Wildcrafting Seven Bark/Wild Hydrangea

[queenbee]

If anyone is interested I am going to post the results of my wildcrafting this weekend.

Nope it's not a drunk, crafting party

Wildcrafting is the practice of harvesting plants from their natural, or "wild" habitat, for food, medicinal, or other purposes. At this point I am only learning and did a small amounf of gathering.


Hey Mac I found it this weekend.

We hiked a mountain cover straight up for about 1.5 hours looking, around the side and back down. Found several bear tracks that Grumpy said looked like a 350 pounder.

Anyway, found the 7 bark in a northside cove on the side of the road at Rock Creek. Contact me and I can let you know where.

By the way the next day after we found the bear sign, a trout fisherman said a 400 pounder crossed the road at the old check in station.

A very good friend of mine gave me Mickey Cummings new book about local native plant life. I took it along with another book on my hikes, I have, to try and identify plants and herbs. I did really well in my search and learned some stuff along the way.

By the way Tulip, when you come up I am taking the day off and we are going to Rock Creek with your camera. You will love it.

I picked wild raspberries and ate them while lilred and grumpy fished and read by the trout streams, it was really nice.

[queenbee]

For those of you that didn't read the account of my son being bitten 2 times by a brown recluse. Seven Bark is the native herb that cured his bite and healed the wound with no after effects.

A big thanks to Mr. Kisselberg for the help and the information, we owe you big time.

[mac]

Great!! I'm glad you found it. However, I wouldn't know what it looked like if you got me within 5 feet of it. I've still never seen it.

[queenbee]

The flower looks like a brown queen anne's lace or what we call a chigger flower.
The stem is woody and peeling.
Even thought the flower is brown and dead looking, it is still alive.
You will see a 4 petal flower on the bloom. They are starting to pop out now and some of them will have 1 or 2 flowers on them and some will have 20 on the flower head.

If you look at a tame hydrangea, the big blue flower bushes people have in their yard, you will see exactly what it looks like.

You can also see a good picture online if you do a search for wild hydrangea.

[mac]

I got some of the blue ones out in the yard. So, this just looks like the blue one after it dies?

[ana]

Try google mac they have pictures.

[queenbee]

The petals are white on the wild one, but if you look at the individual petals on blue one you will see what they look like.

Go here to see one
plants.usda.gov/java/largeImage?imageID=hyar_002_ahp.tif

[queenbee]

I can tell you exactly where they are the landmark sticks out like a sore thumb.

[queenbee]

OK in my herb class this past weekend I learned about Elderberries.

Elderberry is the medicine chest of the plant world.

You can use every part of the plant for something.

I made an Elderberry tincture to use this winter and will be making other items from the plant.

Here are some links to articles about the plant, there is no need in my typing out my notes, they are the same as what is found on the web.

plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/cs_sanic4.pdf

Most informative newcrop.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/ncnu07/pdfs/charlebois284-292.pdf