The First Wildflower Wednesday

Walking on the Vestal Rail Trail, our local rail trail, can be a study in urban wildflowers.  Today I will post some flowers that I know (or think I know).

These photos were taken Sunday, and I hope to research some other flowers I took pictures of.  If I can't find out what they are I may post them anyway (next Wednesday) and perhaps one of my readers will know what they are.  You see, I have a selfish motive in posting these wildflower photos-I want to learn more about wildflowers, and the best way to do that, I figure, is to make a total fool of myself.

So if I make any mistake in identifying something, do let me know!

This first one is sumac.  I don't know the exact variety but my guess would be staghorn sumac.  Later in the summer these will grow red berries.  Assuming you don't use sumac berries from poison sumac, the berries are edible in tea, or ground and sprinkled on food.

When we owned land in rural Arkansas, we had several varieties.   There was one with bright red berries that made the best tea.  We also put them into jellies (the tea).  It wasn't my favorite but my spouse loved the tart flavor.

Ox-eye daisies, interspersed with the last of the dame's rocket. (the dame's rocket is about done for.)

Elderberries.  You've all heard of elderberries, right?  Well, the flowers are also useful.  In Arkansas, we mainly used the berries, for elderberry jelly.
The juice is used by some to treat colds.  You do have to be very careful of the stems and leaves.  Both are poisonous.

So that is the first Wildflower Wednesday.  Let me know what you think.