Front yard "garden"

[your_comforting_company]

I guess I just take for granted, these in my yard. So many of you are still inundated with snow and cold conditions, while here all my onions are sprouting all over the yard, and many of the "groceries" that I let nature cultivate for me.
There's always one more good frost, every year, we call it the "Easter snap". It's time to plant the garden, but you gotta wait till after the easter snap, or cover your rows when it comes. I usually just wait.
All the following are in an area about 4' by 4', and my whole yard is like this. I was watching that "local show" the other morning, and there were some specialists on there talking about "maintaining" our "lawns".. talk about atrazine, and numerous poisons to put, and they named many of the plants I'm about to show.

I almost called in and called 'em out on it, but I had to check myself because of the inherent dangers involved with eating wild plants. It bugs me that we spend billions every year killing these plants.
I thought we might see how many of them we can identify in their "sprout" stage. I've studied these over the course of about 2 years now (this is the second "spring" with confident identification)

If you want to play along, list the picture #, latin name, and whether it's toxic. Edibility is of little concern if you aren't sure what the plant is!
This one isn't part of the game, just an example of how dense and diverse the plant life is in my little yard.
Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

1)Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

2)Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

3)Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

4)Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

5)Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

6)Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

If you get 'em all right, you get braggin rights!
*hint: many of these have been discussed on the forum!*

And have fun! there are no losers. Just trying to get you guys back in foraging mode!

[your_comforting_company]

No takers? Maybe a hint or two will help?
1) Spiraled racemes and beaked seedpods
2) Plant in center is in Geraniaceae family
3) Square stems and opposite leaves
4) Also square stems and opposite leaves. common in flowerbeds. Generic name based on the root.
5) Grows very tall stalk, good for friction fire
6) When barefoot, you might call this one "wait-a-minute" or "watchwhereyoustep!" mature seedhead makes excellent spark catcher

come on now, somebody out there knows these..
I'd especially like to see the new members give it a try.

[Alaska Grandma]

Looks awesome! Have to say I can't identify a single one, way different wild plants than i have in my Alaska yard.

grandma Lori

[your_comforting_company]

I bet Crash knows em all, but he's not tellin'!

Best I can recollect most of them are east side, while one or two are only southern states. I apologize to the NW folks..

I thought surely some folks would have taken a stab by now.

[1stimestar]

#6 looks like thistle.
Is #3 rhubarb?
The other ones look so familiar to me but yes, from before I moved here.

[1stimestar]

#2 some type of flat leaf parsley or tea?

[your_comforting_company]

#6 is definately thistle. It has smaller yellow/whitish flower heads in dense clusters, and grows very tall, up to about 7 feet. USDA map shows it growing in AK. Another hint for this one is that it is Sonchus sp.

#3 is a mint family plant, tho it lacks the odor. Coverage map shows it growing everywhere but the Yukon and AK.

#2 has an elongated pistil when pollinated. It is widespread and grows everywhere but the very northernmost territories of Canada, according to the USDA.

Thanks for playing along! And please feel free to guess again at any of them.

[Trabitha]

All I see is...
The first ones look something like a purslane...but not. That one has me confused...

Purple ground cover looks like it's from what I call the 'buttercup' family. LOL! Because if it's what I have, it has a flower that LOOKS like a buttercup on it. I don't know what they are called, but have never felt comfortable eating them, as nothing around here eats them.

That mint thing I've seen too...but I don't have a single idea of what it's called. LOL!

The 6th one looks like it could be Curly Dock or Shepherd's Purse. If I had to guess I would say Shepherd's purse.

That last one totally jumps out as a thistle. Do you eat them? I hear the are good young, but I've never gotten to them before they bite...

[your_comforting_company]

I have not tried the thistle leaves yet. they are hard to spot before they get all spikey. They are still edible before they get flower stalks on them, and boiling is recommended to make the spikes get soft.

The first pic is many plants, and was just to show how many different plants can grow in the same place at the same time. There are many plants in that one and it wasn't meant for that one to be guessed

The purple ground cover is definately not a buttercup. Chickens love to peck them. It is a good example of how similar plants can look before flowering, even from different plant families. That being said, I'm fairly certain it is not toxic, tho I cannot find info saying it is definately edible (by humans), so we'll call it non-toxic instead. It's common name refers to long-legged birds.

