The heart wood from this stump is gone but the heart itself remains.
Here is a definite heart shaped leaf from the Wild Ginger Plant (Asarum caudatum). Unrelated to its Asian namesake, various native and European wild ginger species provide a similar but more subtle flavor. Wild ginger is thought to have antibiotic properties, and Native Americans used this plant to treat headaches, intestinal pain, knee pain, arthritis, indigestion, tuberculosis, colic and as a general tonic.
I am always eager to find the flowers which grow so close to the ground they can't easily be spotted if you aren't searching for them. They look so exotic to me. Definitely worth the effort to find them.
Our weather continues to be cold and wet. The wild plants are thriving, the forest floor is covered in greenery, especially that Miners Lettuce which I am still picking and eating. The good side of this weather is that I am still spending time in the studio, too wet and cold to be out gardening much. Plenty of little garden plants started, some, like cabbages and lettuce are planted out and doing all right. I'm sure if we got a bit of warmth they would really take off. It is a battle trying to keep the slugs out but the copper strips are helping a lot in that area.
I want to send out a welcome to my new followers. I appreciate your signing up to follow my mutterings and photos on here, I am always surprised to find someone new. I always appreciate comments, and have been trying to reply to everyone with a private email. If you don't have a link to your email then I leave comments on my blog. Thanks to everyone for taking time to write!
Today I'm listening to Andrea Bocelli for a change.
Be well.
