Texas Milkweed Beetle (Tetraopes texanus) was a colorful contrast on the Green Milkweed (Asclepias viridis)! The larvae are root borers and the adults feed on the leaves and flowers of the milkweeds.
Western Horse Nettle (Solanum dimidiatum) can host several insects. Furthermore the Eggplant Tortoise Beetle (Gratiana pallidula) can reliably be found on them! After all they do like to dine on it. 😉
No flowers yet on the Spotted Beebalm (Monarda punctata var intermedia)!
So a curled Greenbriar (Smilax bon-nox) leaf required investigation.
Well, this time no one was there.
Scurf-pea Linearifolia (Pediomelum linearifolium) is a wispy prairie plant. Another common name for them are Narrowleaf Indian Breadroot. So perhaps the root is edible?? I could not find any one it saying was. Many of the Prickly Pear Cactus(Opuntia) spines are at the flexible stage. However don’t be fooled because the tiny brown glochids at the spine’s base will cause pain too.
Finally a nice patch of the Spotted Beebalm that was further along!
This one was flowering! And the Green Lynx Spider was happy to wait for a meal to fly in!
Do you have the book Edible Wild Plants of the Prairie by Kelly Kindscher? It might have a section on the Pediomelums. If not, let me know and I’ll find my copy.
I checked my book. It doesn’t mention Pediomelum linearifolium, but it does cover a cousin, Psoralea esculenta, which he calls prairie turnip. Dr. Kindscher worked for the Kansas Biological Survey for many years so it’s a more northerly species.
P. linearifolium was formerly a Psoralea, so it probably does have an edible root. His book was published in 1987 so there’s been a lot of taxonomical changes since then. I will photograph the pages for P. esculenta and email them to you.
Thanks for the pages! Yes, I agree it is probably edible. Perhaps I will dig one up to see how big it. And perhaps I will write Dr. Kindscher to see what he says about our species.
There is a new addition, including an e-book version.
Edible Wild Plants of the Prairie: An Ethnobotanical Guide Kindle Edition
by Kelly Kindscher (Author) 2024….I got it. 🙂 Looking forward to reading more of it! Thanks!
Wood wide web. Wish it could tell us what the trees are actually saying.
Maybe we will find out some day 😊
Do you have the book Edible Wild Plants of the Prairie by Kelly Kindscher? It might have a section on the Pediomelums. If not, let me know and I’ll find my copy.
I dont have that one. 🤷🏻♀️ i have Foraging Texas by Knight and Coplin. It doesn’t say.
I checked my book. It doesn’t mention Pediomelum linearifolium, but it does cover a cousin, Psoralea esculenta, which he calls prairie turnip. Dr. Kindscher worked for the Kansas Biological Survey for many years so it’s a more northerly species.
P. linearifolium was formerly a Psoralea, so it probably does have an edible root. His book was published in 1987 so there’s been a lot of taxonomical changes since then. I will photograph the pages for P. esculenta and email them to you.
Thanks for the pages! Yes, I agree it is probably edible. Perhaps I will dig one up to see how big it. And perhaps I will write Dr. Kindscher to see what he says about our species.
There is a new addition, including an e-book version.
Edible Wild Plants of the Prairie: An Ethnobotanical Guide Kindle Edition
by Kelly Kindscher (Author) 2024….I got it. 🙂 Looking forward to reading more of it! Thanks!
😍
You may have already seen this, but he also published a companion book, Medicinal Wild Plants of the Prairie.
Do you have the other book?
Yes I do. I bought them from the author at a conference years ago.
I had wondered if you might have not met or knew him. 🙂
So much life!! My spotted beebalm is nowhere that big yet.
I bet soon.
I’ll bet there’s more out there “talking” than just the trees!
For sure!