"Anti-Divorce" Remedy

Blue Lobelia are in bloom around the creek.  They are not easy to find, hidden below the brush.  This plant has had many interesting uses among Native Americans.  Perhaps the most unusual is that of the Meskwaki Native Americans.  They believed this plant to be an anti-divorce remedy.

Enjoy!

~ Robin

White Snakeroot

White Snakeroot is progressing in the shaded areas.  These were found along the marsh road.  Although many are just starting, some have already gone to seed.  This plant is poisonous to animals and humans.  American Indians used this plant in a poultice to treat snakebite, maybe that is how it got its name.

Enjoy!

~ Robin

Bee Balm, Patriotic Tea

This bursting 'fireworks' bloom is Wild Bergamot, also known as Bee Balm.  Many Native Americans have long used  this and other varieties of this plant for food and medicine, often as a tea.  They introduced this plant to the Shakers and during the time after the Boston Tea Party, many colonists used this as a substitute for English tea.

Enjoy!

~ Robin

Evening Primrose - Sunshine in the Night

In the early morning or evening, you might find this sunshine yellow flower open.  This is a Common Evening Primrose.  She opens in the evening and closes in the day.  Some people claim the oil from her seeds is a help for a variety of ills including ezcema, osteoporosis, MS, cancer, high cholesterol, and many other things.  For some time, Britain approved this oil for treating eczema and breast pain, it has since been taken off the list, claiming the effectiveness is in question

Be careful of the heat, but enjoy!


~ Robin  




Photos taken June 22, 2012