Bleeding Heart
(Dicentra Formosa)
This week on my nature walk I saw this plant sprouting leaves all over the place. I thought it might be the Pacific Bleeding Heart but without flowers, I get it confused with the horrible Herb-Robert which is an invasive weed that poisons native plants. I could tell for sure by just smelling its roots but I was afraid. You see, when I sniff the roots of an Herb-Robert, my nose runs like a faucet. I didn't want to deal with that. But now that I look at this pic I took, I recognize the stem is smooth and not obviously hairy. Bleeding hearts have smooth stems and Herb-Robert has hairy stems. So it must be the Bleeding Heart leaves that are sprouting everywhere!! This is my favorite plant!! It has the most beautiful leaves of any plant I've seen.
It looks like parsley! I so want to learn about the local flora, I'll have to break down and buy some books one day. I'd like to incorporate more of the local weeds and herbs into my cooking. I use juniper berry, but that's it.
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