The shepherd's purse is actually a closer guess to #1, while pic #5 is related to pic #6.

The mint one is very common and widespread, and Rick actually helped me find it's identity at first. But Rick isn't telling either!! (but he might be persuaded to give a hint)

Identifying plants without flowers is harder than most folks would think, eh?

[kyratshooter]

Weed killer and a lawn mower will cure most of that infestation!

[Rick]

I'm callin' the sheriff in your county and see if he'll run by and whup you a couple of times with a happy stick. Lawn mower indeed! Humpf.

[1stimestar]

Lol I haven't seen anything green and growing outside for 5 months so at this moment, all I can remember is tundra, lichen, blueberries, and crowberries. Oh Labrador Tea and horsetail fern.

[your_comforting_company]

Weed killer and a lawn mower will cure most of that infestation!

Petroleum based poisons that runoff and kill fish and cause cancer... and gas is $3.50 a gallon. You might like pouring your money out on the ground, but I'd rather eat the weeds.

Each to his own I guess. Some people just refuse to embrace the Good Lords creation and instead nurture that Burger King mentality.

[JPGreco]

Yeah, I have scallions (i think), the little onions growing all over right now. Actually, what kind of herbs will grow without me doing anything and come back year after year? I was thinking of buying some herb seeds and just tossing them into the corner of the yard... lol

[your_comforting_company]

Pic #1 is in the mustard family. It grows very well in winter, although it is a small plant. It tastes like the mustard greens in my garden, except maybe not as spicy. Four sepals, Four petals, six stamens, 4 long and two short, and the seedpods occur in a spiralled raceme. The leaves are covered with very tiny hairs, described as hirsute. I rather enjoy the taste of bittercress mixed in salads or slaw. I've been munching this guy for a while now and none of my books indicate that it has any toxicity, though it can cause some problems if it becomes your primary diet, so we'll call it non-toxic.

Pic #2 has lavender flowers that grow an elongated pistil at maturity, that resembles a crane's beak. It is not however "stork's bill". Five sepals, Five petals, Five stamens and the elongated pistil are indicators of this one's family. In my area at least, there aren't many plants that have the dissected leaf in this shape. It is a geranium and while it is not poisonous, it can cause complications with some livestock and most probably some people, so we'll call it toxic.

Pic #3 has square stems and opposite leaves, though it lacks the minty smell common with lamiaceae plants. It is very much like heal-all in appearance at first, and the cotyledons look very much like other plants in that family before they get "bunched" and develop the wavy edges. The purple tinge is counter-indicative of it's latin name which seems to have been taken by it's sister, Heal-all, or Lamium purpurea. This one is L. amplexicaule, commonly called henbit, and it happens to be one of the first plants to flower in spring and provides nectar at lower temperatures than our more common domestic plants. Because it contains saponins it is toxic to lower life-forms in it's raw state, though it lacks any of the toxic essential oils that would be considered poisonous. Cooking degrades the saponins and makes this one an edible. Much of the information out there might indicate that it is edible raw, but I do not like the taste (kinda soapy or grassy? hard to describe) It is also very handy if you don't have soap and have used it to wash my hands at work and in the yard when soap was not handy. Rick actually helped me identify this one because the shape of the flower was a bit off from the common shape of the mints.

Pic #4 is one of my absolute favorites and is a cousin of pic #3. It has beautiful lavender blooms shaped much like Lamium amplexicaule, though much more like the common mint flowers. I have not eaten the leaves of the plant, but the root is absolutely something to be savored. Crisp and juicy. Sweet and crunchy. It reminds me of a green spanish peanut in taste. I've been eating it all winter and have had several friends try it and they all agree that it is DELICIOUS. One of the most available root vegetables in my area in the winter. People spend BILLIONS of dollars each year trying to eliminate it from their yards and flower beds and gardens, when the truth is, it's just too delicious to destroy! If you have a flowerbed that you plant domestic "hitlerized" varieties in, you have probably planted some of this "weed"s cousins. It is Stachys floridana and you'll have to excuse me if I just come right out and say that if you pour weed killer on it, you are wasteful and foolish. If you find some, dig up the white, solid roots and give it a try. I'm willing to bet you'll like it!

