The Unofficial 100 Species Challenge

This year in science we are all about Botany. With that in mind, I've been thinking of keeping a running list of plants the girls and I can identify. After running across the 100 Species Challenge, I have some real motivation now. The idea is to see how many neighborhood plant species you can identify, and keep a running list on your blog. It's a wonderful idea, and we're going to attempt it. We won't be officially participating in the online challenge because I'm too lazy to commit, and because there are rules. We'll just have fun keeping our own list.

What with the hot weather, the girls and I haven't been on a nature walk in a while.
I'm itching to ramble with them again, past the manicured lawns, and around the bend where the woods grow right up to the road. In the meantime, say hello to our first two listings....


1. Virginia Ground Cherry

I found this pretty little flower today growing beneath our mailbox which is across the street on an empty lot.
I got out the field guide and Sissy identified it. The "cherries" grow inside round papery sacs, and are poisonous when green but edible after they ripen.
A very interesting plant considering I'd been practically stepping on it every day and never noticed it before. I'm already liking this challenge. Anything that causes you to slow down and appreciate a small part of God's creation has to be a good thing.


2. Pokeweed
There are several of these growing on the lot across the street. According to the Wildflowers of Tennessee guide, the young leaves are edible after being boiled in two changes of water (are these the poke greens I remember my mother cooking?) but all parts of the mature plant including the delicious-looking berries are poisonous.





Well, it's a start. I'd love to limit the list to wildflowers, but it will include trees and cultivated plants I'm already familiar with in and around our yard. This is in within the rules of the official 100 Species Challenge and it will get our list much further along than wildflowers alone. I still don't see us reaching 100 but that's not as important as having fun naming all the plants in our yard and beyond, and learning some new ones along the way.