Rolandvue,1st Week December: Ground Cover,Strawberries,Garlic Mustard,Creeping Charlie,Celandine

Whether you walk along Rolandvue or down Towson Run, the remaining color is persistent green from hardy plants which have survived the early frost.  It blurs the definition of evergreen, many will survive under the snow, but may have different methods of avoiding frost.  The ground plants are often considered edible, like the garlic mustard, but the nutrition may be borderline at this time of year.

During a holiday celebration a family member with a small herd of cattle was saying that hay bales had to be put out in the cold weather, the cows could not subsist on grazing alone.  Salt licks and good mixed hay were necessary.  So even with the healthy green color there may not be the usual amount of vitamins in the greens.  Our local wildlife seem to ignore them, no sign that garlic mustard is heavily browsed. This would be difficult times for a real forager. There may be a symmetry between the fall greens and the spring ephemerals.  Both benefit by the sunlight reaching the ground through the bare limbs of the trees.

The three plants illustrated are the most common.  We now know that the strawberry is the mock or false strawberry having seen the yellow flower and tasted the bland fruit.  The garlic mustard still has the odor when the leaves are crushed, as does the ground ivy or creeping charlie, the more minty smell.  The garlic mustard was specifically introduced as a potherb which survived the winter. It may be more a flavoring than a main course.  It is invasive and even nature centers encourage harvesting.

winter garlic mustard

wild strawberry winter

creeping charlie,minty smell, more vine like

This last plant puzzled me at first, until I broke a stem and saw the orange sap.  We saw this earlier,the greater celandine, with the pod seeds and yellow flowers. The danger would be putting it in the cress family, mostly edible, while celandine is moderately toxic. This,like the others will winter over under the snow.  There are recipes for teas and infusions but would have to be viewed with caution.  Even references to medicinal uses say that the effects are reduced in the winter as the plant concentrates on antifreeze.

We just saw the yellow color in the bark of the Oregon-grape, now the yellow sap in celandine, both have the compound berberine which may relate to the yellow pigment. Celandine is related to poppies while the Oregon-grape is closer to Barberry,not sure about more distant relationship.

greater celandine,orange sap, probably toxic