I found this group of Staghorn Sumac trees alongside a road in a field.
These nontoxic trees are native to Eastern North America and Southern Canada. They measure 15-30 feet high with a spread that usually exceeds their height. These trees make a great home for birds and small mammals because they provide shelter and food for them.
My research tells me that in autumn, the female trees produce these fuzzy red berry clusters, however I took these photos during the summer in mid July.
Native Americans crushed these berries and made a lemon flavored drink.
As you can see from this photo that I took a couple of weeks ago on November 2, when the weather turns cold, the leaves turn red and fall off.
Happy Tree Tuesday!
Initiated by @old-guy-photos
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Information Source: oplin.org, thespruce.com, homeguides.sfgate.com, gardeningknowhow.com
Image Source: All photos are my own.
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This post has received a 30.45 % upvote from @boomerang.
I remember when I was a child we used to be cautioned about 'poison sumac'. I lived in the lower Hudson Valley. These are beautiful, and non toxic? Do you know how they differ from the poison variety?
@brisby told me to look you up. Glad I did:)
Hi @agmoore! So nice of you to stop by. And so nice of @brisby to send you my way. She is such a sweetheart! First I want to apologize for the long delay with my reply but I have not been well since Oct. 29th. The main reason for me not being here on Steemit is due to vision problems. Just have to take one day at a time.
To answer your question...the poison sumac loves to grow near or in water, their stems are red, they have loose berries and smooth leaf edges. I hope that info helps.
Wishing you and yours a wonderful Thanksgiving! : )
I'm so foolish...just upvoted my own comment when I was attempting to upvote yours. Moments like this are humbling.
It's always a pleasure to meet nice people here. I'll be watching out for your blogs :)
Please do not ever worry about that with me.
Thank you...I will be watching for your blogs too. : )
I can't count how often I've done the same, especially when using my cell phone. I'll go to upvote and then the page finishes loading. Sometimes, the page will 'jump' and I'll accidentally unfollow or mute someone. 😫
😁 I'm glad that you did too! 🤗
😁 😁
They're pretty but an absolute beast to get rid of! The area where I grew up was filled with the trees.
Each year, the town would send cutters out to keep the sumac from overtaking the roads (which I truly believe just made the plants laugh 😂). I guess you could say that it worked, as then the sumac would grow in the opposite direction and take over the yards and gardens. The trunks have to be chopped down to the dirt, then all the saplings need to be ripped up and if you're lucky, this only has to be repeated for a few years.
Come to think of it, we never tried a flamethrower...
Really? I had no idea they would be such a menace. This is the first time I have seen one. HaHa! I can just picture the sumac laughing now.
So sorry that it took me so long to reply but I haven't been well since Oct. 29th. You know about my vision problem. Well, I woke up on the 29th with Vertigo and my vision was completely gone in the bad eye and really wonky in the good eye. Not to mention how my stomach felt. Just as all of that was clearing up, I had a 3 day migraine from hell and it messed me all up again. So now, I just have to take it one day at a time as far as my vision goes. I am happy to see you doing well. Thanks so much for the shout out...sooooo sweet of you! Hugs! I am going to finally reply next. I feel so bad about replying so late.
Wishing you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving! I have so much to be thankful for, and you and your friendship is very high up on my list. : )
They are fighters, I'll give them credit for that. To be fair, I developed an allergy to the plants so I'm not a fan.
Please don't apologize! I do know about your vision and some of your other health issues and don't want you to EVER feel bad about not responding. (I much rather that you take care of yourself and not stress over things like that. 🤗 We're friends and that means even if months pass without response, I'm only going to be hoping that you're okay. And most likely will send stuff to give you a laugh.)
Uggh, I have very unkind words for vertigo. One of my friends suffers from bouts of it and is often laid up and trying to do some sort of exercise her doctor recommended (which don't seem to help all that much). Then for a migraine to come on?! NOT FAIR. 😠
I'm so glad that hear that you're feeling better. And yes, one day at a time is all that can be done. You come first, all else can wait. If you ever have need of some help from me, deliveries or what not, know that I'll fill in for my favorite cool cat whenever she wants. 💙
I hope that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Whatisnew! I'm truly grateful for your friendship as well. When I was pretty much gone from Steemit for a couple of months, you were one of the few who treated me as a true friend and checked in on me. I can't properly convey how much that meant to me. 🤗💖 (There really aren't enough emoji hearts for that. 😁)
Have yourself a terrific day, keep warm and always take care! HUGS!
Oh brisby...you are such a sweetheart!!! Tight HUGS! And you always make me smile many smiles. : ) I hope you know just how much you mean to me. And I can't thank you enough for always being there for me. : )
I feel for your friend. Yes, I was given those exercises too and I don't see any improvement. Hopefully, our bouts with vertigo will be far in between for both of us.
You have a great week and you keep warm too my dear, sweet brisby! : )
Ever tasted the crushed berries lemon juice @whatisnew ?
Ha, no I am not that brave. Being so close to a well traveled road makes me wonder how anything that grows there is safe to eat. And what about insecticides? I got really sick from wild herbs once and I will never, ever do that again.
So sorry for this late reply @simonjay. I have not been well since Oct. 29th. Vertigo, migraines and vision problems.
That is a good point and not worth the risks I was just curious lol, dont worry about the late reply I struggle to keep up these days which is also why less posts seem to come out, sorry to hear you are not well I hope for a recovery soon have you managed to see a doctor @whatisnew?
