Thursday, September 30, 2010

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Ageratum, White Snake Root / Ageratina altissima

Ageratina altissima

Names this plant has been called.

Ageratum, Snake root, White snake root, White Sanicle , Tall Boneset

 Started running into Snake root yesterday. These 2 photos were at the bottom of a cliff in the open sun.



 Here I found Snake root in a draw. The leaves were narrower but the flowers were exact. Maybe a different race?
The leaves are opposite and rotate 90 degrees at each rank.

Here I run into it again in the Missouri river bottoms.


Tremetol is toxic. When cattle eat it, it gets in the milk and passed into humans will poison. Also called milk sickness.

Nancy Hanks Abraham Lincoln's mother died of this. Thousands died in the 19th century before they realized what the plant was.



Early settlers thought the bitter rhizomes were beneficial in the treatment of snakebites. That's where the snakeroot name came from.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Cossack Asparagus :) Cattails



The plant is editable at different times during the year. The new white growth coming up in March tastes like cucumbers. The plant is known in Russia as Cossack Asparagus.

When the sprouts are 2 foot tall that is the best time to eat them.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Sandbar Willow

These Sandbar willows were at the lake edge. They were able to live and thrive when the water level of the lake went down.


Sandbar willow has the narrowest  leaves of all the willows.







Sunday, September 19, 2010

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Spotted Sandpiper


These guys were hard to photograph but I got this one. I catch them feeding along Line creek. They didn't stay in one spot. I got this shot by just pointing and shooting. The bird teeters back and forth like its going to lose its balance.  A shallow water feeder.

Photo was taken the 13th of July 2010

Friday, September 17, 2010

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Gourd Trellis














Yours truly






Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Photo Art

The rising or setting sun creates color unmatched at other times of the day.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Friday, September 10, 2010

Hike at Smithville Lake





Yours truly.




My wonderful wife Jill who took the above photos.

Thursday, September 09, 2010