Spring Ephemerals
The vernal equinox last week was just a taste of the beauty of spring ephemerals. Living in the woodlands is beautiful but the amount of sunshine is limited. Where the sun is shining is exploding in color. We allow “weeds” like clover, violets, and cinquefoil stick around, and are rewarded with a yard full of blooms. The local bees, butterflies, dragonflies, and lightning bugs love our yard.
Spring Beauty, Claytonia virginica, grows abundantly in the liminal spaces between forest and field. A spring ephemeral, C. virginica blooms only for three days. It is perennial and its starchy roots can be eaten much like potatoes[1].
Grape Hyacinth, by contrast, are not native to my home. Flowers in the Muscari genus come from the Old World, in the Mediterranean basin and the surrounding areas. It has naturalized all over Eurasia and the North America, including my yard. Grape Hyacinths are not true Hyacinths, but actually in the Asparagus family[2].
Last but not least, is the common Dandelion. Ubiquitous everywhere, a nuisance somewhere, but welcomed here. While I haven’t yet tried to eat any part of the dandelion plant, the bees are welcome to it as long as they can spare a few flowers for me. I use it in anti-inflammatory topical creams I make at home.
Taraxacum officinale, or the common dandelion, was native to Eurasia but has now naturalized on every green continent. It was purposefully brought to the United States as a food crop. The roots, leaves, and blooms can be eaten. Many have roasted and ground the roots into a coffee substitute but I have not tried this. Dandelions can be used to flavor wine, make tea, jelly, syrup and more[3].
Learn more about the medicinal uses of Dandelions at
WildHemlock.Com
