Wednesday, June 17, 2009

medicinal trail field notes 6-17-09

today i spent a couple hours pulling invasives (mostly honeysuckle, haven't made it up to the porcelain berry yet) and identifying trees. idnr puts out an awesome forest trees of illinois book that i have coveted for a long time but yet have scored for myself. i borrowed a friend's so i could figure out what some of the trees are. to date, here is a list of trees i have identified:

sycamore
black walnut
sassafras
pumpkin ash
slippery elm
dogwood
redbud
mulberry
box elder

i was stoked to see so many slippery elm out there today. there were a lot of little saplings, most being choked out by the honeysuckle which i removed today. this is going to be a long, long project to see to completion! there are more invasives than i first realized and i've barely even begun.

6 comments:

The Old Gray Egg said...

I know that invasives can be troublesome, but I'll tell you, next to lilacs, which thrive in northern Wisconsin, I most miss the fragrance of honeysuckles and really wished that they lived up here. On occasional visits to Missouri, I have been known to pull the car over and jump out when I see one along the roadside and cut a fistful just for a treat. And speaking about nasty invasives, I personally would list among my least favorite and most difficult to eliminate, those darned tansies. I guess if you can't fight 'em, you might as well dance in a field of 'em.

tansy said...

they do smell delightful! i, myself always enjoy sniffing them. but when i see them choking out slippery elm, i get a little defensive and rip them out like a mad woman!

:D i have tansy growing in my garden. i actually have several 'invasive' plants growing in my garden...seems like most all herbs tend to be that way.

but, the worst i've found to eliminate down here is bindweed. ugh. that stuff is the bane of my existance!

The Polar Bear said...

i know what you mean! we mostly have multi flora rose and poison ivy but kudzu and honeysuckle are also terrible here. it drives me crazy that nurseries still sell invasive species! i love seeing all your herbs around your yard. i have a huge motherwort- what is good for as a medicinal? also- have you ever made elderberry wine? i am hoping to make a bunch soon. take care and have fun in your yard!

Unknown said...

the worst part about honeysuckle is that the berries that birds eat in multitude have no nutritional value for them...it's like eating junk food. so, when nurseries advertize 'birds love it' it's like saying about candy bars 'kids love them!' of course they do, but i'm not going to feed them to my kids for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

motherwort is great for treating pms and also aids with heart conditions. i get palpitations but when i'm on motherwort for moodiness, i don't get the palpitations. it's good for circulation and helps clean out the liver. harvest it when it's flowering (the flowering tops), chop up or mix in a blender with 80% everclear and 20% water.

i have never made elderberry wine but if we get any honey from our bees this summer, i hope to make some mead.

tansy said...

oops, apparently, my son was using my computer and didn't sign out last night...

Gina said...

Oi, invasives!! Here it is garlic mustard and it quickly dominates a forest (mine included!)

Good luck with your project. I think it will be a long term project, but one that will make you feel useful!! :)

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