First class

Today we met at Bald Mountain Rec Area in Lake Orion. I was nervous cuz I was a bit late, but was able to join everyone in a discussion about plantain, which flourishes in packed, trampled soil. Apparently among some Native Americans it was known as "white man's footprint" because it popped up wherever the settlers developed.

Jim encourages us to taste, feel, and smell most plants we discuss, so taking notes on teaberry/winterberry was a treat! I guess these berries used to provide the flavoring of bubblegum back in the day, and they really taste just like it! We saw other red berries too-partridge berries, that tend to grow at the base of trees, but I wasn't able to try one because they are a bit less common.

We also talked about cleavers, a flower with roundels of leaves emanating periodically from the stem, and small white flowers (when in flower is the best time to harvest them, so get out there!). They're called cleavers because they cling onto you, which jim cheerfully demonstrated by throwing a flower at us. Cleaver provides a juice that serves as an excellent diuretic.

Along with cleaver and trillium, solomon's seal (polygonatum) was also at the Orchard Lake Nature Sanctuary when I met jim the other week. Solomon's seal root looks almost like finger knuckles, and appropriately so, because it is exceptional for joints. Jim showed us how to harvest the root correctly, so that it won't cause much damage to the plant or population. Similar to solomon's seal, and often found nearby, is a plant called false solomon's seal. The two are distinguishable because the false has slightly heartier leaves, and white flowers that bloom at the top of the plant, while solomon's seal flowers grow dangling underneath the leaves.

I also got to see wild sarspirilla, and now find myself daydreaming about brewing it into a tasty root beer!