Can
you identify what's in this photo?
Each Wednesday morning
on Camp Lutherlyn's Facebook page
the Lutherlyn Environmental
Education Program posts a photo.
Readers
have all morning and afternoon
to
make their best guess about what the photo is.
Around
6 pm LEEP provides the answer and a brief explanation.
Each
week's What is it Wednesday post
will
also be posted on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog,
after it is posted on Facebook,
sometimes
with additional bonus information.
In
addition to bringing you current editions of What is it Wednesday
on the
Nature of Lutherlyn blog,
we
will be reposting old editions,
creating
a What is it Wednesday archive.
This
photo was posted as a What is it Wednesday on
March 20, 2019.
And
the answer is....
This is a spot where the roots of skunk cabbage plants have
been exposed, after a stream bank was eroded by high water.
Skunk cabbage are
one of the first plants we see emerging from wet soil early in the spring. The curled
dark reddish-purple horn-like flower emerges before the broad green leaves.
(This flower is what is visible just under the words in this photo.)
The
network of roots below the flowers is visible here because the soil they were
growing in was washed away along the Semiconon Run during high water.
According
to resources on edible wild plants, the roots of skunk cabbage can be dried and
made into a cocoa-like flour – we may revisit this spot to harvest some roots
and give it a try! Caution is needed though, as any part of the plant not
thoroughly dried will cause an intense burning sensation of in the mouth!
It’s best to only eat plants from the forest if you are with
someone who knows them well. To find out how you can learn from LEEP about
edible wild plants (and much more!), through school field trips, summer camp,
retreats, and special events, check out www.lutherlyn.com/ee.
Like and follow Camp Lutherlyn on
Facebook, to see What is it Wednesday posts when
they come out and have the opportunity to share your guesses in the comments!
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