A Walk Through the Forest

You Never Know What You'll Find!

It was a warm Memorial Day Weekend here in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and I usually take my dog for a run every morning. But I  decided to take her for a shortcut through a forest area along the sidewalk. And that's where I spotted some wild edibles and flowers. So I had to head back home and grab my camera.

Here was a nice surprise at the border between our local park's grassy area, and the thick forest you see above. It's a morel mushroom, and they taste great. I left this one alone, so maybe it'll make more next spring.

Not sure what these flowers are, but the white one is on some kind of tree. And the pink flower is on a bush that reminds me of a wild rose.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

These look like some kind of wild honeysuckles based on their flower shape, but I'm not completely sure about that. Either way, they're pretty to look at. 

 

Here are some wild Columbines. It seems mother nature has picked this color, as I've seen the same colors on other columbine plants in different areaas.

 

Here is an edible. It's called stinging nettle. If your bare leg brushes by it, you'll definitely know what you walked through. It feels like prickly stings all over. But just chopping it, or boiling it like spinach will make the stings inactive.

Here's why they call it stinging nettle.

 

Now here's a gooseberry, that obviously doesn't want to get eaten. Here in Minnesota most of the gooseberries turn a deep purple when ripe.

Here's a friendlier strain of gooseberry. Notice it doesn't have the thorny look.

 

A beautiful flower I just happened to find. At first I though it was a wild version of a calla lilly, but I think the flower form is all wrong for it to be that. I'm not sure what it is. The wind had knocked it down when I came back to take its picture, so I had to prop it back up for the perfect picture. UPDATE: It’s a “Jack-in-the-Pulpit”

 

 

A forest wouldn't be complete without ferns!

 

 

 

 

 

Small blackberry bushes grow along the wooded area that borders our local park. On the other side of the park's grassy area you can find blackberries and raspberries when in-season. It's just enough to go on your morning yogurt.

 

 

And finally the spring fruits of the elderberry bush. This particular tree probably won't have many berries as it's really shaded.

Technorati Tags: jack in the pulpit,woods,forest,ferns,hike,columbine,flowers,morel,mushroom,nettle,stinging,edible,berries,wild