Striped Pine Prince
Take a walk and you will notice many things. This is what an art teacher told me during a contour line exercise. She said, “When you drive in a car you see large objects, ride your bicycle and you will see more, take a walk and you will be able to see details”. This is exactly what happened on a walk through Brookside on New Year’s Day. My husband and I took a walk through the park. The landscape was mostly gray and brown with the occasional green from a holly or rhododendron.
I stopped for a moment, looked down, and saw some green leaves amongst the fallen leaves. It was a small plant, dark green with pale green veining. With my curiosity peeked I took out my phone and took a picture of the plant. With the magic of Siri on my phone I identiIied the plant as a Striped Prince’s Pine, Chimaphilia maculata, which is a small perennial evergreen herb native to eastern North America and down through Panama.
The term herb intrigued me so I dug a little deeper. According to Wikipedia this herb was used by Indigenous People to treat rheumatism and stomach problems, help break down gallstones and kidney stones. They also crushed the leaves to create a poultice for sores and wounds. I wonder how they would fare in the pollinator garden I planted? They are deer resistant after all and native to Suffolk, the 2 requirements I need. Actually they also need to be rabbit resistant. Those little furry creatures are eating some of my plants to the ground! Next time you take a walk stop every now and again to notice what’s around you.
recent posts
Olllie
Life has changed in leaps and bounds this year. If you have met Ollie, you know I mean leaps and bounds. On February 12, Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, it was one year since I had to release my precious Penny into the arms of eternity. After a much too brief period of doglessness, Ollie came into my life – the personification of leaps and bounds. I don’t think this dog’s feet touch the ground. He just springs along. With my pup of boundless energy came some changes.
Changing of The Guard
Great South Bay Audubon has not held elections since before Covid. Many of our board members have stayed on passed what our bylaws designate. Our organization, like so many others, does not have volunteers beating down the doors and, so, the officers stay.
Brookside Park
It’s a new year and the New Years Resolutions have been made. It’s time to make changes to improve ourselves and that is exactly what we are about to do at the homestead. I’m talking about the Caretaker’s Cottage at Brookside. It’s time for a facelift and for that we need volunteers. We always need volunteers, I think every organization on the planet needs more volunteers.
