High Power Lines
Hubby and I went for a little drive close to the house late last week. We were suffering from a severe case of cabin fever from all the rain (but I didn't shoot 6 holes in it
ala Jimmy Buffet song). I figured with all this moisture there had to be wildflowers worth photographing. Thank goodness we have a Jeep! Our poor clay dirt road is a bit messy now.
We also rescued a water turtle from the road on Sunday. Poor thing was covered with mosquitoes and nearly got run over. Hubby put him in a pond close by but away from traffic.
Well, without any further ado, here's some local wildflower photos.
Butterfly weed with a Hoverfly
Butterfly weed is a prolific spring wildflower in Southeast Georgia. Yep. The butterflies love it! This one had a
Hoverfly (Syrphidae) paying a visit. Hoverfly's are non-stinging and are very beneficial. They eat primarily Aphids. You'll usually see them 'hovering' very close to the ground in groups.
European Elderberry (Sambucus nigra)
The
Elderberry is not only a lovely addition to the spring wildflowers, but the berries are used to make [hic] Elderberry Wine. Don't worry
Pappy, we're not selling it. "So, don't send 'dem revenuers around here! There's nothing to see behind that barn ..." [hic]
It's not advisable to eat the berries raw. The Elderberry must be cooked to fully remove all the toxins. I don't think they'll kill anyone but you'll get an upset tummy for sure. Elderberries contain potassium and large amounts of vitamin C, and have been proven in quite a few recent studies to shorten the duration of cold and flu symptoms, as well as strengthen the immune system. Also, the dried leaves mixed with lanolin help relieve burns and sunburns.
Some folks make jam from them too. Anything that makes pie works for me! :o)
Lizard Tail (Saururus cernuus)
Now this nifty looking little plant is commonly called "
Lizard Tail". It likes wet feet. You'll find them growing in profusion down near creek bottoms and anywhere it's wet but not too sunny. They're also easy to find because Lizard's tail has a distinctive orange like-smell.
Goat's Rue (Tephrosia virginiana)
And this is my Jewel In The Crown today, a Goat's Rue! You heard right
Margaret, it's named after a Goat (but not in panties). It doesn't smell like one though. [giggle] This is a very uncommon site. I even e-mailed my fellow Georgian,
Mildred, and asked her "What is
THIS??!" Because although all the wildflower plant books say it is a native here I have never seen this lovely little plant before.
The Goat's Rue is in the Pea Family (Fabaceae). It has several common names: Rabbit's Pea, Hoary-Pea, Devil's Shoestrings and Catgut. They sound like alibi's to me, like it's on the lamb. I guess this one is hiding out because there are no other Goat's Rue near it.
Goat's Rue and related species may have been used as a fish poison by Indians in some parts of the Americas. Cherokee women used a root decoction to strengthen hair and Cherokee ball players applied the decoction to their limbs to "toughen" them. It was given it to children as a tea to make them strong. It was used by the Cherokee and other tribes in various medicines for treating conditions ranging from worms to urinary problems and tuberculosis.
There's a warning too, apparently this plant may irritate the skin and the seeds may be toxic.
Ya think???!
Medicinally, European Goat’s Rue is mainly used to increase milk flow, both in nursing humans and in dairy cattle. It is also one of the herbs which can be used to lower blood sugar levels. It is an appetite stimulant and digestive tonic which promotes production of the various digestive juices, and is extremely useful for treating chronic constipation.
And now you know.
Hope you enjoyed the 'walk' in the rain with us.
Thanks for stopping by!
Metcalf Coca Wine was one of a huge variety of wines with cocaine on the market. Everybody used to say that it would make you happy and it would also work as a medicinal treatment.
Mariani wine (1875) was the most famous Coca wine of it's time. Pope Leo XIII used to carry one bottle with him all the time. He awarded Angelo Mariani (the producer) with a Vatican gold medal.
Produced by Maltine Manufacturing Company of New York. It was suggested that you should take a full glass with or after every meal. Children were supposed to take half a glass.
Here's a paper weight promoting C. F. Boehringer & Soehne (Mannheim, Germany). They were proud of being the biggest producers in the world of products containing Quinine and Cocaine.
Opium for Asthma. Now this one mystifies me. I don't see how opium would help someone with asthma unless it helped them not to give a rats @$$.
Cocaine drops were very popular for children in 1885. Not only did they relieve the pain, they made the children happy!
And lastly, there was opium for newborns. I'm sure this would make them sleep well because not only is it Opium, but it's also 46% alcohol.
