It’s been a bizarre warm winter/spring transition here in Colorado. But I’m certainly not unhappy for an early yield of fresh nettles.

#nettles #stingingnettles #foraging #spring #nature #naturephotography #plants #wildedibles #closeup

A new flower has appeared, one I’ve waited on for over a year: Blumenbachia insignis!
Hailing from coastal southern Brazil into northern Argentina, this is both a beautiful and wicked little plant that forms scrambling stems covered in fuzzy looking serrated leaves that are quite attractive as a groundcover…but that fuzz is misleading, for this is a nettle. Rub your hand past it and it will sting for several minutes following so one must handle with care. But worth it for that lush appearance, and the blooms that follow. Flowers have four or five very weird, deep-keeled boat shape petals (literally they are hollow and cup the anthers at their open edge) that surround a striking red and yellow cluster of styles. If all the stems bloom simultaneously it is quite a show of tricolor flowers.
This is what one may consider a “warm-up” easy species to the Loasaceae family, all of which are blooming nettles or similar and the genus Loasa the stars with similarly tricolor flowers but often with even more flamboyant white or yellow petals; I am on my third attempt with L. tricolor and will hopefully see it to blooming as well.

#nettles #flowers #plants #educational #botany #strangeplants #horticulture #gardening

Sourdough crêpes stuffed with nettles and ham under hollandaise Because the rich are idiots. rustyring.blogspot.com/2013/03/ww-s... #food, #foraging, #hermitcraft, #nettles, #sourdough, #wildedibles

WW: Sourdough crêpes stuffed w...