Wild things

Clustered bellflower. Found in the 'meadow. Which I never planted, but beauty, eh?

It's a warm, moist, cloudy morning at the farmette. I'm hoping to be able to get the laundry on the line after yesterday's much-needed rainstorms. Saturdays are my usual day, because I'm a cheapskate and electricity rates are lower.

Canada and the U.S. celebrated their national holidays this past week. Interesting contrasts, but the one thing that neither could overcome was Mother Nature.

A punishing thunderstorm cancelled the last half of Ottawa's festivities on Wednesday and oppressive heat limited a lot of American parties. The U.S.'s awkwardly named Semiquincentennial (250 years) was capped off by an overblown late night political speech by its malevolent leader. The hot air emanating from that no doubt added to the nation's discomfort. Good thing climate change is not a thing.

Anyhow. What I really wanted to talk about is the collection of wild plants we have amassed in the 'meadow' on the west side of the house. Rob decided a few years ago that he was bored of mowing the symmetrical rectangle that used to be the lawn. So he carved out and 're-wilded' an undulating piece of the property that has really taken off, plant wise.

From a distance, it just looks like scrub. But an up-close examination yields some pretty cool flora.

Like the Meadow Salsify or Tragopogon pratensis. The Latin sounds like a medieval dragon. Its even more cool common name is Jack-go-bed-at-noon, because its blooms shut up tight at lunchtime to preserve itself from the heat of the day.

Wild yarrow is all over the meadow. I just read about its many uses. It's a medicinal plant for humans that can stanch blood loss (which Achilles figured out for his troops in Greek mythology), ease digestive cramps and reduce fevers, among other things. It also sucks up nutrients like calcium, copper, potassium and phosphorus that release back into the soil when it decomposes.

Comfrey is another human healer. It's also rich in nitrogen, potassium and other nutrients that are good for soil fertility.

You can make a tea from chopping up the leaves, adding water and leaving it to ferment for six or so weeks. But don't drink it. You probably won't get it past your nose, it apparently stinks so badly. Plus it's quite toxic to ingest. Still, some swear by it as a natural fertilizer.

Finally, there's good old-fashioned red clover, which has done well for farmers as a cover crop for fixing nitrogen in the soil.

It was also a special plant to the Celts, who revered it as a sign of happiness and a way to ward off pesky evil spirits. In Greek mythology, it's associated with Hera, the heavy hitting mother goddess of women, marriage and family.

Who knew you could find such treasures in among the tall grass of an overgrown bit of land? Until next week.

Gratuitous cat photo courtesy of Fred, who was a huge help with today's post by taking a bath in a sunbeam.