#White Snakeroot

[geopsych]

Early autumn chaos in the garden.

[uxbridge]

First year snakeroot flowering

[vandaliatraveler]

Hazy mid-summer day on the Sods, Part 2.

The planet's fantastic life energy reaches its peak in mid to late summer as the sun's precious light shrinks by the day and every living thing senses its time is running out. On the Plains of Dolly Sods, where the growing season is already compressed by the high elevation, plants compete for the swirling, buzzing masses of insects with their gaudy blooms and produce successive waves of berries to seed new generations. The drone of the insects carrying out their instinctive missions of renewal is constantly in your head as they dive and dart and skirt around you. You barely register as a distraction against the great drama playing out here - one whose stakes are survival, regeneration, salvation. I feel so privileged to have connected with this life force in the most intimate way, even for the few short years of my mayfly existence. I will die a happy man for having immersed myself in its lovely, purposeful chaos and becoming part of something much greater than myself.

[wiley-treehouse-gardens]

[mothmiso]

Rolleinar filter tests (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) by sebecker73

[butterflyangel2002]

Looking at them feels like a dream 🤍🦋

[zoology-time]

White snakeroot, Ageratina altissima

[royalnightshadeart]

Snake Macarons

Postcard design of a garter snake with macarons being held in it's coils in two color variations. Art by @kingrhapsody

You can buy these original postcard sized prints at our store here.

[crudlynaturephotos]

[aardwolfpack]

I haven't been outside as much as I would like this summer, but I have noticed pokeberry plants growing in five different places around town. Here's the creek behind the neighborhood park.

[geopsych]

Only some of what’s blooming out front right now.

[nncastle]

This time of year, the cedars are blanketed by the white flowers of the snakeroot. The magic of the woods works wonders even when I’m feeling low.

[burningeyeslikestars]

how does this keep happening to me .

[vandaliatraveler]

Part 2: After the Rain - Life in an Appalachian Temperate Forest.

From top: Wild ginger (Asarum canadense), also known as Canadian snakeroot; Philadelphia fleabane (Erigeron philadelphicus), a lovely spring aster deserving of a more dignified name; white wood violet (Viola sororia albiflora), a white variation of the common blue violet; woodland phlox (Phlox divaricata), also called wild blue phlox; creeping phlox (Phlox stolonifera), a mountain native and the most delicate and beautiful of Appalachia’s many wonderful phlox species; and Allegheny blackberry (Rubus allegheniensis).

[alleghenyfeverdreams]

Late Summer field and forest edge flora:

Pawpaw, hawthorn, black gum, sassafras

Goldenrods, ironweed, white snakeroot, bottle gentian

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Reference: Poisonous Plants

Belladona - sweet but poisonous; its black berries can be deadly

Castor oil plant - each spiny capsule has 3 beans inside

Hemlock - all parts are toxic; the seeds contain the most poison

Lily of the valley - this pretty plant is highly poisonous

Manchineel - its dangerous leaves can cause blisters if touched

Oleander - its poisonous leaves are very bitter

Pong pong - its fruit contains a poisonous seed—eating it can kill a human in 2 days

Rosary pea - a single seed contains enough poison to kill an adult human

White baneberry - its bitter, white berries look like the eyes of a doll

White snakeroot - its toxic leaves poison the milk of cows that feed on them

Wolfsbane - its purple, helmet-shaped flowers give it its other name, “Devil’s Helmet”; the deadly sap of its leaves may cause a rash if touched

Yew - its toxic leaves can kill within hours if eaten; its harmless red berries hide poisonous seeds

NOTES

Many plants produce poisons to prevent them from being eaten. While some will cause only a stomachache, others can kill. You should never eat any part of a plant, unless an expert can confirm it is safe.

Throughout history, humans have known about the poisonous properties of certain plants and used them for deadly ends:

Belladonna was used to make poison-tipped arrows.

Hemlock is said to have been used to kill the great philosopher Socrates in ancient Greece.

Wolfsbane was rubbed on arrows for hunting wolves, and during Roman times, it was commonly used for murdering enemies.

Ricin, extracted from the castor oil plant, remains one of the most deadly poisons known today.

Although all the plants shown here are toxic to humans, some are harmless to animals. For example:

Birds can eat the berries of the white baneberry plant and yew without any ill effects. The birds then spread the seeds in their poo.

Iguanas are known to feast on the fruit and leaves of the toxic manchineel.

Source ⚜ More: Notes & References ⚜ Poison Ivy & Oak ⚜ Food Poisoning Poison ⚜ Fictional Poisons ⚜ Worksheet: Fictional Plant ⚜ Pain & Violence