Hello Everyone,
My name is Olivia, and I am excited to take this class with all of you. I know very little about plants formally. However, I am interested very interested in them. I like identifying plants on hikes and picking out berries to sample. My local favorites are currants, salmon berries, blueberries, and raspberries. This year for the first time I went foraging for fiddleheads. It was a really nice addition to an experience I was already enjoying. my hands are anxious when they are free. It would also be really helpful to be more plant aware, there have been too many surprise devil’s club experiences in my life.
My macrolens is on the way. Hope to share photos soon.
Welcome Olivia,
it is great to hear you are enjoying the plenty Alaska has to offer. There are lots of surprises one can encounter, but compare to most other states or other places around the world, there are not too many surprises. Cow parsnip is one that I was not aware of before coming to Alaska, it causes blistering of the skin. Photodermatitis is not a pleasant condition, so be careful when collecting a tall member of the carrot family along the roadside in Alaska… Cow parsnip can cause parsely burns, blisters caused by the sap of cow parsnip. The plant contains furanocoumarin that makes the skin extra sensitive to UV light and causes an inflammatory reaction. Try to wear gloves when you collect members of the carrot family (Apiaceae) in Alaska.