Repeating Form

Viola soroia Root Network, Pittsburgh, PA, 2013

While doing some research into neural networks, I was struck by the similarities between that system and root systems.  But nature is quite like that, repeating form over and over.

Bee Balm

Bee Balm, Monarda didyma, Pittsburgh, PA 2019


Bee balm is so pleasing to the eye that it's been widely cultivated for that reason.  Bees, moths, butterflies, and humming birds all come into the garden to drink of its nectar.  Medicinally the plant is an excellent poultice for bruises, cuts, and bites, while a tea of the flowers and leaves makes the perfect antiseptic mouthwash and sore throat gargle.

Musk Mallow

Musk Mallow, Malva moschata, Pittsburgh 2019

Typically growing to between 2'-3' tall, the one in my yard towers at over 6' (2m!).  A couple of years ago I tossed a handful of musk mallow seeds out over a raked bit of barren ground, and now look what we have brightening our day.
Its seeds, flowers, and leaves are all edible either raw or cooked, and a tea can be made from them as well.  Medicinally, musk mallow is used to treat:  Generally used more externally to treat insect bites, bruises and rashes, internally taken it aids in respiratory ailments as well as intestinal distress.  Is a good laxative for young children.

Foraging For Greens

Lamb's Quarters, Chenopodium berlanieri, Pittsburgh, 2019

Any manner of thoughts can manifest themselves in our dreams and we are a prisoner to their whims.  I had just such a dream last night where I collected wild greens, namely lamb's quarters, and sauteed them with zucchini, broccoli, onion, and fire roast tomatoes in rendered bacon.  All morning after waking I could think of nothing else.  I told my wife about the dream and she perked up, so I headed out to find some lamb's quarters and was not disappointed.  I prepared what I'd collected exactly as I had in the dream, and served it over a bed of organic brown rice.  Quite and ambitious lunch!  But it was wonderful and with fresh produce starting to come in from our garden, we'll be having more of the same.
For nutritional information on lamb's quarters go here:

Ghost Pipes

Monotropa uniflora, aka Ghost Pipes, aka Indian Pipes, aka the Corpse Plant North Park, Pittsburgh, PA 2019

Monotropa uniflora, aka Ghost Pipe, aka Indian Pipe. Seen during a hike on a trail at North Park. While these plants resemble a fungus, they're an angiosperm (flowering plant), but having evolved to survive on the light deprived forest floor, it lacks chlorophyll to conduct photosynthesis. Because it can't manufacture its own food by converting sunlight to sugars, it is instead parasitic, using the mycelium of fungus to glean the nutrients that they've already broken down. Reportedly used in herbal medicine for nervous conditions, but I don't know about that.

Always Where The Wild Things Are

Hawthorn Tree, Crataegus flabellata, Pittsburgh, PA 2019


     Last fall I happened upon a sharp, long-thorned, spindly tree bearing bright red fruit, growing atop a steep ravine that has been designated a bird sanctuary because the land is otherwise useless.  This spring I revisited the tree, too late to photograph it in bloom (mental note for next year), though able to capture an image of the unripe fruit set with those infamous thorns.
     The genus name of this tree comes from the Greek kratos 'strength' because of hardiness of the wood, and akis  'sharp' referring to its thorns.  My God those thorns...reportedly native Americans in the pacific Northwest adapted them for use as fishing hooks.  As for the common name, haw comes from the Old English word for 'hedge', derived from the Anglo-Saxon haguthorn 'fence with thorns'.  I cannot stress enough how one would want to avoid these thorns, and indeed, if these low growing trees were planted densely as a hedge, most creatures would go around instead of through.
     Medicinally the berries are quite remarkable in their use for many heart conditions, though care must be taken to not overdose, which should go without saying, but I cannot account for some people's lack of sensibilities.  Webmd as this to say about its uses:

Hawthorn is a plant. The leaves, berries, and flowers of hawthorn are used to make medicine.

Hawthorn is used for diseases of the heart and blood vessels such as congestive heart failure (CHF), chest pain, and irregular heartbeat. It is also used to treat both low blood pressure and high blood pressure, “hardening of the arteries” (atherosclerosis), and high cholesterol. So far, research suggests that hawthorn might be effective in treating congestive heart failure, but there hasn’t been enough research on other heart-related uses to know if it is effective for them.

Some people use hawthorn for digestive system complaints such as indigestion, diarrhea, and stomach pain. It is also used to reduce anxiety, as a sedative, to increase urine output, and for menstrual problems.

Hawthorn is also used to treat tapeworm and other intestinal infections.

Some people apply hawthorn to the skin for boils, sores, and ulcers. Hawthorn preparations are used as a wash for sores, itching, and frostbite.

You will find hawthorn among the ingredients in candied fruit slices, jam, jelly, and wine.

Before taking hawthorn, talk with your healthcare professional if you take any medications. It has major interactions with several prescription medications.

How does it work?

Hawthorn can help improve the amount of blood pumped out of the heart during contractions, widen the blood vessels, and increase the transmission of nerve signals.

Hawthorn also seems to have blood pressure-lowering activity, according to early research. It seems to cause relaxing of the blood vessels farther from the heart. It seems that this effect is due to a component in hawthorn called proanthocyanidin.

Research suggests that hawthorn can lower cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL, or “bad cholesterol”), and triglycerides (fats in the blood). It seems to lower accumulation of fats in the liver and the aorta (the largest artery in the body, located near the heart). Hawthorn fruit extract may lower cholesterol by increasing the excretion of bile, reducing the formation of cholesterol, and enhancing the receptors for LDLs. It also seems to have antioxidant activity.

