Yellow Pond Lily

Of course, being interested in herbal medicine, wild foods etc, I really loved the different plants I encountered in Minnesota. One of them was this Yellow Pond Lily.

I had seen Lily’s of other colors, but never this gorgeous deep yellow before.  It was interesting to learn that these plants rhizomes can be used for food, (if properly prepared), and the fully dried seeds can be prepare like you would popcorn, the old fashioned way, not in a modern popcorn popper! I didn’t get a chance to try it, but maybe next time;-) The seeds can also be parched , winnowed and ground into flour.  The Yellow Pond Lily can also be used medicinally. It has astringent properties, so has been used for diarrhea, vaginal discharges, bleeding and urethritis.  Various Indian tribes used the sliced and warmed rhizomes in a poultice to control pain. The Okanagan- Colville Indians applied the stem to an aching tooth. The Bella Coola Indians used a decoction of the rhizomes to sooth the pain of tuberculosis, rheumatism, gonorrhea, as well as for any part of the body which hurt. Many other tribes used it for many sorts of infections and modern science has substantiated that the yellow pond-lily’s alkaloids are strongly antimicrobial. It has been used frequently as a vulnerary, ( an herb that encourages healing of wounds). Other uses have been as a contraceptive, an aid in menopausal symptoms, and for heart problems. All in all a plant I would love to spend more time getting to know if I get to return to Minnesota someday! Besides the yellow:) I noticed that the bees were flying out to visit these lovelies also:)

reference books: Edible and Medicinal Wild Plants of Minnesota and Wisconsin by Matthew Alfs

Strength of the Earth the Classic Guide to Ojibwe uses of native plants by Frances Densmore

 

Part Two of Our Minnesota Vacation

Our first morning in Minnesota we stopped at Paul Bunyan Land.  Now, for those of you unfamiliar with Paul, here is a link to a bit about him. When you first enter the complex, at the booth where you pay, apparantly there is a microphone that the ticket seller uses to alert big Paul of your name, so he greats you when you enter.

Really a cute thing! There is so much to see here as the owners have set up this whole Pioneer Village part of the park, with just thousands of antiques! I can not imagine how many auctions etc, this family had to go to in order to amass this collection!

One of the many things I found interesting was this old timey school bus. And yes, those are runners on it to pull it over frozen lakes! And note the heater in it to keep the children from freezing. I made sure and shared these pics with the grandchildren when I got home. It was sure hard for them to imagine going to school being pulled in an enclosed little shed on runners, being pulled by horses!

There were various rides and attractions here also.  A funhouse mine, a spook house and others!

Gerald and I each have no trouble reaching our inner child and had a really fun time here!

The county we had our cabin in was called Ottertail County! Now you know how I feel about otters!!

One big thrill of the whole trip was being able to get up close and personal with my first loon! This fella was a real show off! My husband said that it was rare one would stick around the boat so long, so I felt very fortunate!