May 18: White Campion, Highbush Cranberry, and a disclaimer

Since I'm about to talk about another wildflower that is non-native to Michigan and which many people consider a weed, now would be a good time for a disclaimer. My definition of "wildflower" is very liberal compared to experts in these matters. If it's a flower and it grows in the wild without a human purposely planting it there or caring for it, I'm calling it a wildflower in this blog. I just want to know about every flower I see.

OK, now we can talk about White Campion, which looks very different during the day than at night. Here's a day shot.

White Campion during the day

And at about 7 p.m. in the evening:

White Campion in the evening

White Campion is native to Europe, Africa, and temperate Asia, and made it here during colonial times. It is also called White Cockle, Evening Lycnhis, White Robin, Snake Cuckoo, Thunder Flower, and Bull Rattle.  Pretty interesting names -- I wonder how those came about! You can use the root of White Campion as a soap substitute for washing clothes.  To get the soap, simmer the root in hot water.

Another white flower which you won't find in an official list of Michigan wildflowers is the Highbush Cranberry, which is actually a bush. 

Highbush Cranberry

I guess the "flowers with power" are the tiny ones in the middle -- the ones on the outside are infertile. The Hobblebush has nearly identical flowers, though Hobblebush leaves are shaped like ovals. 

The Highbush Cranberry has red berries which are not cranberries, although they are edible. Apparently they are not very popular with wildlife though, since many of the berries stay on the bush into the winter.

According to Wildflowers-and-weeds website, there are three different kinds of Highbush Cranberry bushes, and only the variety native to America has berries which taste any good. The leaves on this bush look like maple leaves (see left). 

The berries turn from green to red in late August, and as soon as this happens they are ready for picking. You can use the berries to make juice, jam, cranberry sauce, or cranberry-applesauce. The above mentioned website gives some helpful tips for how to process the berries for the best results.