Ironweed dried remains - what looks like dried petals is the calyx. Photo by Brennah Cavanaugh Photography LLC "When one sees Eternity in things that pass away, then one has pure knowledge." ~ From the Bhagavad Gita Ironweed beginning to blossom Ironweed in bloom Dried Ironweed in Autumn Icey Winter Ironweed Ironweed is a native perennial plant which grows at Crossing Hedgerows Sanctuary along with other native wildflowers such as Joe Pyeweed, native ...
In July of 2023, Brennah made a post here about the importance of our native button bushes to the pollinators at Crossing Hedgerows. Of course it has beautiful photos, including the incredible blossoms: https://www.patreon.com/posts/86598986 button bush - after the flowers have faded It's hard to do justice with pictures to show the size this particular one has grown to now, but it has grown quite large indeed! And I want to give a ...
By Jean Cavanaugh(A Wild Plum from this past August) Another of the native shrubs we have planted at Crossing Hedgerows is the Wild Plum. At one time, native plums were one of the most established wild food crops of Native Americans. According to the book, Native Plant Agriculture, by Indigenous Plants, Native Plums are more energy dense than any domesticated fruit you'd find in the grocery store and is only rivaled by other wild fruits such as serviceberries, ...
(Sumac Berries by Brennah Cavanaugh Photography LLC)It's been awhile since I have posted a native plant profile! All the plants I post about are ones that we have planted or are protecting on our land at Crossing Hedgerows.Most people are familiar with sumac, but don't realize how valuable it is. Because so many of our native thicket plants have disappeared to large swaths of farmland, it's another of the ones that we have encouraged on our land.The ...
While we were pulling out some trash (old tires and such, left by the previous residents) from the woods on our work day this week, there was a particular plant whose thorns wanted to grab at us as we passed by it. This is one of the reasons why we have trails, because these shrubs can make it nearly impossible to pass through certain areas. However, they are another of our beloved native plants that grow in ...
For our Skills and Friendship Day last week, the focus was on clearing around one of our American Hazelnut bushes to give it a bit more space. It had been getting closed in on by False Indigo Bush and Sunchokes, both of which are native perennials which we planted along with the hazelnut, but were beginning to crowd it out a bit too much.Sarenth cutting False Indigo Bush. It is a spreading shrub which has done really ...
(Aromatic Aster and Honeybee ~ October 2022) Last week, Dan, Brennah, and I met with Bridget and Charlie of Garden Juju Collective to receive an update on their progress with creating the design for the Sanctuary land. They are working on taking the plan that we have communicated to them and putting the design on paper using aerial photos, topographical maps, and making multiple visits to observe what's been happening on the land. They are currently still ...
Ground cherries are a crop that has done well for us over the years. Physalis pruinosa is in the nightshade family and is related to tomatoes, potatoes, tomatillos, peppers, and such (but not cherries!). Like tomatillos, they have a papery husk on them. However, ground cherries are sweet, with a flavor similar to pineapple or strawberry. Ground cherries are native to the Americas. "Estimates for the earliest use of Physalis for human consumption range from 900BCE to 5000BCE. ...
As you might know by now, I like to periodically highlight plants we have at the farm and sanctuary. Today's pick is the False Indigo bush. False Indigo Bush in blossom - photo by Brennah Cavanaugh Photography LLC This is one which we planted back around 2014 in various areas because it does well in wetter habitats. It is a native plant to the area that is also a nitrogen fixer, meaning that it adds natural ...
Photo by Brennah Cavanaugh Photography LLCAnother wildflower currently blossoming at Crossing Hedgerows is our white Virginia Bluebells. This plant was given to us by our friend Gary Urick, along with the Aconite which was mentioned in a previous post. According to the University of Wisconsin Horticulture, regarding Virginia Bluebells: "It is considered threatened in its native range, primarily because of habitat destruction and the prevention of natural flooding of rivers, and is increasingly found only in isolated locations." "The flowers ...
Look carefully for the nuts inside the "wrappers" The photos I'm sharing today are from a hazelnut harvest we did last February. This is the time of year when they're ready, but in our experience you can collect them anytime you get around to it, as long as the squirrels don't beat you to it. Our hazelnuts are the wild, native variety which are smaller than cultivars, but their taste ...
Continuing from my previous post about food forest crops, sunchokes are one of the perennials we've planted around the farmstead area. As you can see, they have a gorgeous flower which blossoms in late summer. They're a type of sunflower with an edible tuber root which can be used similarly to potatoes, though they have perhaps more of a water chestnut consistency. Also they can be eaten raw, sliced up on a salad with a bit of ...
One of the main understory shrubs in the woodlands area of the Sanctuary is Spicebush. The photos in this post are ones that Brennah has taken across the seasons showing the blossoms, berries, and fall foliage. She has even captured a shot of the Spicebush Butterfly (which I didn't realize was a thing, but she had identified long ago).I happened upon an excellent description of Spicebush this morning on the Indigenous Landscapes site which I will share ...