Frost pattern

I awoke the other morning to the most fantastic frost pattern on my car windscreen.

The previous evening it had been raining and then after the rain had stopped there was a frost.

The pattern reminds me of Ground Pine AKA Club Moss

which you can read more about in in one of my previous posts http://fenlaners.blogspot.com/2007/11/club-moss_10.html

Autumn in Lapland 21st September 2008

Overcast with sun later, but cool southerly wind.

I spent this morning fishing and chopping wood. Those of you have read Bushcraft by Mors Kochanski will be aware of the amazing property of Black Spruce Picea mariana to be split into evenly thick boards with a variety of uses. Here I have made a netting shuttle for making fishing nets.

I was splitting a piece of Birch with my knife and got my finger trapped between the Birch and my knife blade.

There is lots of Yarrow Achillea millefolium (Achillea referring to Achilles who is said to have used this plant to treat his soldiers during the Trojan war and millefolium meaning thousand leaves referring to the "feathery" leaves). The crushed leaves are very good for treating bleeding and it is also said to be very good for treating nose bleeds.

I used some bricks to make a simple grill to cook some sausages.

I collected three different types of rock to experiment with for abrading and working the reindeer antler and for creating sparks with a piece of carbon steel file..

It has been very quiet for birds; 50+ Waxwings this afternoon feeding in the Rowan tree, Bramblings, Siberian Jays and a couple of Ravens.

Nature's chewing gum

I can recall as a small boy when out walking with my uncle he asked "do you like chewing gum?" "Yes" I replied " do you have any?" "It's all around us he replied!"

He was referring to the wheat we were walking through.

I you pick a couple of ears of wheat, rub them between your hands and then gently blow away the husks you will be left with the wheat grains.

Chew the grains and after a short time they will change to a consistency almost identical to chewing gum. I assume the is the gluten being released.

Orchids

Now is a good time to be looking for various species of orchids.

This is the flower of Marsh Fragrant Orchid (Gymnadenia conopsea)


which gives off the most beautiful aromatic cent.

This is Green-winged Orchid (Orchis morio)

and this is a very rare white form of Marsh Helleborine (Epipactis palustris - palustris meaning "of the marsh") that I found a couple of years ago and the population are still doing well now.


A good on-line resource to British Orchids (which is also available as a field guide) is;

British Orchids

Hope you find it useful and interesting.

Common Reed

Those who know me well or have been on one of my courses will be aware that my favourite tinder for firelighting is the seed heads of Common Reed (Phragmites australis) .

It is available for 9 months of the year, and because the seed heads are so far off the ground it tends to dry very quickly even after rain. Unlike some seed heads it does not "flash burn" burn instead burns quite slowly as you can see in the piece of video ( I am using a firesteel to ignite it).

Butterbur

In this previous post http://fenlaners.blogspot.com/2008/03/coltsfoot.html I made a typing error which may have confused people. Referring to Butterbur (Petasites hybridus) I said.....

"The leaves of this plant can be dried and burnt, then the resulting ash residue used as a salt substitute for stews. I have used Butterbur leaves in the same way and it does work."

What I meant to say was......

The leaves of this plant can be dried and burnt, then the resulting ash residue used as a salt substitute for stews. I have used Coltsfoot leaves in the same way and it does work.

My apologies for any confusion and I have now edited the original post.

I am told that Butterbur is so called because the leaves used to be used to wrap butter in to help keep it cool.

Here is a picture of Butterbur flowers and a very young leaf.

The leaves grow incredibly large (over 12 inches in diameter) and I once used them as a shelter cover. They dried and shriveled the next day, but were good for one night.

Coltsfoot

As Treewright mentioned in his comment, Coltsfoot or Cough Wort (Tussilago farfara - Tussilago meaning cough) is now flowering. The plant is quite unique as the flower appears before the leaves giving it another name of "son before the father".

Coltsfoot has been traditionally used in the treatment of coughs and chest complaints and is used in some herbal cough mixtures that I have used. The leaves were also dried, shredded and then smoked to relieve cough symptoms. The high levels of Zinc found in this plant help to boost the immune system.

