Plant lore

properties of protection from witches. Early European stories describe cutting the wood of elderberry plants or crafting an infant’s crib made from its wood as unlucky. According to Brothers Grimm fairy tales, it is wise to keep a bouquet of elder owers picked in midsummer on hand in case a devil wanders by.

Burdock (Saponaria o cinalis) — sometimes called soaproot — was a favorite herb of Venus and, therefore, useful in love matters. A love charm prescribes to pick a burr o a burdock plant and name it after the one you love or fancy. en, throw it against your clothing and if it sticks, the object of your a ection feels the same as you. If it does not stick, the person does not share your a ection.

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Slope and 90 east of the Continental Divide, including the Great Plains, reports Michelle Cowardin, a wildlife biologist for Colorado Parks and Wildlife. e Craig and Meeker areas have lots of high priority roads, but so is much of I-76 between Fort Morgan to Julesburg has many high-priority segments.

Some jurisdictions are diving deeper. Eagle County has completed a study of wildlife connectivity, and in the Aspen area, a non-pro t called Safe Passages has secured funding to begin identifying highest-priority locations in the Roaring Fork and Crystal River valleys. ese new studies attest to a shift in public attitudes. Rob Ament of Montana State University’s Western Transportation Institute says wildlife connectivity is becoming institutionalized in how we think about transportation corridors. Instead of an extravagance, he says, crossings are becoming a cost of doing business. is is happening internationally, too. “My world is just exploding,” he said while reciting crossings for elephants in Bangladesh, tigers in ailand and work for other species in Argentina, Nepal, and Mongolia. If in some ways a long time in coming, we are rede ning the relationship between highways and wildlife.

Check out other work by Allen Best about climate change, the energy transition and other topics at BigPivots.com.

Mullein (Verbascum spp.) is a commonly found plant in Denver that comes from the Greek word ego, meaning `set on re.’ Accounts of the plant describe it as used as a wick to put into lamps to burn for light — the leaves were rolled and dried and used as wicks for oil lamps and candles. Later Europeans would dip mullein stalks in beef fat and burn them to frighten o evil spirits, assigning a common name of Aaron’s Rod who used a long sta in the Book of Exodus to overcome Pharaoh’s evil sorcerers.

Goldenrod (Solidago spp.) tales are those of prosperity. Tales of nding goldenrod in the wild is a sign that buried treasure lay beneath. If it were to grow by a house door, then the inhabitants could expect great fortune.

Artemisia species, or mugwort, have been used for its medicinal

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OLIVIA JEWELL LOVE Community Editor olove@coloradocommunitymedia.com purposes through the centuries and all over the world. Herbalists claim that artemisia species were an excellent comfort for the brain. Crushing its leaves and inhaling its aromatic fragrance is said to have a calming e ect.

One of my personal plant lore stories comes from growing up in Ohio exploring the woods with other children. I learned Queens Anne’s Lace (Daucus carota) was picked to adorn the hair of women in the “olden days,” made popular by Queen Anne. Women also collected these owers on their wedding day to be sewed onto their dress for extra beauty and embellishment as lace.

Bridget Blomquist is the associate director of horticulture for the Denver Botanic Gardens.

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