. If you see any, harvest the flowers, or if its in your yard, remove as much as possible to deter future growth!
Daisy Fleabane was believed to have a scent that deters fleas, so livestock and pets were rubbed down with their flowers. Fleabane is actually great for headaches, and is a diuretic, astringent, and digestive tonic. Native Americans used the juice to sooth insect bites and even chewed on the roots for cough and cold relief.
Milkweed is blooming right about now, and the flowers are really fascinating! Milkweed is a major source of food for the endangered Monarch butterfly, and residents are encouraged by conservationists to grow them to help the population along. They come in a variety of colors and they smell quite lovely. If you think you have encountered Milkweed, the easiest way to verify its identity is by collecting a flower or a leaf, because the end of the stem will secrete a thick, white milky sap once broken. The leaves and pods are not edible, but the shoots, and flowers are! Some foragers sautee them with a bit of butter, and a squeeze of lemon, but make sure to remove all the sap, and boil well first! Fun fact: In WWII the fluffy seeds were used as stuffing in life vests!
Echinacea purpurea is one of a variety of Echinacea flowers/roots commonly used for their immune-boosting abilities. The thing is, if you wish to exploit this positive effect when you are suffering a cold/flu, many herbalists recommend you take it within the first 12–24 hours after onset of symptoms, because taking it after that window will sometimes be useless. It is definitely seen as a “Heroic Herb” for its anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial benefits, but wildcrafting has devastated the species, which is now barely found growing in the wild. Root tincture works great as a topical antiseptic, and can be applied undiluted (might sting for a sec) to inflamed, and infected gums. It helped me tremendously after a tooth extraction resulted in painful sores.
Daylily flowers and roots have been used widely for their broad range of herbal actions. The flowers can be brewed in a tea and are antispasmodic, diuretic, and are used commonly in Traditional Chinese Medicine as an alterative (blood purifier). The roots have been used for their antimicrobial benefits, and are being studied in Asia for their ability to inhibit tumor growth.
Hydrangea decoctions were a staple remedy for the Cherokee, and early settlers, who used them as bladder tonics, diuretics, and cathartics. However, too high a dose, would result in fainting spells and trouble breathing.
Common Mallow are not as rich in mucilage as the more famous Marsh Mallow, but the flowers can be applied to minor scrapes and burns, because they are very soothing, and anti-inflammatory. The leaves and seeds are edible and can be added to vegetable mixes. Mallow seeds are actually commonly called “Cheeses”!
Did you know Begonias are edible? Petals and stems can be used in salads. Don’t use commercially sold ones however, because they most likely have been sprayed with chemicals. But if you grow your own from seed, its a great sour-citrus garnish for a summer dish! The juice is analgesic, while a poultice of the leaves is highly inflammatory and historically used by breast feeding mothers for relief. The root extracts have been known to offer relief from stomach ulcers, and have been used to treat eye infections.
Have you spotted any of these in your neighborhood?!
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