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Forage Friday #12 Japanese Honeysuckle

Hello Friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “Japanese Honeysuckle 5319” and is available for purchase by following the instructions at the bottom of the article.

*Some honeysuckle plants that are found in North America are toxic. Always get a positive ID on the plants and do further research before trying any plant for the first time. Forage Friday is only intended to be an interesting conversation starter and is not a replacement for proper training.

The breeze carries a sweet scent as I approach the edge of the forest. The long vines trail and climb and twist through the underbrush. The vine itself is adorned with slinder tubular flowers. Butterflies dance about from flower to flower following the bees. They know that the flowers sweeten their nectar in the bee’s presence. They also know that their long straw-like mouth parts can reach deep into the flowers to get to the nectar that the bees can’t find. I have a different solution for harvesting a treat. I pinched a flower down at the base and pulled it free from the vine being careful not to lose the sweet liquid in the process. The nectar can simply be sucked out of the other end.

That’s the way I learned to enjoy Japanese Honeysuckle as a child. I’m not really sure when I learned that candy grew on vines or who I learned how to do it from. I only have a vague memory of pulling the flowers and sucking out the nectar.

As I became more interested in how to harvest and use things from the wilderness I learned that in traditional Chinese medicine they make a cough syrup from the plant and that the leaves are used as a potherb. We don’t eat many cooked greens at my house so I never bothered with the leaves myself.

There’s a lot of medicinal uses listed for honeysuckle as well as some potential side effects. As I’ve said before I have no formal training beyond what I picked up in forestry classes which were geared towards harvesting lumber and replanted the forest. With that in mind I’m providing a link to WebMD for their expertise.

I also need to address some feedback that I got from last Friday’s post on Yarrow. I stated on Facebook that Yarrow was NOT an edible plant. Which drew some constructive criticism from a few members of the group.

First, it’s awesome that members of the wild edible community are able to make counterpoints and keep it respectful. That’s the mark of a high quality individual. Kudos to Niki, Niamh and Marquis and thank you for your support and passion for living a more natural lifestyle.

The point was made that these folks have used Yarrow internally and experienced no negative effects. From what I got in their comments they only used it in limited quantities and for various reasons. I still maintain that Yarrow should not be used in large quantities or for extended periods of time but I felt that their experience was worth mentioning and that they all three deserve recognition for the awesome manor in which they addressed their disagreement. Thank you again for your interaction.

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Race Against The Storm

Color Photography

Hello Friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “Thunder On The Gauley River ” and is available for purchase by following the instructions at the bottom of the article.

Late Spring and early Summer is storm season in my Appalachian Mountains. The heavy dark clouds rake across the ridges and the sky takes on that ominous hue. I have been watching the tulip poplar all day. Just before a storm they turn the underside of their leaves outwards and begin to shake and sway. Once as a child I heard my paternal grandmother make reference to the poplars doing a rain dance. “Thems trees are gonna make thunder”. She said in her old time mountain dialect. She was from Jodi which is the little village on the right side of the river in tonight’s feature image. But I digress.

I knew that the view from the Gauley River always offered a spectacular image during inclement weather. Having just come from the west I estimated that had just enough time to jog out to the middle of the bridge before my gear and I was soaked. By the time I got to just the right spot the sky was really getting dark. Small birds were darting around in a flurry taking advantage of the disoriented insects that were caught in the breeze. Just a few minutes later the flight of the birds was replaced by the leaves that were blown down from the mountain. I had to work quickly if I wanted to be dry when I made it back to my big blue truck. I was able to get a few exposures before the sound of approaching rain began to echo up from down river. It was time to move and move fast. I could hear the stormfront gaining on me as I stretched out my stride in order to pick up speed. I dared not look back while I fumbled with the fob and repeatedly pressed the unlock button. As the door slammed shut the large globular drops impacted the windshield. I raced back onto the highway and straitened a few curves in an effort to beat the storm to my home. I managed to get there just as the storm caught up with me. In it’s final act of wrath the storm managed to keep me in the truck for a few minutes but as it was drawing it’s second breath I slipped out of the garage. In my final act of defiance I closed the door to the house. I suppose that this time my race against the storm ended in a draw.

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The Gray Tree Frog in Appalachia

Color Photography, wildlife

Hello Friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “Perched Gray Tree Frog” and is available for purchase by following the instructions at the bottom of the article.

I had a special visitor come to my door the other night. I found her peeking in through the glass as if she wanted to come in. I quickly made a makeshift terrarium from an empty mason jar by threading the ring over scrap piece cotton cloth. I caught some insects to put in with her along with a twig and some distilled water. The terrarium was for her safety. Hopping frogs look like fun toys for dogs and as a fun loving doggy I was concerned that Scout may not understand that the tree frog was a guest.

