lloydslensphotographyllc

Forage Friday #97 Lyre Leaf Sage

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Lyre Leaf Sage 52720” and was taken specifically for Forage Friday. All photos found on my website are my original work unless otherwise specified and are available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

Please remember that Forage Friday is presented as trivia and not to be mistaken for medical advice.

I have to admit that the edges of my lawn don’t exactly look like something out of a magazine. It’s safe to say that they’re allowed to go native up to a point. Generally whatever the mower can’t reach is given back to nature. But in return nature often gifts me back with something useful. Such is the case with Lyre Leaf Sage. Though the plant is often tall and lanky it does sport a beautiful lavender, trumpet shaped bloom that attracts hummingbirds and butterflies. The square stem marks it as a member of mint family and it is a true sage. It is a bit milder than the sage we buy in the store but it’s pleasant flavored nonetheless. The stem is slightly hairy and the young leaves can be added to salads or cooked as a potherb. Native Americans used the root to make a salve for treating wounds. Lyre Leaf Sage has the same properties and benefits as garden sage that we get from the store but it’s also weaker in those phytochemicals so keep in mind that substituting regular sage would probably have a stronger effect. A tea made with 2 tablespoons of dried Lyre Leaf Sage was commonly used as a gargle for sore throat and mouth ulcers. It is antimicrobial but not as much as the garden varieties. The tea is said to also help with colds, coughs and to settle nerves. A source from the UK suggests that the fresh leaves are applied to remove warts. The other name for this plant is Cancerweed. At one time the leaves were applied externally to treat cancer. Which makes me wonder if what they were referring to as “cancer” was the same thing that we call cancer today? Let me give an example. There have been times when I have had trouble with acne on my arms that just didn’t seem to heal normally. I was just starting my journey into herbalism and out of desperation applied plain old garden sage from the store to the sores and almost overnight they began to dry up and heal. But it was acne and not melanoma. The word “cancer” has it roots in old English and refers to any ulcer that seems to grow. So when the ancients said that members of the sage group “cured cancer” they were not necessarily referring to melanoma.

The antimicrobial actions of sage may have stopped the growth of infections and therefore allowed the body to heal itself.

Wild sages do have a look-alike in Bugleweed. But if you look closely you’ll see that Bugleweed has shorter and denser flowers, shiny leaves without the deep lobes of Lyre Leaf Sage.

While sage is commonly used for a variety of purposes everyday Bugleweed is mainly for looking at. The manuals do mention that Bugleweed may have an effect of lowering glucose but they also mention that it can harm the thyroid and therefore its important to know and recognize the difference between the two plants.

That’s it for this week’s Forage Friday! Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.

Announcement 2.0

For those who have been following me on Facebook and know of the struggle content providers have to get circulation from big tech I’ve been recommending for people to adopt MeWe as a social media platform. One of the problems I’ve run into on MeWe is that people don’t know how to navigate the platform. So to help with that I’ve created a permanent page on my website as a basic Basic Beginner’s Guide To MeWe I’ve tried to anticipate all basic questions there and You can bookmark the page to have as a reference and if you have any questions or suggestions don’t hesitate to contact me. I do still have a day job and I help admin several pages on both platforms so replies might be a little slow but I will answer you.

We also have the Lloyd’s Lens Photography Discussion Group on MeWe that is set up as a fully functional community. There you’ll not only be able to see and connect with me but you can also make your own posts and interact with each other.

I want you to join my group on MeWe: https://mewe.com/join/lloydslensphotographydiscussiongroup

Click the link below to jump to the Basic Beginner’s Guide To MeWe.

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Hey Friends! Just a quick reminder that Lloyds Lens Photography is available for portraits!

To book me simply reach out using the Contact Page and we’ll set a date. If you’re within a 50 mile radius of Summersville West Virginia all travel fees are waived.

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The Little Window Of New Light

Color Photography, wildlife

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “New Leaves 22321” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

The Mountain’s shadow begins to shorten noticeably now. New light brings new life. As a young man I use to sit on the lake bottom and wait to see how long I could hold my breath. Each time I would count silently and try to push myself a little farther until I just couldn’t hold it anymore. There was always that feeling of desperation as I pushed myself towards the surface focusing on that little window of light that was the top of the water. Today I get that same sensation as I wait for the world to become green again. Seeing the first few leaves open on my forsythia is like that little window of light on the surface of the lake. It’s telling me to hold on and keep pushing for the surface. Now in truth my forsythia will always open up a few leaves and even as early as December I’ll see a bloom or two. It won’t be full bloom for several weeks but the new leaves show that the light has changed a little. Most people think that the temperature controls when the plants awaken but it’s actually the wavelength of the light that has the most influence in when the leaves return. The forsythia is particularly sensitive to the early changes. So as they come to life we can use it as a gage of how the light is changing. I’ve not heard any here on my place but in another part of West Virginia we’re getting reports of Spring peepers warming up their chorus. It’s typical to have another late season snow or two before the very end of cold weather but it is happening.

Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days and.

Announcement 2.0

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Click the link below to jump to the Basic Beginner’s Guide To MeWe.

