Some People, a Tree and a Hint of Nature
September 2017, Arnprior: Our Residence
Galetta Tree Service, now out of business, trimmed one of two large Red Oaks in our backyard. You can see below the very obvious annual tree rings on a large limb that was removed. Of note, the 3 WOMAN crew did a prefect job on that tree and several others.
A few days later in September 2017, the Mississippi Madawaska Land Trust ran a Fungi walk at High Lonesome Nature Reserve (HLNR) with fun guy, Michael Runtz. The attendees displayed a very large age range as you can see in these photos.
Some days later I went back to HLNR and observed Winterberry, a wetland loving local shrub.
Living and deceased conifers. Both supply essential habitat for an array of birds and insects. If possible, leave dead trees, as so many species are finding it difficult to survive with the diminishing number of standing dead trees in our forests.
One if my favourite plants bears this awesome fruit in Fall, Doll;s Eyes. Botanists call this plant
White Baneberry (
Actaea pachypoda). The "bane" level is important.....the berries are poisonous.
All parts of the Doll’s Eyes plant are highly poisonous to humans, especially the berries and roots.- Toxins: The berries contain cardiogenic toxins that can have an immediate sedative effect on heart muscle tissue.
- Symptoms: Ingestion can lead to severe stomach cramps, dizziness, hallucinations, and potentially fatal cardiac arrest.
- Birds: Interestingly, many bird species are immune to these toxins and safely eat the berries, helping to spread the seeds.
This information is from the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas. I use this site often for botanical information. I have also visited the LBJ Presidential Library at the University of Texas, a most interesting visit which will soon be the subject of another blog.
Do ensure that pets and children do not pick/eat these berries.