I took the little tree frog into my office and left her there to get comfortable. One of the ways that I can tell it’s a female frog is because she didn’t sing. Generally speaking female frogs are quiet. The don’t sing among other things.

First thing the next morning I found the little tree frog clinging to a leaf on the twig. I could tell that she’d had breakfast because the insects were gone.

I took her outside to set her free and when I opened the jar she hopped out onto the tip of my pinky finger.

The little Gray Tree Frog On My Pinky Finger looking me in the eye.

The she turned to look me in the eye and thanked me for the night’s lodging. I was a little shocked. Kermit was the only frog that I’ve ever heard talk. The shock must have shown on my face because she smiled a froggy smile and winked. “There’s a lot about tree frogs that you probably don’t know.” She said. I simply nodded because I was still in shock. She continued without being prompted. And here’s what she taught me.

You’ve probably been told that it’s not easy being green. However, it’s no problem at all for a gray tree frog. In fact they can change color like a chameleon. Unlike thier cousins in the Amazon they don’t have the bright colors but they do have a range of gray, brown, green and black. The little tree frog on my pinky finger was such a light gray when I found her that she was almost white.

The secret to their Spider-Man like climbing ability is the large suction cup like pads on their feet. If you look closely at the tree frog’s feet you’ll notice that the toes are not webbed. That’s so that they can grip on the twigs like a monkey.

There are actually two species of Gray Tree Frog in Appalachia. They are identical in every way except in genetics and songs. The Gray Tree Frog has 48 chromosomes and the other species, Cope’s Gray Tree Frog has 24 chromosomes. This means that they can’t really hybridize and that even if they did that the offspring wouldn’t survive.

The other way to tell the difference is by the call. I could give you the pulse per second and frequency etc but there’s no substitute for hearing the difference yourself. So, I found a YouTube video that gives a great sound byte.

Once the shock of a talking tree frog wore off I asked the little frog how she learned to talk. She replied, “you left me next to your laptop all night and I got bored so I used your internet. You can learn how to do anything on Google. ”

With that said she took one graceful leap into the Alder tree in my yard and that’s where she lives today.

*I am not a herpetologist and so I am not positive about the sex of the tree frog.

The little tree frog now living in my Alder tree.

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A June Wedding For The Gauley River.

Color Photography

Hello Friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “The Gauley River In Her Veil” and is available for purchase by following the instructions at the bottom of the article.

The Gauley River wears a veil of mist as she marches forward to meet the New River and become the Kanawha River. She’s adorned with the reflections of the trees that stand as witnesses to her joining. In the middle of her waters is the remnant of the original bridge that was made of wood and stone. When I have time to stop and catch a breath the old foundation is one of those things that I like to focus on. The cut stone appears to be held together with nothing but gravity. Even the worst flooding in one-thousand years wasn’t enough to erase the history of the old foundation.

A closer view of the original bridge foundation. It seems to be held together by the sheer mass of the stones .

As I continue to join the trees in witnessing the marriage of the Gauley River and the New River the water’s surface is suddenly alive with small V shaped wakes as a school of bluegill feed on the surface.

Upstream I can see that the fog has begun to thicken and fill the valley. The opportunity for photos will soon pass. I raise my lens and capture the pageantry of nature.

The evening sun slips below the ridge and it’s time for my big blue truck to complete the trek home.

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Things Are Just Ducky #4

Color Photography, wildlife

Hello Friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “Nice Day For A Swim ” and is available for purchase by following the instructions at the bottom of the article.

George waddled up to the edge of the river and took a deep breath. He paused for a moment and caressed the cool grass with his webbed toes. The sun was shining and he didn’t seem to have a care in the world. He enjoyed the soft breeze as it ruffled his feathers slightly and looked out at world around him. Then he hopped into the river with a plop. For a moment he bobbed like a cork which was always something that made him giggle. He plunged his face into the water and shook his head vigorously to clean his bill just like his mother taught him.

The smooth water flowed around him as he paddled across the surface in no particular pattern. He went where he pleased as his curiosity inspired him. The odd swirl moving against the current meant an insect that he could chase.

George allowed the current to carry him to the edge of the falls. He could hear the water crashing into the rocks below and just as he went over the edge a quick flap of his wings he was airborne. He circled around and landed on the water at the base of Kanawha Falls where the minnows are stunned by going over the edge. George ate his fill before finding some quiet cove where he could nap in peace. Just before his eyelids became too heavy to hold open he looked skyward and thanked God for making him a duck.

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