Wednesday, July 7, 2010

York Regional Forest/ Nature Notes

Early July colour in the York Regional Forest

Black raspberries are ripening. No wonder the birds have been  singing with joy! Black raspberries (Rhubus occidentalis) are also good eating for humans, although in this forest they should be left for the wildlife.

In the upper left-hand corner, you can see red elderberries (Sambucua racemosa), many of which  have already been eaten by birds, rabbits and other small mammals. Wildlife get all of these! Uncooked these berries contain toxins humans should avoid.

The yellow flower is St. John's-wort (Hypericum perforatum), one of those plants people either love or hate. Many claim it's a weed and, for sure, it does spread like wildfire. On the other hand, it's also an herbal plant, extracts from which are used in lotions to heal cuts and burns. Moreover, extracts reportedly relieve rheumatism and depression.

The white flower is thimbleweed (Anemone virginiana), which are small flowers (1-inch across) on long stems (2 to 3 feet high).

Orange devil's paintbrush (Pilosella aurantiaca) is a lower-growing plant, usually about a foot high.  Sometimes invasive, in the York Regional Forest it seems well behaved.

The bottom photo is of maple leaves emerging at the top of a young tree. At first red, they turn green slowly as they mature.

For more Nature Notes,  please visit Michelle at Rambling Woods by clicking  HERE.

30 comments:

Louis la Vache said...

Early July color in York Forest = a fine mosaic for your blog!

Leora said...

Love this. What a gorgeous display. I've read a lot about St. John's Wort, but I didn't know it such a pretty yellow "weed." Those berries look grab-able.

B SQUARED said...

Your series has helped us identify lots of wlldflowers in Michigan.

Darla said...

Such a wonderful collection. I love the blackberry photo. I wouldn't mind eating a few ripe blackberries myself.

Darla

Rose said...

Oh, these are all pretty...I don't think I have seen the Orange devil's paintbrush and I like it a lot.

gigi said...

Beautiful! I could make you some black raspberry jam, yum!

Gemma Wiseman said...

A lovely collection of berries, flowers and leaves! Beautifully presented and interesting information!

The Gathering Place said...

I love wild black berries! Your mosaic makes me want to head to the forest.

Shammickite said...

Which part of York regoin Forest do you go to? I sometimes take TessaDog to the pond on Eldred King Tract or to the river on the Holledge Tract.

Small City Scenes said...

What a lovely mosaic. It almost has a fallish tone to it. Don't you think?

Guess what!!! We are going to have beautiful sunny weather for awhile now--NO MORE RAIN--well for awhile anyway. We will be wishing for it soon--we are the web-foot race out here. haha!! MB

Leif Hagen said...

Beautiful collage - yummy berries! We've got a huge raspberry patch in our backyard!

Gattina said...

I have to admit that I am not a flower name specialist, I only admire the beauty, and they are beautiful !

Cezar and Léia said...

Delicious subject, you did a fabulous job in this post, the collage is awesome!
hugs
Léia

Martha Z said...

Those black raspberries look yummy. I'm not so sure about leaving them for the wildlife as the wildlife seems to think everything in my garden is fair game ;)

Unknown said...

Wonderful photos! Looks like our little corner of the world right now.

cieldequimper said...

Oh the berries, already!!! Hope you tasted them!

ellen b. said...

What wonderful shots! York Forest...sounds like a spot I'd love to stroll through!

George said...

This is a beautiful mosaic. Thanks for the wonderful pictures and interesting information.

Lowell said...

One of the things I miss is picking wild berries. We do have some raspberries here, but they're pretty anemic compared to the ones in the northern climes.

A very nice collage, EG!

Judy said...

Black raspberries are my favourite, but so hard to find!!! I will have to see if there is St. John's wort growing near here...

Carver said...

It's interesting for me to see how we have so many of the same things in nature where I live but we are several weeks ahead of you in terms of the growth stage. Beautiful shots from the forest.

Unknown said...

I recognize many of these. We have black raspberries across the street from us, in a park and each year I collect many, right now they are all still green so we have some time to wait. I love your mosaic!

Leslie D. said...

Delectible! I've recently altered the route of my daily jog to make sure I pass by a certain wild blackberry bush that's dripping with refreshing (free) snacks

Luckaa said...

Like your mosaics.

Squirrel said...

What a beautiful collage of photos.

Craver Vii said...

This collage is a smart collection. I like how you gave a little information on each one, as this is an area that I know very little of.

Unknown said...

what an excellent exhibition.

eileeninmd said...

A lovely mosaic! The wildflowers are gorgeous and the raspberries look yummy!

Anonymous said...

I love your NN posts as I always learning something....

Robyn said...

Hey, we were in York Regional Forest (Zephyr tract) a couple of weeks ago. Wow, the mosquitoes were large and hungry.

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East Gwillimbury is a rural town less than an hour north of Toronto, Canada's largest city. My family calls me CameraGirl because I take my camera with me wherever I go.