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Hey Friends! Just a quick reminder that Lloyds Lens Photography is available for portraits!

To book me simply reach out using the Contact Page and we’ll set a date. If you’re within a 50 mile radius of Summersville West Virginia all travel fees are waived.

If you’re enjoying my blog and don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website.

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Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?

A Calling From The Mountain.

Color Photography, winter

The Mountain's Calling 22321 — Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “The Mountain’s Calling 22321” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

If you close your eyes and listen with your heart you’ll hear it. It’s out there somewhere. That voice that calls your name and provokes your sense of adventure. It’s not a scary voice but a playful one. A voice that calls to come and smell the fresh air and feel the breezes wash over your skin and playfully toss your hair. Come on up a little higher it says. Come on now. Come feel the strength in the oak and stone. Come join the laughter of the woodpeckers and watch the games of the fairy diddle. When you reach the top the walk is easy. Follow the ridges through ancient vines as thick as your legs. Look for the Goldenseal and Bloodroot or perhaps a patch of Molly Moochers spread out beneath the tulip trees and magnolias. Bear tracks grace the old logging trail so tread softly and give space. And at the top look out across the landscape. The world is made for wandering and plenty is the path.

Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.

Announcement 2.0

I want you to join my group on MeWe: https://mewe.com/join/lloydslensphotographydiscussiongroup

Click the link below to jump to the Basic Beginner’s Guide To MeWe.

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/guide-to-mewe/

Hey Friends! Just a quick reminder that Lloyds Lens Photography is available for portraits!

To book me simply reach out using the Contact Page and we’ll set a date. If you’re within a 50 mile radius of Summersville West Virginia all travel fees are waived.

If you’re enjoying my blog and don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website.

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?

Waiting On The Symphony Of Spring

Color Photography, wildlife

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Wild Ginger 33120” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

Early March is a bit of a challenge for me to find photo-ops. The trees are still in the process of waking up from winter and will be for a few weeks. Most of the herbs and wildflowers are still pushing through the thick mulch of last year’s leaves. And so I turn to my archives for a fresh photo to post. There’s always a little variation in the date that the the first plants show up but tonight’s photo of wild ginger was taken March 31st of 2020. Almost a year ago! And the date of the new growth on the forest floor in like my own personal “New Year’s Day”. Complete with a grand finale of bloom exploding throughout the mountains. A couple of years ago I wrote about some scientists who convert colors to sound waves and study the harmonics of light. I can only imagine what the beautiful symphony of color the Appalachian Spring must sound like. With the pink and white dogwoods and redbud in bloom along with all the colors of every wildflower between April and June all converted into notes and compressed into one arrangement. It’s “Sweet music for the eyes” and each day I look for new signs of how close we are. Today I took a few samples from a box elder on my frontage. Each year I have to trim back the trees that stabilize the banks of my creek which means taking off the tops and allowing the stump to regrow. Today when I made a few initial cuts I found that the sap is running. It’s a major sign that changes are happening.

Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.

Announcement 2.0

I want you to join my group on MeWe: https://mewe.com/join/lloydslensphotographydiscussiongroup

Click the link below to jump to the Basic Beginner’s Guide To MeWe.

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/guide-to-mewe/

Hey Friends! Just a quick reminder that Lloyds Lens Photography is available for portraits!

To book me simply reach out using the Contact Page and we’ll set a date. If you’re within a 50 mile radius of Summersville West Virginia all travel fees are waived.

If you’re enjoying my blog and don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website.

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?

The Small World On The Forest Floor

Color Photography, wildlife

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Wood Fern And Moss 22321” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

The morning mists smell of the rich earth as unseen singers chirp out their melodies in celebration of the new light. The soft green moss beneath my feet urges my to remove my shoes and feel the soothing touch of nature. But for now I must decline. Maybe in about six or seven weeks it will be warm enough to shed the shell of leather and vulcanized rubber that shields me from the cold ground. As I press on to my little sanctuary I noticed the increase in the ferns and moss. They seem to be constant companions here. And I also find that the forest has started to reclaim this little clearing. Seedlings of the surrounding trees are popping up everywhere. Perhaps if time allows I’ll graft them into arches and have a formal garden gateway on this end of the yard. But I digress. The as I focus in on the forest floor it’s easy to imagine a tribe of little wood elves in a hidden world where the ferns are the size of oaks and moss is like tall grass. A place where houses are made from slabs of bark and a single wild berry feeds a whole family. What wondrous adventures such a world could hold! The eye of imagination is a gift given to all. Take a few moments and keep that eye sharp and never lose your childlike sense of awe.

Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.

Announcement 2.0

I want you to join my group on MeWe: https://mewe.com/join/lloydslensphotographydiscussiongroup

Click the link below to jump to the Basic Beginner’s Guide To MeWe.

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/guide-to-mewe/

Hey Friends! Just a quick reminder that Lloyds Lens Photography is available for portraits!

To book me simply reach out using the Contact Page and we’ll set a date. If you’re within a 50 mile radius of Summersville West Virginia all travel fees are waived.

If you’re enjoying my blog and don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website.

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/