Jill was off yesterday with her girlfriends for a second day
of exploring the peninsula so the girls
and I did some exploring of our own – out back.
All quite convenient. It was
cooler than Saturday, a whiff of manure spreading in the air and enough breeze
to keep the mosquitoes away. It was a
good day for a walk and take time to smell the wild flowers.
Eupatorium perfoliatum – Boneset - a
member of the aster family and is also related to Joe-pye weed. Butterflies are attracted to its nectar. It is also said that a tea made from its
leaves has healing qualities. For
aficionados of the healing arts the plant is said to be useful for setting
bones. Today it continues in use as an emetic (induces vomiting), a treatment for the symptoms that accompany influenza and pneumonia and for joint pain.
Achillea millefolium – Common Yarrow
– another member of the aster family characterized by a flat, composite
collection of small flowers and feathery, fern-like leaves. This plant propagates by means of underground
rhizomes. The name is derived from Achilles
who is said to have used the healing qualities of this plant to stem the bleeding from wounds
during the course of the Trojan War. Nowadays, this plant is used to treat coronary and cerebral thrombosis, reduce blood pressure and treat diarrhea.
Echninacea purpurea – Purple Coneflower – yet another member of
the aster family sporting a large flower head with droopy petals. Native Americans and early settlers used parts
of this plant to treat all manner of complaints ranging from the mundane like coughs,
colds and tooth aches to snake bite and gonorrhea. It persists in our modern pharmacopeia as a
stimulant to the immune system.
It
was only afterwards as I composed this post that our walk was actually a small
tour of folk remedies and the modern healing arts. Who knew?.
The most amusing part was the air of stoic indifference the elderly
black Lab demonstrated in the face of the dive-bombing protestations of a
redwing blackbird.
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