A few pics from my last wander(picture heavy)

[stuart f]

Hi all, here are some photo's that i took last week whilst out for a walk,i just did'nt have the time to post them then because of work.

Anyway here goes.
This is a badgers set that is about 400 yards from my house,the burrow entrance is just behind the tree stump.

Gorse(Ulex europaeus) a riot of colour and the smell of coconut was overpowering.

Cherry blossom(Prunus sp)

Once in amongst the Cherry trees i found a few plants,here a Cowslip(Primula veris)

A sea of Ramsons(Allium ursinum)

Burdock(Arctium minus)

A bit of flavouring for a backwoods stew perhaps,Marjoram(Origanum vulgare)

Wood Sage(Teucrium scorodonia)

A Wild Strawberry(Fragaria vesca) in flower,can't wait for the fruit though.

A useful plant if you have a sore head,Meadowsweet(Filipendula ulmaria)

Wood-sorrel(Oxalis acetosella) remember not to eat alot of this as it contains Oxalic acid which is not good for you in large amounts.

On that note its good to know your poisonous plants as well as the good stuff,so heres a couple of poisonous ones
Dogs Mercury(Mercurialis perennis)

And Wood Anemone(Anemone nemorosa)

I found this whilst tracking deer,Dryads Saddle(Polyporus squamosus)

And some deer sign,i think they must be using it to have a good scratch

Phew,there we go a cracking day spent out observing mother nature and her wonderful workings.
I hope you enjoy them as much as i did being out there.

 

[Matt Weir]

Excellent Stu, thanks for the mini-botany walk through, great pictures.

 

[fred gordon]

Great pics Stu. A mini hike just looking at them

 

[fredcraft]

Awww, I just wish there were more ramsons around where I live. If I'm not mistaken, they are actualy a protected plant (over harvested in maple tree forests.... you know, maple sirup... and some people just can't be satisfied with a handful).

Very nice pictures Stuart F, thanks for sharing !

 

[BorderReiver]

All that in Hawick.

Nice pictures Stuart.

 

[British Red]

Fantastic post - thanks Stu. I love these posts - I look out for stuff from Jon and Hanzo thinking "oh good - people actually doing stuff"!

Some cracking photos too - one or two that I have ever seen in the wild so to speak - so topical that I'll keep my eyes open!

Thanks again

Red

 

[JonnyP]

Nice one Stuart, tis a great time to be out there, isn't it....Tell me, do you know of any uses for wood sage....?

 

[stuart f]

Hi all and thanks for the kind words folks.

BorderReiver,aye the grey auld toon has her hidden secrets,infact all this is just on the edge of the town not even 1/4 of a mile from my front door. Today i was sat on top of the hill where i frequent using the bino's to watch wildlife in the wood across the valley,i managed to spot where the buzzards are building a nest,also watched a Kestrel hunting but the bonus was when a Fox came out the Gorse not 20 feet away from me,it gave me the once over and by the look on its face i would guess it was thinking "oh no not another bushcrafter" . I was gutted i didn't have the camera ready though . There are a good number of Roe deer as well.

John P. The uses i have got for Wood Sage are thus, it can be used in cookery in small quantities but to much can taste bitter, also it is a good substitute for Hops when brewing beer,you can make tea with it but use the younger leaves as the older ones are rather bitter,it may need heavy sweetening,but the aroma is supposed to be lovely.

I have to credit the above info to a wildfood cookbook that was printed 22 year ago by Joy O.I.Spoczynska, a gem of a read.