Striped Pine Prince

Take a walk and you will notice many things. This is what an art teacher told me during a contour line exercise. She said, “When you drive in a car you see large objects, ride your bicycle and you will see more, take a walk and you will be able to see details”. This is exactly what happened on a walk through Brookside on New Year’s Day. My husband and I took a walk through the park. The landscape was mostly gray and brown with the occasional green from a holly or rhododendron.

I stopped for a moment, looked down, and saw some green leaves amongst the fallen leaves. It was a small plant, dark green with pale green veining. With my curiosity peeked I took out my phone and took a picture of the plant. With the magic of Siri on my phone I identiIied the plant as a Striped Prince’s Pine, Chimaphilia maculata, which is a small perennial evergreen herb native to eastern North America and down through Panama.

The term herb intrigued me so I dug a little deeper. According to Wikipedia this herb was used by Indigenous People to treat rheumatism and stomach problems, help break down gallstones and kidney stones. They also crushed the leaves to create a poultice for sores and wounds. I wonder how they would fare in the pollinator garden I planted? They are deer resistant after all and native to Suffolk, the 2 requirements I need. Actually they also need to be rabbit resistant. Those little furry creatures are eating some of my plants to the ground! Next time you take a walk stop every now and again to notice what’s around you.