More Thomas Elpel links and Information

 Here are some links to Thomas Elpel videos and his wildflower photos. He is the author of several great books on primitive skills, survival, foraging and plants.

You Tube videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC22zjQTlx5lzIo-50WJFeHA

Wildflower Photos: http://www.wildflowers-and-weeds.com/Plant_Families/Plant_Families_Index.html

 Enjoy! 

Plant Books

 I've noticed over the years that plant books can be great or they can be mediocre. One of the things that makes a great plant book is the illustrations. I find that drawings are best. Granted, its nice to have color photographs, but sometimes the plant details just don't show that well. Therefore my take on drawings. A good drawing can show the minute details of the plant in question. Things such as the flowers, leaf scars, outline and shape of the leafs, etc. Have you ever noticed how the Peterson guides are all drawings? They use photos in some of the newest ones, but, the older editions have drawings and a few have a nice little section of photos which I consider eye candy. I have quite a digital collection of 19th century botany and herb books and the only color in them is hand painted plates and almost all the illustrations are drawings in black and white. I recall a book put out in 1905 about wildflowers and it had some of the first photos of flowers used for every plant described. The photos were in black and white and some few were hand colorized. They were not very useful. The saving grace for this book; there were drawings of the plants.

As you become more familiar with botany you develop a natural quickness in going right to the section of the books when you can distinguish certain botanical traits. Things such as number of flower petals, lanceolate versus heart shaped leaves, paired, opposite, smooth edges versus toothed, etc. These things can only be learned from drawings in my opinion.

This is a small list of some of my books on plants and the information contained whether drawings or photographs.

Peterson Field Guides:

1 Edible Wild Plants-Eastern US = drawings and a small section of photographs

2 Medicinal Plants-Eastern US = drawings and a small section of photographs

3 Trees & Shrubs-Eastern US = drawings only both 1958 and 1986 editions

4 Ferns = drawings only

Wild Edible Plants of the Western US by Kirk  = drawings and a small section of photographs

Edible Wild Plants Eastern US  Fernald & Kinsey = drawings only

The Illustrated Book of Wildflowers & Shrubs Grimm = drawings only

Botany in a Day Elpel = drawings only

The above list shows the importance of clarity in a plant description. I haven't seen too many photo's that can show such clarity in details unless they are high quality closeups.

Botany in a Day by Thomas Elpel book heads up

 There's a really good deal on this book on eBay right now. $18 each, free shipping, for returned or slightly damaged (bent corners, etc.) copies of this most excellent book. This is the most current edition. Here's the link: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Botany-in-a-Day-The-Patterns-Method-of-Plant-Identificat-6-1-Paperbk-or-Softb/164320624968?_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160908103841%26meid%3Db5ae2c121eb94844b6647b68ec18727d%26pid%3D100227%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D13%26sd%3D164320624968%26itm%3D164320624968%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2053904&_trksid=p2053904.c100227.m3827

Condor Village Parang, Using the Fire Tube, and Wild Edible Plants

 The Condor Village Parang is a hit! I've been working along the fenceline for last few days and it has done a sterling job. I will have to work on the handle to make it a hair smaller-a 4-in-hand file will do the trick and a finish up with sandpaper. My only complaint about the blade is it is convex grind and I will have to remedy that. It still cuts great but I love a flat grind. I've made knives so I have the confidence that I won't wreck this fine tool. I have no complaints about the sheath. It looks like Condor has fixed the problems they had years ago. I see online where some folks have a problem with it being a slow draw blade. Well, this is a tool and not anything near a self defense knife. If you're worried about that then you sure as hell better be packing. My choice is my .357 magnum with 4 inch barrel and target sights. In my opinion you can't beat a revolver.

I've had a few questions about the fire tube. Here's how it works. You get a nice red glowing tip on the cotton with a spark from your ferro rod/sparker/flint and steel. Blow on the glowing ember and put the whole deal into your already prepared birdsnest of tinder. Blow on the nest and when you see thick smoke you should be close to combustion. Keep blowing gently until you see fire. All done. Now pull the rope/wick back into the tube and leave an empty space at least 1/4 inch. Put your finger over the end of the tube and in seconds the ember dies. Let it cool of for a bit and wrap everything backup and put it away. I am careful not to damage the charred end too much so that I can get a good light the next time I put steel to it.

I notice everything going on here at the farm and be it birds, critters or plants I have an idea of whats happening. This week I found several edible wild plants that are coming up. Its been a not so typical north Florida winter so far. We've had more than the usual freezing nights and frost. We've also had a lot of rain. The days are getting longer and it can get up to 70 during the day. This is bringing a lot of stuff to the surface. Here's what I've spotted so far:

shepherds purse  Capsella bursa-pastoris

cleavers Galium sp.

chickweed Stellaria media

henbit Lamium amplexicaule

Florida betony Stachys Floridana

 These two photos show shepherds purse. It gets its name from the shape of the heart shaped seed pods. Note long narrow leaves and tiny white flowers. The whole plant is edible. The lower photo also shows henbit, cranesbill geranium and chickweed.

