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To Hull and back
Jul. 20th, 2014 06:32 pm
My dad came up to visit, and we went to my coworker's house in Hull for a visit. They immediately hit it off over the subject of women's basketball.
( Read more... )
My dad came up to visit, and we went to my coworker's house in Hull for a visit. They immediately hit it off over the subject of women's basketball.
( Read more... )
365 Urban Species. #340: Pepperweed
Dec. 6th, 2006 06:23 pm
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urbpan. Location: Castle Island, South Boston.Urban species #240: Pepperweed Lepidium virginicum
There are at least three annual weeds still in bloom in the chilly streets of Boston: that darn tomato has produced a new blossom, there are black nightshades here and there, and just about everywhere there are pepperweeds. They started popping up in the spring and blooming in the summer, and continued to produce flowers at least up until last Sunday.
Pepperweeds are in the mustard family, a hardy group of plants well-represented among urban species. There are several species, including Eurasian and North American natives. The most common North American species is sometimes called Virginia pepperweed (more a translation of its scientific name than a geographic indicator), and is found in every state including Hawaii and the territory of Puerto Rico. The plant is also called poor man's pepper, pepper grass, pepperwort, and pepper cress; the flat round seed pods have a peppery taste, similar to nasturtium, and can be used as a seasoning. Pepperweed spreads by seed, and grows very quickly, producing many generations until frost--these plants may be the grandchildren of the plants that sprouted in spring and summer. Like many pioneer plants and weeds they prefer bright sun, and grow in open areas and recently cleared ground. They are definitely one of the most common weeds still growing in Boston this December.
Location: gas station parking lot, Route 9, Brookline.
Photo by
urbpan. Location: Revere BeachUrban species #332: American sea rocket Cakile edulenta
If we had come across this plant while it was flowering, identification would have been easy. As it was, fleshy and succulent, it resembled a cactus relative. But that's merely an adaptation for retaining water while living on the bare salty sand above the high water mark. Many different unrelated plants, including glasswort or pickleweed (Salicornia) or Europe and North America as well as the several species commonly known as ice plant, from South Africa, have this characteristic. If the flowers were present, they would have been cross-shaped, with four small petals. Readers who have been following along since spring recognize this as a hallmark of the mustard family, a group of mostly Eurasian weeds that grow fast and grow early. American sea rocket is a native mustard plant, though there is a European variety Cakile maritima which is replacing the native plant in some locations. Once a plant has adapted to the harsh conditions of the beach, a city springing up around it may not be a problem. American sea rocket is known to grow in Boston, New York City, Los Angeles, and even on the considerably less salty shores of Chicago. It has also been detected in Australia, but it is not yet considered a problem there.
Earlier in the year, lavender cross-shaped flowers were growing at these sites on the plant.
Thanks to
pycnanthemum for the identification.365 Urban Species. #306: Wild Radish
Nov. 3rd, 2006 10:02 pm
Photos by
cottonmanifesto.Urban species #306: Wild radish Raphanus raphanistrum
Just when we thought we weren't going to see any more urban wildflowers this year,
cottonmanifesto came across this weed. Growing in front of a parking garage near our house, its four-petaled, cross-shaped blossoms tell us that it's in the mustard family (Brassicaea). The fact that it's blooming in November tells us that it is probably wild radish. Wild radish is a cold-loving weed, that germinates in late fall, and survives the winter as a rosette. The flowers can bloom as early as April or as late as November. It grows disturbed soil and waste areas; it's kind of surprising that it isn't a more common weed in Boston, but there are many other members of the mustard family here that will grow in the same habitat. Competition from its relatives--almost all deliberately introduced food plants from Eurasia--is probably the reason we've only seen one wild radish this year.
Urban species #122: Early yellowrocket Barbarea verna
The mustard family, Brassicaea, is disproportionately represented among urban plants. Perhaps this is because its members do not form mycorrhizal relationships (a beneficial, but time-consuming symbiotic relationship with fungi). Or perhaps deliberate introductions are to blame. After all, Eurasian plants in this family are some of the most common greens and vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage, brussels sprouts, kohlrabi (I cheated; those first six are all varieties of a single species) horseradish, mustard, water cress, and turnip are the least obscure. Many weedy species, favored for their ease of cultivation (they're weeds) have been brought to North America for their greens, seeds, or roots. To the list we have been compiling, which includes shepherd's purse and garlic mustard, we can add early yellowrocket.
Early yellowrocket is closely related to wintercress, and it is random chance that I encountered one for this project before the other. At a distance I called, "Look, a wild mustard!" but it took some work to pin it down to species. Its flowers are typical of a mustard, four small petals in a cross formation, but unlike the two species listed so far these are yellow, not white. This individual was found growing alone, surrounded by dandelions and cinquefoil, but apparently can be found in profusion. Various states list various Barbareas as invasives, but are generally given less dire status than some others.
( four close-ups )
365 Urban Species. #119: Shepherd's Purse
Apr. 29th, 2006 08:04 pm
Photo by
cottonmanifestoUrban species #119: Shepherd's purse Capsella bursapastoris
I must confess, I don't know what "purses" shepherd carried or perhaps presently carry, or where these purse carrying shepherds live or lived. However it's a fair guess that these were Mediterranean shepherds, as this plant hails from that region. The "purses" are the little triangular or heart-shaped seed pods that the plant bears.
Shepherd's purse is yet another European mustard that has become an urban weed in North America. Shepherd's purse sprouts early in the year, and flowers before most other herby plants. It can grow in poor soil, and can even sprout from cracks in the pavement.
Its uses include edible greens (salad or cooked) of high nutritional value, and edible seeds. The seeds can be eaten raw from the pods or ground into a flour, as apparently some Native Americans did. It seems like gathering shepherd's purse seeds would be fairly labor-intensive, but the plant certainly grows in large enough amounts to make it potentially worth it. Many birds eat the seeds of this weed, and its seeds are sometimes included in birdseed mixes.
( more pictures )
365 Urban Species. #116: Garlic Mustard
Apr. 26th, 2006 10:53 pm
Urban species #116: Garlic mustard Alliaria petiolata
Most weeds are early successional plants that quickly colonize disturbed areas, and then disappear as the ecosystem matures. Dandelions, for example, grow in lawns, gardens, and vacant lots, but are usually absent from densely forested areas. Garlic mustard, on the other hand, can grow in the deep shade of mature woodlands. This fact is very worrisome, as it means that as this invasive plant spreads, it will directly compete with native forest plants, many of which are already rare.
Despite the fact that, like most members of the mustard and cabbage family, it is edible, garlic mustard is not eaten by most North American herbivores. Human wild food enthusiasts can harvest the leaves for a garlic-flavored pesto sauce or similar dish. It was introduced from Europe, for use as an table green.
Garlic mustard has been noticed in our area only in recent years. I have noticed that it has appeared in Olmsted Park and the Riverway within the past two or three years, and it is spreading fast. At work it is one of the handful of invasive species that we actively try to control. An article I wrote about garlic mustard control appears here.
( more photos and information )
