Today, I left my home at the hem of Mt. Rainier's skirt and made my own annual pilgrimage on my bicycle through the Camas prairies inadvertently planted by the jealous wife. Camassia quamash was blooming in profusion. These plants provided a staple food for the indigenous peoples of the area, the dried root being ground to make a floury meal. Because there is a very similar white-flowered species which is poisonous, Native women would tie the leaves of the edible variety together in springtime when the plant was in flower. That way, they knew which roots to dig in the autumn.
365Caws is now in its 14th year of publication, and was originally intended to end after 365 days. It has sometimes been difficult for me to find new material, particularly during the winter months, but now as I enter my own twilight years, I cannot guarantee that I will be able to provide daily posts. It is my hope that along the way I may have inspired someone to a greater curiosity about the natural world. If so, I can rest, content in the knowledge that my work here has been done.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Mt. Olympus' Jealous Wife
Today, I left my home at the hem of Mt. Rainier's skirt and made my own annual pilgrimage on my bicycle through the Camas prairies inadvertently planted by the jealous wife. Camassia quamash was blooming in profusion. These plants provided a staple food for the indigenous peoples of the area, the dried root being ground to make a floury meal. Because there is a very similar white-flowered species which is poisonous, Native women would tie the leaves of the edible variety together in springtime when the plant was in flower. That way, they knew which roots to dig in the autumn.
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