Medicine Plants - Stone Root

Stone Root (Collinsonia canadensis)

I thought our readers here might enjoy an article I wrote on another blog. It is about a medicine plant that was traditionally used by the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) that I spotted while hiking around nearby Canandaigua. Enjoy the article:

Our Green Neighbors - Stone Root (Collinsonia canadensis)


-kim

Happenings!

Summer Solstice Ganonyok @ white pine noon

JUNE 20 th- Summer Solstice Ganonyok

Trailguides Needed

Ganondagan is looking for a few more people who are interested in becoming trail guides. Being a trail guide is a wonderful way to share the history of the site and of the Seneca people with visitors. Trail guides will lead visitors on guided trail walks and can be an important part of a visitor's experience of Ganondagan. Training is provided to all potential trail guides.

If you would like to learn more about our trail guide program, please see an article written by one of our long time trail guides about her experiences and the program.

If you are interested in this volunteer opportunity, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator.

"Crooked Arrows" -- Catch it This Weekend

Be sure to catch special screenings starting May 18th of the movie, Crooked Arrows. The movie centers around a Native American lacrosse team and its new coach helping the team members to find pride in themselves and their heritage. See more about the movie itself at the official website.

Many of the actors and athletes in this movie are from one of the Six Iroquois Nations. See some of the list of Native actors in the film on the Crooked Arrows site or see the full cast and crew list plus reviews, trivia, and more at IMDB Movie Database. For a list of theatres showing this wonderful film, be sure to see the list on the Crooked Arrows theatre page.

After you see the movie, please share your thoughts about it on our Facebook page!

-kim

Crooked Arrows Official Movie Trailer:

May Flowers, Herbs, & Trees

May is always a time of abundant life and plants to me. It is the time when the forests become a verdant green and when wildflowers continue their spring show. It is also a busy time of gardening and planting for the coming season. To celebrate this greening of the world and the start of the new agricultural season, I take May 1st off of work. It is a 20-year old tradition. Often I spend the day in my gardens, but sometimes I take hikes or do other activities to celebrate May Day. 

In that spirit of celebrating the Earth and her greening cloak, it was my pleasure to attend not one but two plant hikes over this past weekend. The first of these hikes was led by Dr. Les Moore on Saturday May 5, 2012. It was held in Phelps, NY along the Ontario Pathways Trail System. This hike focused on identification as well as the medicinal properties of the wild plants found. This hike is also part of a series of classes Dr. Moore teaches on medical herbalism. If you are interested in learning more about these classes, please see the Classical Formulas website. I created the video at the bottom of this article from the photos I took on that hike.

The second hike was at Ganondagan and it was led by Tonia Loran-Galban and Peter Jemison on Sunday May 6, 2012. This hike was along the Earth is Our Mother trail and it focused on the medicinal as well as the ethnobotanical uses of the plants along the trail. It was a beautiful day for a hike - made even more special by the abundance of the migrating red admiral butterflies. You can see the slideshow from this walk on our Plant Hike slideshow webpage.

I hope you enjoy the slideshow and video. I wish for your May to be happy and abundantly green!

-kim