Rose leaves emerging in the Spring

Here are the first spring shoots and leaves of some wild rose plants (uŋžíŋžiŋtka / Rosa spp.), emerging from the ground. I’ve never cultivated roses in a garden, but I know that people who do grow them tend to prune them back pretty heavily each year. One thing I’ve noticed with wild rose species is

Wínawizi Čík’ala

Late fall and early winter, before the ground freezes over, is the time to harvest Wínawizi Čík’ala (Glycyrrhiza lepidota, or wild licorice). First, to explain the plant’s Lakota name, Wínawizi Čík’ala, a little: I’ve heard the name translated as “Little Jealous Girl” or “Little Jealous Woman.” I haven’t been able to verify if this is

Unwrapping Mandan Bride Corn

This is one of the joys of this time of year: shucking the husks off the multicolored corn (wagméza/wagmíza/wamnáheza) that you’ve grown, and finding out what unique, beautiful color combinations lie underneath. When I was shucking corn at a friend’s farm earlier this week, another helper described this experience as being akin to unwrapping holiday

All About Yarrow: Cold Remedy, Wound Medicine, and More

I’ve been getting a lot of questions about Yarrow lately, so I decided it was time for a more comprehensive Yarrow post. It’s a very important medicine, and in many regions, right now is the time to harvest it. First, a little background. This plant has many names: Ȟaŋté Čhaŋȟlóǧaŋ Tȟaópi pȟežúta Achillea millefolium Yarrow

July Squash Takeover

July is the month of the Squash Takeover! (This is another 2018 post that’s been sitting in my “Drafts” folder.) In June, my squash plants seemed to be spaced out too thinly. I’d planted several bumpy green Hubbards (Curcubita maxima) from Linda Black Elk, as well as a couple Lakota squash.* But there was a

Wínakapo — Hops

A common request I get, as someone who works with the plant medicines from the Dakotas, is for help managing sleeplessness or anxiety – but not with anything that will knock the patient out too long, leave them woozy, or be addictive. The flowers of this plant are my best solution. Wínakapo (Wild hops, Humulus

Pápa (Bapa) Waháŋpi

This is one of my favorite traditional foods. Pápa (or Bapa, as it’s often called around here) is dried meat, usually wild game — and waháŋpi means “soup.” The main plant ingredients are sliced thíŋpsiŋla (Pediomelum esculentum) and waštúŋkala (dried sweet corn, Zea mays). This is a hearty, nourishing winter soup. I had this bowl

Winter Wormwood

Wormwood. Pȟežíȟota swúla. Artemisia absinthium. This plant, introduced here from Eurasia, is one of the hardiest members of the sage (Artemisia) family. I took this picture in late winter, when the snow was starting to melt, but no other plants had emerged yet. It must have a lot of antifreeze in its leaves, because the

Cleaning Buffalo Berries

Harvesting maštíŋča phuté (Buffalo berries, Soap berries, or Shepherdia argentea) is messy business. Due to the thorns on the shrubs, and the difficulty of picking them, the traditional harvesting method on the prairies is to lay a dropcloth underneath the plant, and (gently) beat a branch to shake loose any ripe berries. As you can

Willow Fence/ Čhoȟwáŋžiča Čhúŋkaške

This was from my garden a few years ago. Soon after I planted my seeds, pawprints and bootprints emerged on my carefully-cultivated fresh soil. I knew my seeds had no hope of making it past the seedling stage unless I could find a way to protect them. I needed a fence that would keep the