 These two photos show cleavers. It has a square stem and gets its name from the tiny hooks all along the stem which make the plant stick or cleave to your clothing. Entire plant is edible but its best when young and tender. Older plants can be boiled.

 

 These two photos shoe chickweed. The first photo has chickweed and henbit and the second two species of chickweed. The whole plant can be eaten.

 

 

These two photos show henbit. In the first it is associated with chickweed and cranesbill geranium. The henbit has the tall square stems. The second photo has a good example of how easy it is to confuse plants. The cranesbill geranium has deep grooves in the leaves and small stems whereas the henbit has rounded scalloped leaves and bigger square stems. Henbit is edible raw when young and the older plants need to be boiled and rinsed.

 

 These three photos show Florida betony. It has square stems and is in the mint family. The first two photos show the plant structure and the leaves while the third photo shows immature roots and tubers. Its also called rattlesnake radish for obvious reasons. In the mid to late summer these tubers get up to five inch's long and its easy to gather a latge quantity. The roots and tubers are eaten raw and have a unique taste, some say like celery. The only problem with this plant is the fact that it is one of the most fast spreading and invasive plants in Florida. It ranks right up there with wandering jew, mexican poinsetta, and Bidens alba or spanish needles. I've batted them all. They're winning.

 

Standard cautionary notice!!! Never eat a plant you find in the wild without 100% positive identification. The wrong plant can kill you. Period. There are a ton of books out there these days that will lead you in the right direction. Here are the ones I use:

Botany in a Day by Thomas Elpel-super good book to teach you plants identification!

Edible Wild Plants of Eastern North America by Fernald and Kinsey-excellent book with drawings and uses.

Peterson Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants Eastern/Central North America by Peterson-one of the best with excellent illustrations and photos as well as uses.

Wild Edible Plants of Western North America by Kirk. I depended on this book when I lived and traveled in the western US. It has great drawings and descriptions as well as habitat and uses. Most of the plants are also found nation wide.

Of course there are a number of great books that I haven't mentioned but you can check them out on Amazon and see if its something you think you can use. Just do a search for "edible wild plants, foraging, wildcrafting".

Florida-Busy Making Preps and Life in General

Well, I made it through the hot and humid Florida summer. This has been a typical subtropical winter with highs being in the hi 70's today. Water is NOT a problem here! There is so much of it coming down. We had one day where there was a rainfall of 4 inches in a little over 10 hours. With the right storage system a person could store a lot of water for the garden. Speaking of gardens, we have our winter crops in and new seeds are under the lights right this minute. I have been checking out the local fauna & flora. The variety of insects is incredible, especially the spiders. Of course there is the Florida state bird, the mosquito. I hate those things with a passion but I have seen a few of the local "insect repellent" plants such as dog fennel and beauty berry. I tried beauty berry leaves this summer and by darn, it works! As a plus the berries are edible and can be used for making jelly and have medicinal properties. We, my fiance Annie & I, are selling some local natural items in our eBay store as well as the usual stuff. Look on my eBay link at the top right column to see what we have if you're interested. This economy is getting very rough and we are barely making it but we work hard and by the Good Lords blessings we do OK. I am doing research and some things with yaupon holly, Ilex vomitoria. The famous "black drink" was made by the local Native Americans from it, and I plan on seeing if selling the leaves for tea is feasible. The yaupon has a caffeine content that is less than coffee or tea, but enough to satisfy any craving for caffeine. "Dry, unprocessed yaupon leaves contain between .65 percent and .85 percent caffeine by weight. Coffee beans are about 1.1 percent caffeine by weight and tea leaves about 3.5 percent caffeine," according to a University of Florida article. As a plus they are rich in certain vitamins and antioxidants. I can reach out the bedroom window and grab a handful of yaupon leaves, its that abundant down here. Kind of like sage brush out in good ole' Idaho. Worth a web search if you are interested. It was used in the 1800's and during the Civil War as a coffee and tea substitute and unlike some other substitutes, it stayed around for a while until coffee became more plentiful and cheaper. I've read where birds will eat the berries but only as a last ditch effort in late winter. They must be considered as a "starvation food" among our feathered friends. Also, the wood is very nice and has been used for turnings, inlay and carvings. I removed the biggest yaupon I have ever seen from our goose pen. It was 20+ feet tall and about 6 or more inches in diameter. I am cutting it into 3 foot sections and sealing the ends. We have an aviary that's not in use so I'll stash it in there till its dry enough to use and sell. I don't know how well it does as a green wood for carving and I've read that the holly's have a nasty habit of cracking and checking if it drys too fast. Here are some shots of the local yaupon bush's. I'll be posting more interesting stuff in the near future as time permits. Thanks everyone and enjoy the holidays!

