Medicinal Value of Viola sororio

Common Violet, Viola sosorio, Pittsburgh 2019

Nothing says 'spring' like the emergence of violets in the yards, fields, and meadows.  That deep blue/purple head boldly rising on a fragile stem from its base of heart-shaped leaves, is the promise of the season to come that we all need after a long dreary winter.
The leaves and flowers of violets are what is both edible and medicinal.  The flowers and leaves are eaten raw, early in the season, either in a salad or as a garnish.  Medicinally, they can be made in to poultice, salve, or cold infusion to be applied topically for the treatment of eczema, rashes, insect bites, dry skin, and even varicose veins.  Taken internally it was traditionally used as a spring tonic to cleanse the system and act as an expectorant for phlegm lingering in the lungs, as a cholesterol lowering agent, and an anti-tumor folk remedy.
As with all herbal treatments, do your research, know your own potential allergic reactions, and possible drug interactions.  WebMD has a wealth of information on many herbal actions/interactions, and while they don't cover the common violet specifically, they do have a listing for the related variant, the sweet violet.

Wild Plum

Prunus americana, wild plum, Pittsburgh, 2016


A couple of years ago I planted a native wild plum tree on the west side of the driveway.  I mention this because we're about to get the driveway repaved and the retaining walls on both sides of the drive rebuilt - I fear for the little plum tree.  I'm debating whether or not to move it.  It's not too tall, only about five feet high, and I've read that its roots are shallow, tending to branch out laterally as opposed to sending down a deep taproot.  It would've been best to move it before its sap started running and it blossomed and leafed out, while it was still dormant, but those days are gone.  I just don't want to kill it, not now, not when it might actually start producing fruit finally.  Oh, poor tree, I fret for your future.

Sweet Crab Apple

Malus coronaria, Sweet Crab Apple, Pittsburgh, 2016


There are only four species of apple that are native to North America, and M. coronaria is one of them.  While on a hike at Beechwood Farms this past weekend, we came upon dozens of crab apple trees in full, glorious bloom.  The nature reserve at Beechwood is rife with deer, which probably contributes to the distribution and proliferation of the trees.  A local boy scout troop keeps a bee hive at the reserve, and the bees were buzzing around the sweet blossoms.
Still, the day wasn't all sunshine and petals as I discovered a tick on my wife when we got home, which I quickly and thoroughly removed.  Unfortunately we both somehow missed the tick on me, not removing it until the next day, and then only partially as it broke apart.  Since only 1% of ticks are infected with Lyme Disease, I'm not too concerned, and we did treat the wound as suggested by the CDC, but we'll still keep an eye on the area for the next couple of weeks.

Bald-Faced Hornet Wing

A Microscropic Study of  Dolichovespula maculata, 2016


Last fall I found a dead Bald-faced Hornet on the porch and I put it in a small jar for later examination.  Today is that vague later.  I was doing some microscope work anyway, trying to tease some mushroom mycelium free from the dirt it was growing in to try and get a better look at the network of it, without much luck (it kept tearing apart and all I got were shots of fuzzy dirt), so I looked to the hornet wing instead.  These photos are all of the right forewing.  For more information on parts of an insect wing, click here.  What's interesting is the number of hairs, because to the naked eye the wing appears nearly translucent, no visible hairs.  And then also, there is the structure of the wing, that while the venation appears to be a patchwork, this is the regular form.   

Digital Miasma

Milkweed With Butterflies Miasma, 2015


Sometimes when I have a shot that is really out of focus, I'll tinker with it, manipulating it digitally before I decide whether to keep it or not.  I get rid of a lot of shots on my hard drive.  Not because I don't have enough memory to preserve them, but because I don't want to have to look at them any longer. Be gone, you sad affront to the eye!
I pushed this failed image to both its limits and mine.  Except for that small white mass right of center, I like the pic, to me it brings to mind Van Gogh.