Uŋkčéla wanáȟča

If you haven’t spent much time on the prairies of North Dakota, you might be surprised to learn that we have five cactus species that are indigenous to the area. I believe that this one is either Opuntia polyacantha or Opuntia cymochila, a Prickly Pear species. The Lakota names I’ve heard for Prickly Pear are

Wípažukȟa — Juneberries (in June!)

Last summer (2023), a rare thing happened — the Wípazukȟa (Amelanchier alnifolia — called Juneberry, Saskatoon Berry, and Serviceberry in English) actually started ripening in late June. One of the Lakota names for the moon/month that occurs around what the Roman calendar calls June is Wípazukha-Wašté-Wi, the Moon When The Juneberries are Good (ripe). I’ve

Late Fall Weeds: Mallow & Dandelion

Last October when I was visiting some relatives, I felt my phone sliding out of my pocket. Before I could turn around, I heard a giggle, and little footsteps running away. My first-grader niece decided to “borrow” my phone, and took several thousand pictures. Many of them were blurry, or of her making silly faces,

Backyard Salad: Dandelions and Goldenrod

Edible wild greens are one great thing about spring. A lot of plants, both natives and immigrant plants, produce tender, edible shoots in early spring. Many of these same plants, later in the season, will become too bitter for most people’s palettes. But when they first emerge (likely April/May, depending on your location, but also