The leaves can be eaten raw or cooked, but taste rather bitter. Certain alkaloids found in this plant can have a toxic effect on the liver, so it is probably best avoided.

The leaf can be seen in this picture, but grows much larger as the season progresses and can be 8 - 10 inches in diameter.

European Coltsfoot should NOT be confused with American Coltsfoot which is a member of the Petasites family, a relative of our Butterbur (Petasites hybridus).



The leaves of this plant can be dried and burnt, then the resulting ash residue used as a salt substitute for stews. I have used Coltsfoot leaves in the same way and it does work.

Greater Plantain

My favourite plant, Greater Plantain (Plantago major) is just emerging again.

I like to eat it raw, but it can also be cooked. Some will tell you to remove the stringy leaf ribs but I do not bother.

I use it to staunch blood flow from cuts, which it does very effectively. It also contains allatoin which is found in human DNA and promotes cell growth and re-generation. Some Hay fever sufferers find relief from the congestion symptoms by chewing a leaf. If you have skin irritation such as an itching insect bite, plantain juice applied to it will give almost instant relief.

The native people of North America referred to it as "white mans footstep" because it wass introduced by European settlers and spread across the country with them.

Pigeon food

If you are walking through a woodland at the moment and pass an Ivy (Hedera helix - helix meaning to twist or spiral) covered tree, it is likely you will hear a clatter of wings as Wood Pigeons erupt from the leafy cover. They are feeding on the berries of the Ivy, one of the few natural fruits ripening at this time of year, particularly useful when berries from other sources such as Hawthorn have been exhausted over the winter period.

The green berries are numerous this year and grow in small clusters.


The waxy leaves of Ivy are particularly good to use in your bow-drill bearing block to reduce friction.

One for Merete - Part 2

The leaves of Herb Robert or as I often refer to it "Bob the herb" (Geranium robertianum) Geranium coming from the Greek "geronas" - a crane, because the fruits are said to resemble the head and beak of the afore mentioned bird and hence the name of a relative of this plant "Cranesbill", are appearing now.


I am unaware of any parts of this plant used for food, but it has been used to treat skin conditions, kidney problems and to help staunch blood flow.

One plant which is actually starting to flower now is Lesser Celandine (Ranunculus ficaria), a member of the Buttercup family.


Another local name for this plant is "Pile Wort" and it has been used both historically and currently as a treatment for piles, often made into an ointment and applied externally.

One for Merete - Part 1

While my friends Merete, Inger and Ida are living with deep snow and icy temperatures in the middle of the Lapland winter, suffering "snorkallt", here spring is on it's way. So I thought this week I would write about some of the plants I found while in the woods last weekend.

Here is a typical view of a woodland floor at the moment, around where I live.

The most common plant is Dogs Mercury (Mercurialis perennis) and is already flowering, though the tiny greenish flowers may be easily overlooked.

Cleavers or Goose Grass (Galium aparine) is another which is growing now and in fact with our milder winters, is evident all year round.

The plant can be eaten when young, though I prefer to discard the stems and just cook the leaves. Both the stem and leaves are covered in fine hook-like hairs, which soften when briefly boiled. For children the fine hooks of the plant make great source of amusement as when thrown at clothing the plant tends to stick or hook on.

The plant has several medicinal uses including; treating skin conditions such as eczema and ulcers, internally for expulsion of fluids via the kidneys (useful in urinary problems) and to help drain the lymph glands after illness or infection.

Horses are also fed this plant in spring as it encourages the shedding of their winter coat and brings the coat into good condition.

Club Moss

Club Moss is common on the forest floor at my cabin in Lapland.

After the first frosts of the autumn, the moss produces clusters of yellow spores which you can see above. These spore clusters are collected and after being left near the fire overnight, they open and release large amounts of spores.

When the spore powder is poured onto a naked flame, they produce a very explosive effect as you can see here......

In the past these spores were used my magicians as part of their act when on stage.

More information about Club Moss and it's uses can be found here