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| BUTTERCUP FLOWERS... |
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| BUTTERCUP LEAF |
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| CANADA ANEMONE FLOWER... |
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| WITH TYPICAL "CROWFOOT" LEAVES |
Thursday, 8:00 AM. 53 degrees F at the ferry dock, 49 on the back porch. Wind variable and calm, the sky clear. Humidity is 89% and the barometer steady at 30.02". Today and tomorrow should be beautiful, but the weekend has a chance of thunderstorms. The ferry boats will be getting new mufflers, as folks have been complaining that they have gotten too loud. Can't say I have noticed.
Buttercups and crowfoots are mostly herbs in the Crowfoot Family, the Ranunculaceae. The flowers are usually yellow, thus the buttercup common name. Buttercups and crowfoots have leaves that are deeply and sharply lobed, looking somewhat like a crow's foot. They are mostly plants of damp waste places, fields and roadsides. Many are common weeds or roadside plants of world-wide distribution.
The common buttercup shown, Ranunculus acris, is blooming now and is very attractive along our roadsides. The five-petaled, shinning, waxy flowers are prominent on long stalks that raise them high above the basal leaves. The genus name refers to the Latin word for frog, and relates to the fact that many crowfoot plants are water species. The species name refers to the acrid juice of the crushed plant.
The genus Anemone is also in the crowfoot family. Anemomes often have prominent flowers, and A. canadensis is a quite beautiful North American wildflower native to damp and shady locations such as stream banks and lake shores. It spreads by stolens and often forms large colonies. These are growing along Pike's Creek where it crosses Hwy. 13, just south of Bayfield.
Plants in the Ranunculaceae are often used in herbal medicine, and many are quite poisonous. One should be careful when handling the crowfoots, as some can cause dermatological reactions, and it is best not to put the plant parts in one's mouth, as acrid juices can be an irritant. The Anemones in particular should be handled or used with caution.
Buttercups and crowfoots are mostly herbs in the Crowfoot Family, the Ranunculaceae. The flowers are usually yellow, thus the buttercup common name. Buttercups and crowfoots have leaves that are deeply and sharply lobed, looking somewhat like a crow's foot. They are mostly plants of damp waste places, fields and roadsides. Many are common weeds or roadside plants of world-wide distribution.
The common buttercup shown, Ranunculus acris, is blooming now and is very attractive along our roadsides. The five-petaled, shinning, waxy flowers are prominent on long stalks that raise them high above the basal leaves. The genus name refers to the Latin word for frog, and relates to the fact that many crowfoot plants are water species. The species name refers to the acrid juice of the crushed plant.
The genus Anemone is also in the crowfoot family. Anemomes often have prominent flowers, and A. canadensis is a quite beautiful North American wildflower native to damp and shady locations such as stream banks and lake shores. It spreads by stolens and often forms large colonies. These are growing along Pike's Creek where it crosses Hwy. 13, just south of Bayfield.
Plants in the Ranunculaceae are often used in herbal medicine, and many are quite poisonous. One should be careful when handling the crowfoots, as some can cause dermatological reactions, and it is best not to put the plant parts in one's mouth, as acrid juices can be an irritant. The Anemones in particular should be handled or used with caution.
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