Celebration Park near Melba, Idaho

Today my freind and I went to Celebration Park near Melba, Idaho. Its on the Snake river in the canyon lands. Its Idahos first and only archaeological park and the trip was well worth it. First stop was the visitors center. Here you can see some nice artifacts as well as very well done reproductions.

Here are a few shots of some things in the cases. Most of the artifacts were found in the park including the water basket.

These ax's and woodworking tools are replicated by an archaeologist. Great job!

There are some nice points and blades in this display. I spotted a very nice drill.

This shows some very rare pottery fragments and the drill is in the second row down to the far right. These Indians rarely used any pottery because of their nomadic lifestyle. They traveled for hundreds of miles and they traveled light.

This is a basketry water bottle or wosa. It is tightly woven and was lined with pitch and bee's wax. It is 200 or so years old. Bee's wax wasn't available until the white man arrived.

These replica duck decoys are typical of the Paiute and Shoshoni Indians. One was made by Margaret Wheat, a Paiute woman who authored "Survival Arts of the Primitive Paiutes" available on Amazon. Its the best book I know of on these folks and is very well illustrated and detailed.
 Survival-Primitive-Paiute
I believe they are made from cattail and bull rush. The ones I saw in California's central valley were made of tule and looked exactly the same. I wonder if there was interaction between the California Indians and the Paiutes or Shoshoni? I wouldn't doubt it since there was extensive trade over the Sierra Nevada range.

These two photos are of effigy's the Indians made. They were used as talismans to help the hunt be successful. They were made from anything at hand and perhaps they were even used as toys by the children?

The folks who do these replications do a fantastic job!

This poster tells about the atlatl. There is a gentleman there on weekends who gives atlatl demonstrations and you can even fire one off if you like.

These next photos are of some of the many petroglyphs or rock drawings found throughout the area. There are thousands throughout the Snake river canyons and gorges. The Indians used a piece of quartzite and a hammerstone to peck and crumble these designs into the basalt boulders. The brown color on the rocks is caused by oxidation and microscopic life forms such as bacteria and lichen. Its also called "desert patina". The pecked designs show the rock under the patina which makes the designs stand out. Some of the very old drawings are quite dark due to the patina and time catching up with them. There are several recent (150 years or so) drawings done by white pioneers and travelers. The Oregon trail was a ways north of here near Fort Boise and undoubtedly there were some visitors from the wagon trains passing through.

The Oregon Trail

Poster describing the petroglyphs and rocks.

Unfortunately the meaning is lost as to whatt most of these represent so use your imagination. Some think this is a sun or a star but if you turn it upside down it looks like a stick figure of a human, kind of.

This has a circle and three circles in a chain and a zig-zag line. I think the three in a row represent a rattlesnakes rattle. The rattlers are common here.

Now this one does look like a sun.

This one was done after the white man arrived. It is a domestic sheep. The Indian who drew it was probably quite amazed to see such an animal. They had never seen anything like it. The natural hole to the right is chipped around the edges. It is a "vision" rock. The Paiute and Shoshoni didn't use drugs in their vision quests. They fasted for days instead. They believed the visions would suck them back into the spirit world with them so they had these holes to stick their fingers into to hang onto this world.

Here are three lizards, which are very common here. The other item's are a total mystery. The one at the far left looks like a lizard stick figure.

Heres another shot of "lizard rock". Note the the figure "8"and string of dot's. It also shows a better picture of the "loaf of bread".

Still on the same rock are these drawings. The "Christmas tree" is an enigma. The snake is an "x-ray" drawing and is very rare. It is a drawing of a snake cut open exposing its innards. The head with the extended tongue is on the right below the crack.

Same "lizard" rock. More enigmatic designs.

This is easily seen as a bird.

Here's a tiny part of the boulder field where a lot of petroglyphs are found. The Indians encamped at the base of the cliffs. I imagine it was protection from the cold since the rocks held the suns heat for a long time. Also, they were far from the river and its myriad flying insects.

Some say a devil and I think it looks like a Viking. Most call it "bat man".

"Bat man" close up.

A turtle and two ???

More drawings on this very busy rock.The one middle row, right and next to the last looks like a cows head.

Heres the cows head and an udder underneath? Fanciful thinking on my part.

This looks like a a man and a buffalo head. Its a vision rock so the guide said.

Closer look at the buff head and I have no clue what that is to the left of the man. And the bird with the crack running through its right wing is very plain to see.

