Out for a Woods Walk
With this unusually warm February weather, I thought I'd go for a hike through some local woods to make some observations and see what resources I could find.
The trail was nicely maintained, but I soon deviated from it.
A nice mixed hardwood forest of mostly oak and elm.
A beautiful stand of older red pines.
Goldenrod grows in more open areas. The tops of the plant make an excellent winter fire tinder.
Bracket fungus (left) and punkwood (right) both make an excellent year-round tinder as well. Larger pieces will burn slowly for an hour or more, allowing you to carry a readily available ember with you when moving from spot to spot.
A dead elm with the bark just starting to fall off. This is a good indicator of a potential morel spot come spring. I always take note of these when I come across them.
Red osier dogwood is a good material for weaving baskets and mats. I harvested some for a future project.
Mullein stalks work well as the spindle (drill) for a hand-drill fire. The dried leaves also make a medicinal tea.
A stand of aspens and more red osier dogwood. I wish the camera could better capture the contrast of the red, white, and blue..
Pushing on..
Entering a stand of mixed pines. I bet I can find some fatwood in here. Fatwood is resin-saturated dead pinewood that ignites easily and continues to burn even in wind and rain. I'm always on the lookout for this stuff.
This log had potential, and sure enough, it was full of it. Look for the deep red/orange color and strong turpentine-like smell.
A sapling bow could be made from this bent ash sapling. I'll be attempting this project in the near future.
A surprising amount of deer and coyote activity, considering we're surrounded by the city.
On my way out, I collected some sumac seed clusters. I'll grind these into sumac spice.
Even living in the city, you can find wild places like this. This fairly large patch of woods was only three miles from my home in St. Paul, and there were plenty of useful natural materials to be found.
Thanks for coming along.