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.
Sunday, April 14, 2024
Claytonia Sibirica
Day 184: It used to be Montia, and it used to be Miner's Lettuce, but as has occurred with so many other things in the world, our perception of this little plant has changed thanks to scientific advances, and now it's Claytonia sibirica or Western Spring Beauty. Honestly, I'm having a hard time keeping up! It is fairly abundant here in the Pacific Northwest, and if you're a hunter-gatherer type, the foliage makes a tangy addition to a garden salad, but caution should be exercised when consuming it because of the presence of oxalic acid in its tissues. Accumulations of oxalic acid can lead to kidney stones. That said, I occasionally nibble a leaf or two, finding them a bit tart and lemony.
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