The Scarlet (Orange) Pimpernel

Scarlet Pimpernel, Anagallis arvensis, Pittsburgh, PA 2019

     Today while walking the dog, we happened upon scarlet pimpernel, Anagallis arvensis, an invasive species introduced from Europe and now common throughout all of the Americas. It's quite small, and quite bright orange, not scarlet at all. It's noxious to bird and beast, though fortunately so bitter tasting that animals leave it alone. But not humans. Oh no. Medicinal uses for A. arvensis include, but are not limited to; rabies, leprosy, and dropsy. I wouldn't recommend self treating with this herb for cases of suspected rabies. Or dropsy, for that matter. I'm not familiar enough with leprosy to comment further.

Falling

Wild Strawberry Blossom, Falling, Pittsburgh, PA 2019

 Photo taken through hand blown glass, which reflects some of the world around it.

White Wild Roses

Rosa multiflora, Pittsburgh, PA, 2019

Before the seemingly ceaseless rains began, the wild roses came into bloom.  They grow too densely around a wild mulberry tree.  I say 'wild' because I didn't plant the mulberry.  A bird or deer deposited seed-laden poop and voila!  Mulberry.  I don't know how the wild roses got there, possibly the same way as the mulberry, or a previous owner could've planted them, but then other vegetation suppressed their growth, and now conditions are more suited to their re-emergence. 
After blooming I will cut them back, but next year they'll be too dense again.

Cliff Side Botanicals

Ground Ivy, Glechoma hederacea, Scotland, 2018
While some view ground ivy as a fast spreading nuisance weed (indeed, it sends out runners and keeping up with it is impossible), but it does have valuable medicinal qualities.  Wikipedipea has this to say:
"Glechoma hederacea has been used in the traditional medicine of Europe going back thousands of years: Galen recommends the plant to treat inflammation of the eyes. John Gerard, an English herbalist, recommended the plant to treat tinnitus, as well as a "diuretic, astringent, tonic and gentle stimulant. Useful in kidney diseases and for indigestion." It has also been used as a "lung herb".^[11] Other traditional uses include as an expectorant, astringent, and to treat bronchitis.^[12] The essential oil of the plant has been used for centuries as a general tonic for colds and coughs, and to relieve congestion of the mucous membranes.^{[citation needed]} In the traditional Austrian medicine the herb has been prescribed for internal application as salad or tea for the treatment of a variety of different conditions including disorders associated with the liver and bile, gastrointestinal tract, respiratory tract, kidneys and urinary tract, fever, and flu."
My own anecdotal observation to the herb's effectiveness were evidenced 20+ years ago when my oldest son was quite young, around 4 or 5 years old, and complained that his throat hurt.  I looked down his throat and sure enough, it was inflamed and swollen.  It was a Sunday evening, almost bedtime, and a trip to the ER seemed extreme, so I went into the yard and collected a heaping handful of ground ivy and placed it in a pan, overed it with water, and brought it to a boil on the stove.  I allowed it to steep for a good twenty minutes, and cool.  Finally, I told my son to gargle with it.  Over and over he gargled and spit until I finally I told him to drink just a bit of it.  I then looked down his throat and the irritated red was gone, as was the swelling.  He said that his throat felt fine and I thought, hopefully we'll be good until morning...And when morning came his throat was still fine.  A very good treatment for a sore throat has been my experience with this herb.

Red Fern 2

In The Land Of The Red Fern, 2019

Taken at the same time, and similar to the original Red Fern print, but just different enough, darker, busier.  This iteration of the red fern will be hanging in the Northland Public Library, McCandless Twp, PA for the summer.

Drying Herbs

Ajuga reptans, Bugleweed, Pittsburgh, 2016


Like so many medicinal herbs that I gather in the yard, I didn't plant this, it just grows.  Bugleweed resembles the herb, heal-all (Prunella vulgaris) on steriods, a much larger version, but with many of the same medicinal qualities.  It's so damp because of all the rain we've had lately that when I cut bugleweed and bring it in the house, I lay it out on newspaper to wick up some of the moisture before hanging it to dry. 

What Worlds May Come

Glechoma hederacea, Ground Ivy, Pittsburgh, 2015


It's funny.  When I think of when, not if, we colonize other planets, I wonder what plants in particular we'll take with us.  Of course everything that we do take will be an alien, perhaps even invasive, species to this xenoworld.  I know that of course we will be taking things from Earth with us, whether on purpose or by accident (think rats on a ship, but more likely tiny seeds in an air duct, or even pollen on your eyelashes).  It's simply the nature of nature to hitch rides.
Ground Ivy, aka Creeping Charlie, official taxonomy Glechoma hederacea, was brought by colonists, probably on purpose, from Europe to North America specifically for medicinal reasons.  The herb is now ubiquitous in yards, fields, and wasteland over its range.  While not typically consumed by any variety of cattle because of its bitter taste, that very same bitterness it what gives it its value by herbalists.  I've taken ground ivy tea and it's horrible, but it does alleviate symptoms of a cough and cold.  There are other herbs I much more prefer (honeysuckle, heal all), but in a pinch I will turn to this because it's easy to find.  No amount of honey or whiskey added to ground ivy tea makes it any less loathesome, and there are reasons to be cautious with use of this herb as it contains two volatile oils, terpenoid and pulegon, that are can irritate the digestive tract, kidneys, and liver - though I've never experienced this (but in truth, I've never consumed much of the tea at any one time).
I don't recommend this herb, there are better alternatives such as heal all (aka self heal, Prunella vulgaris) being the most effective herb I have in my pantry.   Just a reminder:  Always use caution when collecting anything from the wild for medicinal or culinary purposes.  Know the dangers!