Friday, May 27, 2016

mayapple

 Another of the native perennials I added to my garden in 2015:

Mayapple, or Podophyllum peltatum


It's a fantastic-looking plant.
To give you an idea of scale:


To see beneath those twin parasol leaves,
one must get right down to ground-level.
It's worth the effort:


The single hidden flower
experiences a microhabitat created by the leaves.

I love the illuminated leaves:

 

Some folks mention mayapple as edible or medicinal, but the word "toxic" also appears in descriptions of every part of this plant. I'm not even slightly tempted to eat mayapples. But this morning it occurred to me how wonderful it would be if someone would develop a way to use the toxins to safely eliminate only biting, stinging insects with no apparent redeeming value. Mosquitoes. Black flies, deer flies, horse flies. Ticks.

99.99% of the time, I think removing an organism from the world is likely to have unforeseen negative effects. I've sometimes argued vigorously against experimental efforts to control one environmental nuisance by adding another. But when it comes to mosquitoes and biting flies? Personally, I would be willing to take the chance that, once those insects were gone, their previously-unknown positive contribution would be revealed and their demise would be a matter of deep regret.

Call me reckless.
~~~~~

13 comments:

  1. You're reckless.
    Hold on while I grab a can of bug spray with deet.:)

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  2. One of the bloggers I read was suggesting using Bounce fabric softener sheets to detract bugs - she tucks them in her hat and wherever she can around her body and swears by them. Haven't had cause to try her theory but it might be worth it. She said it has to be Bounce to work....there's evidently some ingredient(s) in it that deter bugs.

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    1. A golfer recommended that to me years ago - as you say, swears by it - but it hasn't worked for me. Unfortunately. Thanks for mentioning it, though! I try everything people recommend when it comes to skeeters.

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  3. That is a gorgeous plant!! I love the microhabitat where the flower flourishes! I agree - we never know how important some "tiny" parts of our world are until they are gone. Best not to mess with the equilibrium.

    Sorry to have been absent. I must admit that it was great being away for a while. Unfortunately, I can't simply not post when I'm away due to some hooligans who monkeyed with our outdoor stuff one time when I did that. We concluded that I had to not announce my absence on my blog :(

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    1. I was just catching up on my reading, and I see it was a hooligan bear who took a swipe at one of you cameras this time LOL! Superb images of the mama and cubs :)

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  4. Mayapples are pretty; as to unwanted insects...there are hundreds, if not thousands, of barn swallows on my property and no biting insects. Barn swallows haven't nasty diseases to pass along and it's true their young tend to be messy with their poop over the nest edge habits, I don't mind. It's a fair trade off to not have to worry about mosquitoes, diseases, etc.

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    Replies
    1. That sounds miraculous, and I looked up barn swallows to see if I could figure out why there are none here. No swallows at all, actually. Looks like I'd need some of your beautiful open fields and, preferably, a small body of water also. Dang.

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  5. We have this plant growing wild around various bits of woodland, what's left of it that is! It's excitingly big.

    No remedy has ever kept me from being a mosquito target, even when nobody else is being bothered, sigh. So I have a little stick of something nontoxic to relieve the itching after being bitten.

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    1. Me, too, Liz! I'm the person who is smacking mosquitoes non-stop while everyone else is rejoicing that there are "hardly any bugs here!"
      Please tell me more about your magic stick. I am a mass of welts already, and they itch for days and days. If I accidentally scratch one in my sleep, it gets so bad I end up having to cover it with a bandaid. Magic stick info, please!

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  6. What a beautiful plant, Quinn. I do know that the old Avon Skin So Soft bath oil works really well as a mosquito deterrent - we have just recently been getting mosquitos here in Vegas (something we NEVER had before, but have been brought in by an onslaught of abandoned houses and POOLS due to the housing crash a few years ago). These West Nile and Zika things have me a little concerned. Happy Weekend, my friend!

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    1. Thanks, Tanya - I have tried SSS with some success, and as one part of a homemade mixture. I'll add it to the rotation! At the moment I'm using two different herbal blends, and one dilution of cedar oil which I like because I can use it on myself and the goats and Piper. I like having just one bottle at hand for all of us :)

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  7. What a wonderful plant! I would do pretty much anything to avoid mozzie bites :(

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    1. Do you have a good method/product there? Advice welcome! I try everything recommended to me.

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