Thanks to all who came this morning, September 30, 2012 at 9am and helped collect magical plants and herbs! After finding the appropriate guides and maps to wildflowers and trees of the Wasatch, the members of UUPS headed up to Big Cottonwood. With field guides and magical bolines, the identifying, harvesting and thanking commenced. Many of the plants were eager to be part of a magical apothecary and be in a warm home before the fall snow hits in October.
After a few hours, the sun was sneaking high into the sky and everyone called it a day. There will be another herb gathering event. For now the fruits of the harvest include sage brush, prickly pear cactus, unita groundsel, hairy goldenaster, perry’s goldenrod, and scarlet gilia! The big poisonous plant we found is Myrtle Spurge! Just a note, the flowers look pretty but this plant in the third and fourth photos is poisonous and considered a noxious weed when cultivated! So do not cultivate if you take some home on our next trip. Check out the photos below!
Magical Ingredient Gathering, Prickly Pear Cactus, September 30, 2012 Big Cottonwood Canyon, UT
Magical Ingredient Gathering, Uinta Groundsil, September 30, 2012 Big Cottonwood Canyon, UT
Magical Ingredient Gathering, Creeping Myrtle Spurge (Poisonous), September 30, 2012 Big Cottonwood Canyon, UT
Magical Ingredient Gathering-Creeping Myrtle Spurge (Poisonous) September 30, 2012 Big Cottonwood Canyon, UT
Magical Ingredient Gathering, Utah Goldenrod, September 20, 2012
Magical Ingredient Gathering, Scarlet Gilia, September 30, 2012 Big Cottonwood Canyon, UT
Magical Ingredient Gathering, Shy Fox gathering Hairy Goldenaster, September 30, 2012 Big Cottonwood Canyon, UT
Magical Ingredient, Gathering Lunar Oak Spirit, September 30, 2012 Big Cottonwood Canyon
Magical Ingredient Gathering- Muad’Dib September 30, 2012 Big Cottonwood Canyon, UT
Magical Ingredient Gathering-l to r Lunar Oak Spirit, Shy Fox, and Muad’Dib, September 30, 2012 Big Cottonwood
Magical Ingredient Gathering, Helvijs Vigners, September 30, 2012 Big Cottonwood Canyon, UT
Magical Ingredient Gathering, Shy Fox, September 30, 2012 Big Cottonwood Canyon, UT
The top picture of a pricklypear is Opuntia macrorhiza and there isn’t much of it as this elevation.
The second picture is probably Gutierrezia sarothrae (Broom snakeweed).
The third and fourth pictures are indeed that of non-native Euphorbia myrsinities (Myrtle Spurge) which is now a state noxious weed.
The plant then referred to as “Utah goldenrod” appears to instead be what we have long called Heterotheca villosa (Golden hairyaster).
The picture referenced as “Scarlet Gilia” is instead Epilobium canum subsp. garretti (Garrett’s firechalice).