Janet Brien's photos with the keyword: Miner's Lettuce

This is a fleshy annual plant native to the western mountain and coastal regions of North America from southernmost Alaska and central British Columbia south to Central America, but most common in California in the Sacramento and northern San Joaquin valleys. It grows in cool, damp areas on our property in Southern Oregon in the early spring to about May or whenever it begins to get dry and warm. These lovely little plants were growing in the shade of the pine forest we walked through, though they were at the end of their growing season with the heat of summer coming to this high altitude area. Miner's Lettuce gets its name because it was eaten by miners during the Goldrush era to prevent scurvy and provide vitamin C. It has a delicate flavor and can be mixed into salad greens. It is sometimes boiled, and then has the flavor and consistency of spinach. This plant was introduced in western Europe in 1749 and has been widely naturalized there. (some of this information was gathered from Wikipedia) This image was taken on the hike to the base of Pilot Rock in Southern Oregon on July 23.

[best appreciated at full size against black] I've been keeping my eyes open for this darling little flower because I missed it last year and that made me a very sad panda. (I did take a nice picture of it when on a hike, but boo hoo, it's not the same thing!!) I love this flower for several reasons. One--it's very tiny! The flower is only about 1/4" in diameter! Two--the blossom stems grow from these fleshy leaves that look very much like lily pads in the air! Three--Miner's Lettuce is edible, and in fact, is sometimes served in fancy restaurants as part of their specialty salad menus! Isn't that cool?! :D I've tried it but honeestly, it tastes a lot like lawn trimmings to me! :D Miner's Lettuce is a fleshy annual plant native to the western mountain and coastal regions of North America from southernmost Alaska and central British Columbia south to Central America, but most common in California in the Sacramento and northern San Joaquin valleys. It grows in cool, damp areas on our property in Southern Oregon in the early spring to about May or whenever it begins to get dry and warm. It gets its name because it was eaten by miners during the Goldrush era to prevent scurvy and provide vitamin C. It has a delicate flavor and can be mixed into salad greens. It is sometimes boiled, and then has the flavor and consistency of spinach. This plant was introduced in western Europe in 1749 and has been widely naturalized there. If you would like more information about this wonderful plant, Wiki has a great source here: Wiki: Miner's Lettuce, Claytonia perfoliata I've uploaded two other pictures today and I hope you'll visit them too! Thanks to all of you who have visited and have left comments and favorites! I try to go to all of your pages within a day or two and is a highlight for me to see your beautiful photography! :) NOTE! I have finally updated my profile and I hope you'll take a look to find out a little more about me and how important all of you are to my experience here on Flickr! www.flickr.com/people/sfhipchick/ This image was taken in April, 2012.

[best appreciated at full size against black] Yesterday's first image was Miner's Lettuce , and you'll notice a familiar flower here. But what's that on one of the flower petals?! Keep in mind, each petal is just about the size of a grain of rice! I would like you all to say hello to this very tiny fly, who is so small that it is dwarfed by the size of the flower petal it sits on! It's no larger than 1/16" in size!!!! Can you believe this?! When I was taking pictures of Miner's Lettuce, I noticed a little black speck on one of the blossoms. Slowly leaning a bit closer, I could barely tell that it was a fly. To my great joy, it sat calmly while I took several pictures, and I was hoping against hope that one of the pictures would turn out. I was elated when I took a look on my computer, and found this little friend perfectly crisp and ready to be a little star! I can't tell you how incredibly happy I am to have my macro lens, because it's allowing me to take pictures I never dreamed were possible!! HOORAY!!! :D :D :D I've uploaded two other pictures today and I hope you'll visit them too! Thanks to all of you who have visited and have left comments and favorites! I try to go to all of your pages within a day or two and is a highlight for me to see your beautiful photography! :) NOTE! I have finally updated my profile and I hope you'll take a look to find out a little more about me and how important all of you are to my experience here on Flickr! www.flickr.com/people/sfhipchick/ This image was taken in April, 2012.

[best appreciated at full size against black] The other day I mentioned finding several new flowers in one small area, and here is one of them! When it came time to identify it, two things happened: the first thing was that I couldn't figure out what it was. The second thing was that I had a nagging feeling that I new what it was all along. Sometimes things are so obvious you don't see them...like looking for the butter in the refrigerator and it's right there in front of your nose and you can't find it! I finally threw my hands up in frustration, tossed my flower books aside, and went back down to where I found this flower. When I took a close look, I exclaimed outloud, "IT'S A MINER'S LETTUCE SPECIES!! NO WONDER I THOUGHT IT LOOKED FAMILIAR!! This flower is different in three ways: the flower is a slightly different shape, the blossom grows high above the leaf which resembles a lily pad, and that leaf is very small compared to the other type. It's possible that this is actually the same species but I really doubt it becuase they are so different from one another. Miner's Lettuce is a fleshy annual plant native to the western mountain and coastal regions of North America from southernmost Alaska and central British Columbia south to Central America, but most common in California in the Sacramento and northern San Joaquin valleys. It grows in cool, damp areas on our property in Southern Oregon in the early spring to about May or whenever it begins to get dry and warm. It gets its name because it was eaten by miners during the Goldrush era to prevent scurvy and provide vitamin C. It has a delicate flavor and can be mixed into salad greens. It is sometimes boiled, and then has the flavor and consistency of spinach. This plant was introduced in western Europe in 1749 and has been widely naturalized there. If you would like more information about this wonderful plant, Wiki has a great source here: Wiki: Miner's Lettuce, Claytonia perfoliata This image was taken in April, 2012.