Member of the Mustard family. Blooms all summer. “Historically” used to make a medicinal tea. Several moth and butterfly varieties lay eggs on them. Native to Eurasia.
Common Winter Cress, Yellow Rocket, Bittercress, Wound Rocket (Barbarea vulgaris)
They are wild and native to eastern and midwest North America. Poppies produce latex, and in Celandine Poppies, it’s a bright yellow sap that was used as a dye by Native Americans.
Wood Poppy, Celandine Poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum)
There are several similar-looking kinds of Speedwell. This kind has flowers on long stalks instead of stalkless in the axils. In Italian it’s known as “gli occhi della Madonna,” which means “the eyes of the Virgin Mary.” Native to Europe. Photo: May 8, 2013.
Bird’s-eye Speedwell, Persian Speedwell (Veronica persica)
The first Jack in the Pulpit of the season, a very dramatic black and green striped and slightly ruffled one! Some folklore from Wikipedia: “One account from the Meskwaki Indians states that they used it to determine the fate of the sick by dropping a seed in a cup of stirred water; If the seed went around four times clockwise, the patient would recover, if it went around less than four times they would not.” Native. Photo: May 3, 2013.
Jack in the Pulpit, Indian Turnip (Arisaema triphyllum)
This is not the ginseng used in herbal medicine but it’s the same family (Ginseng). Native. They bloom for about three weeks in mid to late spring. Has yellowish clustered berries in July to August. US Forest Service: Native Americans “used tea of the whole plant for colic, indigestion, gout, hepatitis, shortness of breath, fainting, and nervous debility. Its distinctive tubers can be eaten raw or boiled.”
Sessile means sitting or resting on the surface — these have sessile leaves, which means the leaf comes directly out of the main stem, but the leaf itself has no stem of its own. Lily family. Native. Photo taken May 3, 2013.
Sessile Bellwort, Wild Oats (Uvularia sessilifolia)
These are common in the local woods, can cover large areas. They grow from rhizomes. Buttercup family. Poisonous. Native. Photo: May 2, 2013.
Wood Anemone, Windflower, Nightcaps (Anemone quinquefolia)
Leaves smell garlicky when crushed. An invasive that crowds out more delicate native wildflowers. It was brought to North America as a cooking herb in the 1860s. Mustard family. (Photo taken April 30, 2013.)
Garlic Mustard (Alliaria officinalis)
Dark blue and purple orchid-like flowers. This plant is introduced and invasive. It belongs to the Mint family. (Photo taken April 30, 2013. I’m way behind on posting photos, so I’m going to add the actual dates I collected the photos, for the AFs who are trying to compare this year with last year—you know who you are!)
Creeping Charlie, Ground Ivy, Gill-over-the-ground, Haymaids (Glechoma hederacea)
