Goldenrod (solidago odora) grows all over the Southeast, so even if it is a fall flower here in South Florida, it is flowering elsewhere also. It is a perennial that grows up to 4′ tall and is rather aggressive, spreading rapidly. The crushed leaves have a strong scent of licorice and the leaves and the tops of the plants, picked when flowering, have been used to make herbal medicines to treat cuts and urinary problems. Formerly, the seeds were used to induce a delirious state of mind in surgical patients. The flowers also have been used to create a deep yellow dye for textiles. For those who love yellow, I recommend planting this in your garden.

Nope. Problem solved – just wait for Nature to take over. I don’t know all of the plants that quickly colonized the raw areas, but pokeweed (phytolacca americana) was one of them, along with jumpseed and blackberry plants. Pokeweed grows here in South Florida so I was familiar with the plant, but I was astonished at the size of the leaves in Virginia – they were at least twice the size of the leaves on the plants here. The plants had not yet borne fruit, though the flower stalks were present, so the bears will have to wait a bit. I was told that black bears are very fond of pokeweed fruits. Pokeweed is toxic to humans, though, so pay close attention to instructions when preparing or using any part of the plant!

I expect to see a thick layer of fallen leaves carpeting the area when I return in November.

Deer-tongue Grass is often described as a weed, but according to Garden Guides, it is used “for revegetating disturbed areas where site conditions limit the use of other species.” It is tolerant of low pH soil conditions, soils with concentrations of aluminum, and dry and infertile soils, thus making it an ideal candidate for revegetating land that has been strip-mined for coal.

The five-leaved plant in the lower right corner is a variety of potentilla canadensis, commonly called Canadian or Dwarf Cinquefoil. It grows in rocky open woods, typically in acid soil, according to MissouriPlants.com and that is precisely where I found it, though I don’t know whether the soil is acid or not. The indigenous inhabitants of the area used the pounded roots of the plant as a treatment for diarrhea.

Wild anise is not a native plant to Virginia – it was brought by the early colonists from Europe. The plant has been in cultivation for at least 4,000 years and is a popular herbal remedy for a number of digestive ailments. Interestingly enough, an herbal tea of anise can be used to relieve heartburn and indigestion – you don’t need to go to the local drug store to buy commercially made heartburn remedies.

From what I’ve read, the birch is a pioneer species that rapidly colonizes disturbed land. That doesn’t fit my property at all, but I don’t have any other ideas of what the tree might be. I wish that I had looked at the bark of the tree – that would have settled the question for certain. This is the tree whose bark was used by the Iroquois, among others, to make canoes. I’ll take my books and camera and do some further investigation in November.

Most damson plums are too acidic to be eaten out of hand – instead they are used to make jellies and jams. They can also be used to make damson gin, which is made by adding the plums to a sugar and gin syrup for eight weeks or more. In Slavic countries, damson plums are used to make a distilled liqueur known as slivovitz. I doubt that I will do any of these things – I’ll leave the fruits for the birds and other animals to eat!

The nuts of the shagbark hickory are valuable food for many animals, including squirrels, chipmunks, black bears, and foxes. The nuts were also relished by the indigenous people of this area.

Hickory was historically very popular as a fuelwood and as stock for charcoal production but over-harvesting led to it being fairly uncommon on privately owned woodlots. The predominant uses for hickory are in furniture, flooring and in tool handles and athletic equipment.

This one is climbing a black locust but it may be all over the canopy of an adjacent tree by the time it rises to that elevation. I didn’t make notes about that. The vine is about 4″ in diameter, but I have an even larger one than this one on the property. Summer grape fruits are important wildlife food, so this vine stays, regardless. Last fall, I copied this statement from the West Virginia University Extension website:

“The ripe grapes are a favorite food of raccoon, rabbit, red squirrel, opossum, foxes, ruffed grouse, wild turkey, cardinal, mockingbird, robin, cedar waxwing, woodpeckers, mourning dove and other songbirds. Old dried grapes are especially valuable in late winter. The dense foliage of ‘grape tangles’ and in tree tops are very valuable for cover and nest sites for many animals and birds.”

The grape vines do result in some damage to the trees that support them, but the tradeoff, in terms of wildlife food and habitat, is important enough that I am going to leave them alone. I’ve lost several vines due to driveway construction and the paths that the Bull Hog made through my property and I don’t want to lose any more.

Post oak is a valuable source of wildlife food. The acorns are an important part of the diet of turkey, deer, and squirrels, of course. The leaves are used for nest building by birds, squirrels, and raccoons while cavities in the tree provide dens for birds and small mammals. Human uses include railroad ties, construction and mine timbers, flooring, fenceposts, veneer, and stair risers and treads. I wasn’t able to find whether there are any folk medicines derived from any portion of the post oak, though I wouldn’t doubt that there are some.

Another giveaway that it was a hawthorn shrub was the trunk of the tree, seen in this photograph. You can also see a couple more thorns on the twig at the center top:

The fruit of the hawthorn remains on the tree throughout the winter and is a critical source of food for wildlife in late winter, when food sources are scarce. The fruits are eaten by grouse, turkey, fox sparrows, and cedar waxwings. Deer, rabbits, and black bears, and raccoons also love the fruit.

As for human uses, the fruit of some species of hawthorn (the mayhaw) is used to make a very tasty jelly and the berry is said to be useful in treating high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and congestive heart failure.