Wild delicacies

As you well know, I love spending time in the outdoors. I have a deep appreciation for nature and wildlife, and what nature provides. Hence the reason I started this blog. One habit I have gotten into any time I go hiking, biking, climbing, etc, is looking at the plants around me and trying to identify them. "Is this plant harmful or helpful?" "How was this plant traditionally used by the local indigenous people?" and the question I ask myself most of all, "Is this plant edible!?" This past week I have been riding my bike on the local river trail in the evenings for exercise and fun. I decided to take my time one evening to identify the plants I had previously been zipping by. This is what I found!

To start off very basic and easy, I found a lot of dandelions. Most people see dandelions as weeds or obnoxious plants that have parachuted seeds that just come up everywhere you don't want them to. Dandelions are actually very healthy and useful as a green to help supplement your diet or a plant that can help clear up your skin. All parts of a dandelion are edible. The best in my opinion are the leaves while they are still small (if they get too big they may become bitter), the pre-mature flower buds and the tube like stalks. The roots can also be tasty roasted.

I continued along the trail and soon found some thistles. Again, the plant appears to be another weed but is actually edible and quite good, after you remove the spines of course. Just like dandelions the premature flowers and stalks are pretty good, after they've been peeled and roasted.

Further down the trail I was able to identify multiple varieties of fruits including two different type of plum, chokecherry, Oregon grape and mulberry. I also found some honeysuckle and white dog-wood osier, but wouldn't recommend eating those. The chokecherries and Oregon grape were quite bitter tasting, but I have since picked and dehydrated them and now they taste quite good. If you're looking for a real treat try some dried rose-hips, they taste almost like strawberry fruit leather and are quite addicting. Just make sure you clean the insides out first, don't eat the seeds or fine hairs that tend to irritate the skin.

The point of all this is that there are plenty of edible's all around us, we just need to know where to look and what to look for. Learn what types of plants are in your area or if you're camping or visiting a new area, learn beforehand what types of plants are there. You never know what may happen and it's always better to be prepared.

A word of caution. If you are not familiar with a plant, DONT eat it. The majority of plants are either toxic or non-edible. Even with plants that you identify as edible, if you've never eaten it, try a little bit first and wait to see if you have any reactions. Always do your homework, many edible plants can cause ill effects if eaten too regularly or in large amounts.

 

 

 

Picture #1- Mulberries
Picture #2- Chokecherries
Picture #3- Oregon grape
Picture #4- Rose hips

 

 

The beautiful, majestic.... skunk?

So I wanted to try something new. I grew up always learning and reading about animals and plants and whatnot, just because I thought it was interesting. But I have come to realize that for the majority of the human population, that is not a preferred activity. So every once in a while I will be writing specific posts about different animals that I am just interested in at the time, or that I think are greatly misunderstood. This time I've chosen to focus on the skunk.

This just may be the smelliest animal in the entire animal kingdom. This mammal is part of the Weasel family. A "family" of mammals that all have scent glands, although the skunk is definitely the worst. Skunks get their bad reputation because of their stink, but it's not their fault they smell. All animals have some way they defend themselves, skunks just got stuck with a really bad stink. Some people may not think so bad about them if they knew that many of our perfumes and colognes that we wear have a base of skunk musk because this fluid they spray has such a staying quality to it. Obviously the smell is removed before we ever put it on, but the base is still there.

Skunks are omnivores, which means they eat both plants and other animals. The majority of their vegetation diet consists of different berries and fruits, while their main food sources are small rodents, insects, lizards and frogs. Their are a few different varieties of skunks that live in the U.S, the largest and most common being the striped skunk, the others are the Spotted skunk, the Hooded skunk and the Hog-nosed skunk. Skunks are primarily nocturnal which means the majority of their activities and hunting happens at night. Skunks generally live in underground burrows with multiple entrances and exits, sometimes up to eight! They will usually find a vacated burrow from another mammal such as a fox or a badger, they have also been known to share burrows with other families of skunks and even other mammals. Unlike most mammals, skunk fur is not colored for camouflage, it's colored to warn. And  because skunks know that most predators will run, they often become a common casualty to roadkill, they would rather face the vehicle down then run.

Skunks have remarkably bad eyesight (I was counting on this when I got these pictures), to make up for this, their hearing and smell (in more than one way) is incredibly strong. Skunks won't spray unless they feel extremely threatened, just like your perfume bottle they only have a limited supply of spray and they don't want to use it for just any occasion. If you ever run into a skunk just remain still and chances are it will just pass you by. Before skunks spray they will puff up their tales and even do a handstand for you. And if you do get sprayed, tomato juice is the key to getting rid of the stench. Many people will keep skunks as pets once their scent glands have been removed, they are quite cute and can be quite playful. So next time you smell skunk, just think of it as nature's perfume and continue on your merry way.