Pic #5 is one of my favorite firemaking materials once it has gone to seed and the stalk has died. It is an asteraceae plant, which is a very large family of plants. The underside of the leaves has soft hairs on the midvein. You buy a hitlerized version of this plant for your salads at the grocery store. The difference is in flavor vs. water content. Lettuce from the grocery is probably 70% water and 30% fiber, while the ratio for this wonderful plant is much better and it contains many other minerals and nutrients to boot! Lactuca canadensis is one of those multi-use plants that produces pappus for spark catching, stalk for hand or bow-drilling fire, food to eat, sap to help with wounds.. Do not overlook this common lawn pest! Best cooked to remove any "bitters" from the taste and young leaves are best for salads or slaws as they are not as bitter. I really like this one too.

Pic #6 is most definately a thistle, more specifically "field thistle". It will grow to only about 2-3 feet, while sow thistle will get to 6-8 feet. It does have very prickly leaves which can be boiled to make them limber and edible. It's hard to spot when young unless you keep your lawn manicured or walk around barefoot a lot like I do. There are some poisonous thistles, so it's best to make sure you have an edible species before trying it. It gets a large yellow-orange head full of ray flowers that develop into large seeds with long fluffy pappus hairs great for catching a spark, even from a dead BIC, or using as a dust catcher in a tinder bundle for friction fire. The pappus propagates the heat and transforms it into a flame very easily. If you decide it's not for you to eat, you could at least let it grow to harvest the pappus and seeds for fire kits.

Maybe this game was a little on the tough side, but I thought it might be a good exercise in identifying common "weeds" in their immature stages and some of their uses. If you played along, be sure to look up these plants and their availability in your area. Stachys floridana is especially delicious if you find it and the BEST way to eliminate it from your yard or flower bed is to eat the root, which destroys the plant. Lucky for me I have a delicious "infestation" that will never leave me hungry.

[your_comforting_company]

JP, all the ones I've listed there come back every year with no effort on my part. The wild onions and garlics will do the same and since they were planted here 30+ years ago, we have had onions and garlic ever since.
Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

Mustard family plants like Raphanus raphanistrum get grand yellow blooms and sometimes white and when they go to seed, they will lay dormant during the heat of the year, and come back in winter. Brassica nigra is a wild plant that is currently cultivated to make table mustard.. the yellow stuff we put on hot-dogs.

There must be literally thousands that will do what you are wanting, so the best thing is to find out what "weeds" are common in your area, how they are akin to the plants you already use on a regular basis, and cultivate those. I would suggest Daucus carota, but it can be confusing in it's young stage to identify properly.

I wish I could be more specific than that, but it's such a broad scope that it's just impossible.

Some really good ones are Portulaca oleracea, oxalis stricta (very delicious), stellaria media, gallium arapens, Rubus occidentalis, and of course, my current favorite, stachys floridana. Many of the mints will reseed themselves every year. My mom transplanted some spotted bee-balm last year and it is growing very well after a good recession over the winter.. right where she planted the first ones. Make sure you check your state's noxious weeds and invasive species lists before you plant (obligatory comment...)

[r0ckhamm3r]

#3 Is Henbit, Lamium amplexicaule, non toxic, edible.
#6 Is Thistle, Cirsium sp., non toxic edible.

[your_comforting_company]

#3 Is Henbit, Lamium amplexicaule, non toxic, edible.
#6 Is Thistle, Cirsium sp., non toxic edible.

You get braggin rights on those two.. unless you cheated hehe.
Very good with the latin names! that's the "proper" way to address a plant, so that we all know we are talking about the exact same thing.

[r0ckhamm3r]

I guess I did kind of cheat, I had to look up the latin names on the internet.

YCC wrote

Very good with the latin names

Strong interest in paleontology hammered the lesson home.

[JPGreco]

YCC, makes perfect sense and I understand the difficulty in answering such a broad question. The few examples help though. I'm only familiar with a small handful (mint, cilantro, basil, etc). Though wild edibles if fast becoming much more interesting than knife making (I'm using the mill file now and its brutal work... lol). My grandma use to make something with dandilions, but I have no idea what it was and she passed away about 10 years ago, so its a lost recipe.