stop and smell the sweetfern

I have more pictures and stuff to put up I just don't have the time to do it today.  Blogging takes up a lot of time but, I love it because it keeps me learning which is important to me.  My husband recently re-named me "Looks at stuff a lot" which is true - I often stop him while we are hiking and make him look at some plant or lichen or animal track or to eat something that I have found.  Truly, though, observing and appreciating the complexities and beauty and raw truths in nature is a completely enriching and perspective-altering habit.   It is soooooo important that we don't loose our connection with the earth as a (world full of) people.   

Milkweed Seeds ready to germinate as soon as the snow melts a little more.  Milkweed can be used for food, fiber and medicine.  I missed out last year on my chance to eat the seed pods and shoots which have to be gathered at just the right point.   I think it is pretty unbelievable that one of these little seeds contains the genetic information to grow not only a plant but also a bunch more little seeds with silk-like parachutes to carry them in the wind.  And to make them out of nothing but water, absorbed nutrients and sunshine.   

Pussy Willow (Salix Discolor).   The Willow family is one of the most commonly known medicinal plants.  Most people probably think of the dramatic Weeping Willow tree when they are talking about this family of shrubs and trees.  Actually, Weeping Willows are an invasive species imported from China and White Willows which are similar to the Weeping variety, have been introduced here in North America from Europe.  

This Pussy Willow is an example of a native North American willow shrub.  Willows contain Salicin which is the basis of the substance that chemists have synthesized in order to make what we know as Asprin.   All willows contain Salicin but the amount of it present can vary depending on the species and even the individual plant.   Willow was used extensively by the Native Americans for everything from sore throats to smoking mixtures to baskets.  I have found several references to it being used to clear up eye problems.  Willow bark tea is every bit as effective as taking an Asprin is - however, it is likely that you will miss out on the liver and stomach damage if you go with the bark instead of the bottle.  

Another photo of Sweet Fern in the winter (technically spring, but we still have several feet of snow here in the woods).  I crushed this up just for the sake of inhaling the awesome scent it gives off even after being dried out and snowed on all winter long.  

On looking for Turkeys and finding a Porcupine...

The spring thaw is upon us and it's about time!  In the last two weeks we have been graced with over two and a half feet of snow.  Following one of these delightful snowstorms I took a nice walk on the farm.  I am getting antsy for Spring Turkey season (it's not until May) and I wanted to do some scouting to see what they have been up to.   I did not see any turkeys but I did hear them making a racket not too far away and found plenty of tracks in the top of the field where they are scratching around in the Sumac berries.   Of course I found lots of other things to photograph, and had a wonderful time to boot.  

These lovely little flower buds are preparing for spring

Some very cool lung-like fungi

Snow Fleas

These little bugs are not actually fleas, although they do look quite similar.  I always thought that they were indeed a sort of flea which survived by jumping on animals who happened to pass their way.   Actually, they live on decomposing matter, bacteria, fungi and even round worms.  They have a unique protein in their bodies which act as a sort of "antifreeze" and allows them to survive sub zero temperatures.  Pretty cool!   If you click on the picture you can get a better idea of what they look like.

If you ever come across this sight in the woods (under a hemlock tree), look closer... 

Look at the Hemlock...

 (claw marks in the bark)  And, look up!

With any luck you will find Anentaks - a Porcupine - looking down at you with a stoic stare.  

If you are hungry, I have heard that Porcupine makes a good meal.   I am all about eating wild game but I really love Porcupines and I don't think I would ever kill one for food.

These tracks, I believe, belong to a Fisher.    They are very similar to Otter tracks, however, based on the scat that I found on the trail (following picture), the lack of Otter slides into the swamp and the fact that I have seen Fishers in the area before, I believe that I have correctly identified the culprit.

Fisher Scat (poo if you are unfamiliar with the term "scat") You are welcome for the nice photo.  

A tree trunk covered in colorful fungi and lichens

A portrait of the swamp in March

Aspen Catkins 

I have four gallons of Sumac wine ageing in my basement.  It is delightfully lemony with an aftertaste of Thimbleberries and a hint of apples.  Even in late winter these Staghorn Sumac berries are a good source of nutrition for the birds and small mammals who live on the farm.  The snow beneath these bushes is packed down and covered in hundreds of bird, squirrel and mouse tracks.    Nearby, the fox tracks are a reminder that the foxes must eat too.  I imagine that mice fattened on sumac berries must be a fine feast for them.  

A few berries freshly fallen.  This Sumac variety is named "Staghorn" because of the velvet which covers the berries and stems of the plant which is reminiscent of the velvet which grows on the antlers of deer.  

Oh, yeah!   A turkey track only a few feet from the Sumac bushes.

I posted previously a picture of the Paper Wasp nest but I had failed to get a shot of the beautiful paper encasing the nest.   The wasps make this stuff by chewing woody fibers which mix with their saliva and literally make paper.   

This picture may be boring to you, but I was extremely excited to find and identify this Spicebush.   I wanted to be able to identify them in the winter, so I walked to an area where I knew them to grow and tasted a few different bushes until I came upon this one.  It is actually quite a distinct shape and has lovely little buds which have been there since the fall and make it an easy plant to identify.  I chewed on a twig for a while as I continued to walk - it tastes a bit like allspice and makes a delicious tea.

Near the end of my walk, after spotting Fisher, Chipmunk, Mouse, Vole, Bird, Porcupine, Rabbit, Fox, Coyote, Turkey and Raccoon tracks I came upon these Bruce tracks and followed them out to the farm house thus ending my delightful afternoon in the woods.