Thanks @simonjay. I am doing much better now. I have suffered with these problems for many, many years and have been through many different kinds of physical therapy and I even went through a series of injections in my head. Never again! I do get 3 day migraines about every 2-3 weeks but I don't get vertigo very often, thank goodness. I think this last vertigo attack was due to the drastic weather change. Lots of cold, windy, rainy days here. Thanks again for your concern. : )
Happy to hear your feeling better now @whatisnew wow injections to the head yes that doesn't sound very uncomfortable. My grandma also used to suffer with with many headaches, seems the brain itself is indeed a area of pain for many, I get these weird but very painful ones sometimes where nothing else will fix it except going to sleep for a few hours, for some reason I haven't had one now since early this year. I know what you mean the weather change can sometimes really effect our bodies.
Beautiful trees with bright green leaves and amazing red berry clusters! I would love to try the "lemon flavored drink", it would be yummy, right?
I also like the red leaves in the last photo, very beautiful, too.
You took great photos of them. ;)
I read in my research that the drink is like Lemonade. Thanks for your kinds words as always sis. : )
So sorry it took me so long to reply. I have not been well since October 29th. Vertigo, migraines and vision problems. I think it is all due to the cold, windy weather. We also had our first snow and freezing rain during that time. It was way too early for that here.
You're welcome! ;)
Oh! I'm so sorry to hear that you have not been well since October 29th. Hope you get well soon! Please take good care of yourself and always stay warmed, my dear sis!
Thanks, my dear sis! I am doing much better now and trying my best to stay warm.
I'm happy to hear that.... Stay strong and have good health! I'm with you, my dear sis! ;)
Thank you sis! You are such a sweetheart! : )
You're welcome! You are my sweetheart, too! ;)
Thank you sis! You are such a sweetheart! : )
They use a lot of Sumac in Lebanon as a seasoning. You are right, it has a lemony flavour. They put it in salads and all sorts of local dishes.
Isn't that interesting that it is still being used today. Thanks for the info. Good to see you @molometer and hope you are doing well. Thanks again! : )
I'm doing great thanks. We visited Lebanon last year and Sumac was in just about everything.
We stayed in the mountains and the villagers harvested it locally.
Glad to hear that you are doing well. : ) I can only imagine what it was like to visit Lebanon, especially in the mountains. Happy trails @molometer! : )
Imagine no more...Here is a quick montage of my trip to Lebanon lol !tip
Wow! Thanks so much for sending this to me. Looks like a beautiful place as long as you stay off of the busy roads. : )
And thanks so much for the tip @molometer. What a nice surprise! : )
🎁 Hi @whatisnew! You have received 0.1 SBD tip from @molometer!
@molometer wrote lately about: Be The Light In Dark Times Feel free to follow @molometer if you like it :)
Sending tips with @tipU - how to guide :)
HaHa! That is me for sure! It is freezing here and way too early for it to be so cold. Stay warm brisby! : )
It's the same here. I'll be outside and think, "Oh, this isn't too bad." Then the wind kicks me in the teeth to remind me that yes, it is.
Thank you and I hope that you're keeping nice and toasty too!
P.S. With X-Mas on the way, I should hit up some sales on some glittery golden kitty litter! It'll be the most popular ('poopular?' 🤔) gift of the season! 😂
OMG! I will never forget the glitter kitty litter. HaHaHaHa! : )
Hope all is well with you. I'm ready to rock and roll today so see you later!
Hi dear, I am here. Hope I last...rock on!
Please don't worry, if you feel unwell I can handle it. I noticed you hadn't posted in a week so was afraid you weren't feeling the best.
Thanks my friend. No, I am not well at all. More vertigo, migraines and vision problems. So far so good today though. Yay! I just never know when it is going to hit me.
My heart goes out to you. I'm guessing you've tried every lotion and potion there is that could help. Anyway, if you have to run away I'll know what's happened. It looks like Marianne has forgotten us today!
Oh yes, tried everything including injections in my head. It is probably due to my TMJ and the cold, windy weather along with whatever else is in the air. I was wondering where Marianne was too. Thanks for always having my back babe! : )
Happy Thanksgiving ❤ @whatisnew! Been missing you!
I read here just now and sure hope you feel better!!
Hugs to you my friend 💕 Wish I knew something that
would help.
Happy Thanksgiving to you too @shasta! I miss you too! Hugs back at ya! I am finally beginning to feel better now. I think this all started with the cold wind and the cold rain, and too much of it. Last week we had our first s**w with freezing rain too. Way too early for that here. Yesterday it was 19 degrees. Looks like it is going to be a l-o-n-g winter! Hope you are doing well and thanks for caring my friend. : )
I love sumac!! Are yours in the photos really the staghorn variety? There are SO MANY variations, I could never be a botanist. The flaming red leaves in autumn are gorgeous. We have a colony of "volunteer" sumac (thank you, birds) that I've watched from seedling to taller than me, and they create a little forest at the edge of our treeline. Toxic, invasive, but native, I love 'em! And I love your facts that accompany your photos. --Wait, you say yours are nontoxic. And here I believed ours (which look identical to your photos) are not. I'd better revisit those botany books! In my childhood we had two staghorn trees with thick trunks that were climb-able, and these look different to me. Maybe it takes many years to reach that stage of being climbable...? Great photos!!
They sure are pretty, aren't they? You just gotta love birds for dropping surprises. LOL! Yes, these are nontoxic staghorn. They sure don't look like they are clime-able so I think maybe they are young ones, like you said. Thanks again! : )