Won't Get Fooled Again

The Golden Ragwort (Packera aurea, formerly named Senecio aureus) has been an absolute pain in my ass.  Yesterday, April 29, was the third time that I've tried to get a decent picture of it.

My first attempt to get a shot of this native plant was several weeks ago, near Little Falls, when I found a solitary specimen of this plant growing on a damp embankment along the Mon River rail trail.  Unfortunately, I had no idea just how damp that embankment was!  When I jumped across to what I had hoped would be somewhat dry ground, I instead managed to sink my foot into some deep muck that sucked the running shoe right off of my foot.  I gave up on a picture, and I biked on for another 45 minutes with dampened spirits.  Later, I was able to hose off the shoes, but I threw away my socks.

By the time I had gone biking again, I found more plants growing in somewhat drier areas.  Unfortunately, however, it was breezy that day, and I didn't not get a single acceptable shot of this plant.  The little buggers would not stop moving about.

As they say, the third time is the charm.  Fool me twice; won't get fooled again.

Canada Violet

Canada violets (Viola canadensis) were in their prime around the vicinity of the Opekiska lock and dam on April 20. This violet  lives up to its other names: Canadian white violet, Canada Violet, and tall white violet. It's fairly tall, as violets go, and it has huge white flowers.

Zooming in on the flower in the lower picture, you can see sone of its trademarks:  a yellow base at the petals, and a purplish tinge around the petals. It's a beauty, but the large white blooms make it a challenge to photograph a good exposure.

I spotted a Geranium

Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum), a.k.a., Spotted Geranium or Wood Geranium. This one has a little fly trying to hog its way into the picture. According to this site, wild geranium can be used as a salad green. It can also be used to treat dysentery and diarrhea. It also acts as a blood coagulant.

Toothwort

Broadleaf Toothwort, a.k.a., Crinkle root, Crinkle-root, Crinkleroot, Pepper root, Twin-leaved Toothwort (Cardamine diphylla) is another native species.

I had screwed up previously, and mistakenly identified it as a Cutleaf Toothwort (Dentaria laciniata); although the flowers are more or less identical, the leaves are quite different.

True and False

Meet the Miterwort (Mitella diphylla), a.k.a., Twoleaf Miterwort and Coolwort. These plants have delicate little flowers growing on slender spikes.  I found them growing in the shaded woods along the rail trail between Little Falls and Opekiska lock and dam.

The plant belongs to the Saxifragaceae family.

You have to look very closely to appreciate the bloom (right), which to my eye looks more like a snowflake than a bishop's miter.

Now, meet the Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia), a.k.a., Allegheny Foamflower, False Miterwort, or Coolwort.  They were growing in large patches beneath trees, situation between the rail trail and the river, about half-way between Little Falls and Opekiska lock and dam.

On the shoulders of dwarfs

Friday, April 20, was the last nice day of the weekend, so I managed to take the afternoon off to do a little biking on the Mon River trail.  This time, the Dwarf Larkspurs (Delphinium tricorne) were in their prime.

Also known as Spring Larkspur, this native plant is said to be the most frequently seen species of Delphinium east of the Plains states. The ones I was seeing ranged from an almost pure white to a violet blue.   Here's a closeup:

Some of the other plants I saw include:

• Miterwort (Mitella diphylla)
• Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia)
• Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum)
• Perfoliate Bellwort (Uvularia perfoliata)
• Cut-Leaved Toothwort (Dentaria laciniata)
• Canada Violet (Viola canadensis)

I'll try to cover these over the next few days.

Is "Hákarl" Onomatopoeia?

Onomatopoeia is a word that imitates or suggests the source of the sound that it describes. A NewScientist Zoologger piece I had read, Zoologger: Meet the polar bear's replacement, whimsically suggests that Hákarl, an Icelandic dish made from rotten shark, may be such a word:

Greenland sharks are perhaps best known as the main ingredient in hákarl, an Icelandic speciality prepared by burying the shark in gravel for several months to ferment the flesh. The result stinks of ammonia and many people struggle to keep it down. One blogger sampled it and wrote: "Hákarl is in fact a good approximation of the sound your throat makes as it contorts and constricts in a desperate attempt to regurgitate the chunks of fetid fish."

Ah, the things that one learns.