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.

Anyway, back to dogwoods – the tree is very distinctive and hard to mis-identify, at least from the bark. It has a very unusual bark that has been described as being “gray brown, dividing into small scaly blocks” (from the Virginia Department of Forestry guide to common native trees of Virginia). A perfect description, indeed! Unfortunately, the sole picture I took of the bark came out rather unfocused so I won’t post it. The leaf can be a bit confusing, if you go by the plant guides. Some guides say that the edges of the leaves are smooth or wavy while others say that the edges are finely serrated. Most say that the veins curve and parallel the edge of the leaf. At any rate, the leaf in this picture is finely serrated and is most assuredly a dogwood, because I carefully noted what kind of trunk the branch was attached to!

The Virginia Department of Forestry site has this to say about the white dogwood:

“The brown to red wood is hard, heavy, strong and very close-grained. It was once used for textile shuttles and spools and for handles and mallets, but is seldom harvested today. Although the fruits are poisonous if eaten by humans, more than 35 species of birds and many large and small mammals are known to eat them. Deer and rabbits browse the foliage and twigs. Dogwood is planted as an attractive ornamental tree.”

A fungus, dogwood anthracnose, infects the white dogwood, along with other varieties of the tree. Apparently, some populations of dogwood have adapted to the fungus, because I have a lot of healthy dogwood. But I did see several dogwoods, damaged by the construction of the driveway, which exhibited symptoms of the blight.

I bought my property because it is south-facing (I want to incorporate passive solar in my house design) and was told, early on, that the parcel would be drier and have less diversity than a north-facing parcel. As I identify the trees and shrubs on the property, I am continually amazed that the guides that I consult say that the trees I am finding grow best in rich, moist woodlands, typically north- or east- facing. Very interesting. It doesn’t hurt that the parcels on either side of mine are higher and thus drain into mine, but I’m also wondering if there isn’t a spring 10′ or more underground that is contributing moisture to the soil.