Yep, this tiny evergreen shrub is where the original Oil of Wintergreen comes from. The essential oil (methyl salicylate) used in flavoring is now mainly synthesized.

Gaultheria procumbens

Wintergreen is also known as Teaberry. Tea made from the leaves is a traditional folk remedy used to treat headaches, colds, stomachaches and fevers.

WARNING: from the Peterson Medicinal Plants Field Guide
Wintergreen’s essential oil is highly toxic. It can be absorbed through the skin and cause liver and kidney problems.

Guess I’m missing something. It’s OK to eat but don’t get any on you? Just shows that before using any herbal home concoction you should be well informed and KNOW what you’re doing and how to use plants safely.

Ferns attempting to find a niche and some British Soldiers (lichen in lower right) join the Wintergreen to form a rock garden I’d love to take home.

Wintergreen has short upright stems (3 – 5 inch) that emerge from creeping underground stems forming colonies. The Wintergreen I photographed was growing on rock and the underground stems had little more than moss to grow in.

Bright red berries follow the white, nodding bell shaped flowers.

The first two photos are linked to open a larger (1024 x 768) image in a new window. Take a closer look or use as your personal desktop background. No other use is implied. Just ask if you want to use them for another purpose. I’m easy.

Here are my picks for the best Halloween themed plants.

Ghost Plants

I never did identify this plant. You can see the post here: Ghost Plant. These were gowing alongside other ghost plants / Indian Pipes – Monotropa uniflora

I’m tempted to call them Zombie Pods. Why? I was struck how they looked so much like the UnDead version of the seedpods of Grass of Parnassus – Parnassia glauca.

Well whatever they are – stick them in your Indian Pipe and smoke them.

Got Milkweed?

What’s Halloween without fangs?

Toothpaste Slime Mold – Lycogala epidendrum

Here’s one for the kids. This is a special Halloween toothpaste. Have them brush their teeth with this after every piece of candy they eat. I guarantee it will curb their candy cravings.

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For all those that have wondered what happened to me – I’ve joined the ranks of the UnDead with a moderate case of Zombie flu I picked while down on Long Island. I’m home now but it’s going to take some time before I quit craving brains.

I went down to dig up the entrance garden. Everything must go, in a couple of weeks there’s going to be a huge hole where the house now is. I managed to get most plants transplanted to other areas but the stone I haven’t touched yet. I wasn’t eating enough brains and my strength waned to the point I needed to come home and recharge my batteries.

I’ll have to go back in a week or so and continue ripping things up – carefully.

…is also known as Climbing Fumitory. The flowers are pale pink and look like skinny bleeding heart blooms that hang in clusters. It’s a member of the Poppy family and belongs to the Bleeding Heart Subfamily (Fumarioideae).

Adlumia fungosa

The favored growing conditions seem to be on rocky slopes. In this case the plants are growing out of rock rubble at a quarry where one would thing nothing would grow. It seems to be quit at home though and a large area is covered with it. It can grow to 10 – 12 feet long and the few ‘weeds’ that managed to get a foothold in the rocky ground are smothered with the vine.

Leaves are divided in 3s and each leaflet is lobed. Overall the plant isn’t going to win any beauty contest but I’m happy to add it to my ‘collection’. I haven’t seen it anywhere beside this spot but it has to be around the north country. I can’t believe this is an isolated sighting since it’s range includes Minnesota, Ontario, eastern Quebec, Nwe England states and heads south to North Carolina. It’s most often seen in the Allegheny Mountains – hence the common name.

While my field guides states that it blooms from June to September I’ve only seen it flower in late summer. I wasn’t expecting to find it in bloom now but the absence of any frost so far has let it continue to flower. (we’re nearly a month past average first frost date)

At the quarry I found another plant with the same family ties. I saw it in bloom on June 1st and now new plants are busy blooming. But this time I got a shot of the seed pods.

The family resemblance isn’t as strong with the flowers but the leaves are fairly similar.

Well this is what you get now that I’m back to work. No time to wander the woods, too sore and tired to sit in front of the computer and post and visit others. It’s raining and I can sure use the break. After being out of commission for 2 months it’s going to take a couple of weeks to get back in shape. If your wondering – I lost a fight with a BFR in July.