Monday, 8:00 AM. 64 degrees, Wind W, calm. The channel is foggy. The barometer predicts rain, but I do not.
The native plum, Prunus americana, in the rose family, is a brushy shrub or small tree which ranges throughout the upper Midwest. It is at its northern reaches here, and then is replaced by the Canada plum, a somewhat different species. The fruit when ripe is orange to deep red, and quite tasty but thick skin and large pit make it better for preserves and baking than eating out of hand. It is an important wildlife food, and was much used fresh and dried for food by Native Americans. The bark has medicinal properties, and was used for the treatment of upper respiratory ailments. These were collected up the street. We have been waiting for the plums at the Larsen’s camp to ripen, but the bears will probably get them first. Last year they demolished all the bushes, tearing them to pieces to get the fruit. The blooms of the native plum are pretty, and the plants can be used to good effect in large naturalized landscapes. I will be busy this week installing two landscapes I have designed so the blog may suffer.
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