Farther back and at an angle. Fortunately the sun was straight overhead and I was able to get these great shots.

This must have been a favorite "bulletin board". All kinds of odd designs! Rows of circles with dots in them, etc.etc. The one at the very top looks

This lizard was nice enough to pose for me. I wonder if he realizes his great, great grandpappy was drawn on a nearby rock?

Mr. Lizard up close. These were food! Lizard on a stick! YUM!

I heard people say how neat it would be to live back in those times. I say "no way!!!" The average life span was 25 years and if you got so much as an impacted tooth or an infected scratch, chances were good that it would kill you. The hunt for food was constant for the daily supply as well as long term. There wasn't much available in the winter so you had to stock up. And if certain things weren't abundant as usual, you may well starve. Riparian habitat was probably the most diverse for edible plants and wild life. That's why the Indians who lived and traveled through these vast canyons stayed near the water. If you venture just a few miles away it is dry, desolate high desert with water being very rare. These folks depended heavily on fish, wild fowl and wild plants for their diet and anything else was a bonus. I recall seeing a fish skeleton petroglyph on one of the rocks

This is a nice replica of a fish trap. They must have made and used hundreds of these a year. The river has trout, whitefish and bass. Catfish are abundant.

Here are some shots of the surrounding canyon. It is very rough terrain and all of the rock is volcanic basalt. There are places where you can find some obsidian and chalcedony. These were the stones used for tool making.  Basalt was used for mortars and pestles. These were left behind until the next year as they were too heavy to carry the long distances these people traveled.

This rugged cliff is directly across the river from the visitors center and there is a golden eagle nest that has been used for many, many generations, in fact it is the record holder for having been used so long. There is a spotting scope in the visitors center aimed directly at the nest. There is one adolescent eaglet occupying it at present. This area is part of the "Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area" sanctuary which has the largest concentration of nesting hawks, owls and eagles in America. 24 different species are noted. It covers 600,000 acres.

More rugged terrain to the west.

Looking southeast down the Snake river canyon.

"Eagle nest" cliffs.

This photo shows a reproduction of a typical wikkiup that served as the house for the Paiute and Shoshoni Indians. Its basically a stick and brush structure and I imagine it stayed fairly warm inside. The only blankets these folks possessed were made of many rabbit skins. They also made crude blankets from bull rush and cattail leaves. Both plants had great insulating value. They were also woven into mats to cover the dirt floor adding more insulation from the cold ground. I would imagine they slept outside during the heat of the summer.

Here are some of the local edible as well as useful plants. The currants were very tasty, especially the golden currants. In some of the dry caves of Nevada, archaeologists found raisins made from currants by these people. Google "Hidden cave" for some very interesting reading.

Bull rush.

Bull rush again.

Wild asparagus. A none native species. One of the plants Euell used to stalk.

That's the wild asparagus in the right foreground and behind is milkweed. Milkweed is a very versatile plant. It makes cordage, insulation (the ripe seeds with their "parachutes") has edible properties: the young seed pod and also the newly sprouting plant. As it gets older it starts to produce a white milky sap, thus the name milkweed. The sap was used as a glue of sorts but I think it was too bitter to consume and older plants weren't eaten.

Purple currant.

Purple currant up close. The red ones aren't ripe yet and are very tart.

Golden currants.

The tasty golden currant up close.

Our intrepid explorer gathering the fruits of the field.

Yummy!

Pretty, aren't they?

This shows the three lobed leaf, an identification aid, a bit better. If its three big leaves and has white berries, you are eating poison ivy! Don't do that.

Great or common mullien, Verbascum thapsus. The stalks were used for fire drills and the leaves as medicine for colds and as poultices. It wasn't a native and was introduced by the white man. The Indians were quick to take advantage of its many properties.

Here are a few shots of a male western kingbird, Tyrannus verticalis. He was guarding his nest on Guffy bridge.

Remember to click on the photos for a bigger view.

And speaking of Guffy bridge. It was built to run trains to the silver mining camps in Silver City and other towns in Owyhee county across the river. It never made it to any of them except Murphy. The plan was to build an electric railroad at the end of this line but it never happened. The railroad did bring the present agriculture to this area and that is a mainstay of the local economy. The town of Melba is a famous seed growing center.

A plaque about the bridge.

The bridge is in the background. They are building a new museum which should open around October. Its the farthest building in the distance just at the end of the right span of the bridge.

Here's a nice poster of the area.

This is a very well made replica of a coiled clay pot. Pottery like this was not used by any of these Indians.

This explains the pot pictured above.

I hope you enjoyed our little tour of Celebration park. For directions just do a search for it on Yahoo Maps: Celebration park, Melba, Idaho. It will take you right to it. Its very highly recommended by yours truly. Enjoy!