Foraging in Central Park - July 02, 2000

Foraging in Central Park. Based on a tour given by "Wildman" Steve Brill.


1: Poor man's pepper
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2: Poor man's pepper flower closeup.
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3: Field garlic flower bud.
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4: Field garlic flower.
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5: European cut-leaf blackberry. More lobs on leaf than American variety. Stems have flat surface (raspberries have round stems).
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6: European cut-leaf blackberry with flower (that is past its prime).
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7: Greater rag weed. A common allergen. A correspondent states you can eat ragweed leaves before the plant flowers, but it is probably better known as a remedy for HAY FEVER! For the remedy, you would want to collect the plant before it flowers (i.e., before allergenic pollen is present) and dry it for tea or make a tincture in vodka. Then it will be handy when fall hay fever season comes around. It is also perfect for people with cat allergies who get those runny itchy eyes when they come in the same room with felines.
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8: Poison ivy
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9: Common nightshade. Poisonous. Looks like candle with shade.
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10: Unknown small mushrooms.
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11: Pond
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12: Pond
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13: Common plantain. From Europe. Oval leaf. Mash leaf and put on mosquito bite.
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14: Stand of cattails.
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15: Cattails closer up.
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16: Epazote
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17: Lady's thumb with pink flower. Edible in salad greens.
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18: Common violet. Has been mowed so there is new growth which is edible now. Usually only edible in the spring.
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19: Witch hazel. Berries inedible. Cambium under bark is harvested for astringent.
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20: Witch hazel closer up.
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21: Chickweed
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22: Wild lettuce. Now bitter.
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23: Sow thistle. In dandelion family.
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24: Garlic mustard. Out of season, but has been mowed and there is edible new growth.
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25: Hawthorne berries.
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26: Wood sorrel.
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27: Wildman showing poisonous white snakeroot and telling story.
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28: Day lily. Flowers are edible and only last one day.
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29: Russula mushroom. Some are good to eat. This one smells like almonds. Tastes bad, but not poisonous.
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30: Chestnut bolete
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31: Chestnut boletes. One of the tour participants really liked mushrooms. Here she's showing off her find.
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32: Sassafras. Note three different shapes of leaves.
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33: Linden tree. Has some flowers left. Flowers make great tea with medicinal properties. Berries not edible. The fruits are edible, just there's not much to eat.
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34: Beech tree fruits. Inside three sided nuts and shells. Then beechnuts in Sept and Oct.
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35: White snakeroot in situ.
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36: Burdock in hard soil.
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37: Hawthorne. Like apples. Note long thorns.
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38: Hawthorne with immature berries.
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39: Sweet fern. Likes sandy areas. Cultivated here. Covered with dust from the track around the reservoir.
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40: View across reservoir. Needs wider angle lens.
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41: Mugwort. For tea.
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42: Wild lettuce. Another type.
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43: St. John's wort. First time Wildman has seen it in Central Park.
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44: St. John's wort.
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45: Common milk weed.
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46: Black cherry. Come back in August.
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47: Bush honeysuckle. Not good.
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48: Butterfly weed. The other name is pleurisy root. It's a milkweed with clear sap that's poisonous, although the root is used for pleurisy.
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49: Apple tree
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50: Mushroom. Probably variegated inky cap. Not edible.
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51: Burdock root.
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52: Sweet cherries. Edible now. (Look for the black berries in the picture.)
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53: Mulberries. Note shininess of the leaves.
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54: Juneberry bush. Related to apples.
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55: White mulberry.
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