Gooseberry: Northern

Northern Gooseberry (Ribes oxyacanthoides)

2008 May 23

2008 May 27

2008 July 4

2008 July 28

2009 August 10

Notice, no bristles on the berries.

Gooseberry: Black

Black Gooseberry (Ribes lacustre)

2009 August 10

I have mostly found the Northern Gooseberry in our area but have found the odd bush of Blacks. Click on the picture and notice how prickly the berries are ... Northern Gooseberries are smooth.

These can be eaten fresh or cooked into jams and jellies. Be careful picking them though, because the spines can cause an allergic reaction in some.

Black Hawthorn

Black Hawthorn (Crataegus douglasii)

I saw this in shrub form out at Mahood Lake but then found it as a small tree growing by our own lake ... my eye was drawn to the fruit. Funny how I missed seeing it in flower and we walk that way often!

2009 August 27

2009 August 16

2009 August 16

2009 August 16

The fruits are seedy but were used medicinally, mostly for diarrhea. The bark also was used to treat diarrhea, dysentery and stomach aches and pains.

2009 August 16

The wood of this plant is very hard and fine grained used by First Nations for tool handles and weapons.

2009 August 18

The spines had a variety of uses: like a needle to probe skin blisters and boils, piercing ears, fish hooks, etc.

Some people use this as a hedging plant to create a "fence with thorns".

Hawksbeard: "Annual" or "Narrowleaf"

"Annual Hawksbeard" or "Narrowleaf Hawksbeard"
(Crepis tectorum)

2009 July 26

2009 July 26

An introduced weed from Europe occurring in disturbed sites ... in this case, alongside our driveway.

Cinquefoil: Graceful

Graceful Cinquefoil (Potentilla gracilis var gracilis)

2009 July 15

2009 July 15

2009 July 15

2009 July 15

2009 July 15

We found this cinquefoil growing on a trail just behind our place.

Some first nation peoples made an infusion of the pounded roots to take for pain and as a general tonic.

Swamp Hedge Nettle

Swamp Hedge Nettle (Stachys palustris ssp. pilosa)

We found this plant growing around our local lake:

2008 July 14

2008 July 14

2008 July 19

A perennial herb also called Woundwart.

Sedge: Golden

Golden Sedge (Carex aurea)

We found this sedge on the shore of our local lake:

2008 July 14