Foxglove
What does the foxglove say? Well, not much in terms of sound production. However, with showy blooms on stems that may reach up to 6 feet, they are sure to turn heads.
Digitalis purpurea is the scientific name for foxglove.
According to wikipedia.org, digitalis is a genus of about 20 species of herbaceous perennials, shrubs and biennials. The site also stated that the term digitalis actually comes from the word digit referring to the plant’s finger-sized blossoms, hence the glove-part of the foxglove moniker.
Foxglove
A few Facebook friends had lamented earlier that cultivating foxglove plants seemed to be a challenge. This could be due to it being a biennial or a plant that takes two years to grow from seed to fruition and die, according to the site plants.usda.gov.
The website gardeningknowhow.com, offered some advice on planting foxglove.
“As a biennial or short-lived perennial, the gardener can encourage re-growth of foxglove flowers by not allowing the soil to dry out or to get too soggy,” the site said.
The site went on to say that how much sun or shade foxgloves need depends on the summer heat in the region where they are growing.
“The hotter the summers, the more shade the plant needs,” the site said.
Meanwhile, several sites warn about the foxglove plant.
All parts of the plant are poisonous, possibly even deadly, if swallowed, according to www.poison.org.
The website, www.petpoisonhelpline.com, issued a warning that pet owners should keep dogs and cats away from the plant as well.
“Foxglove contains naturally-occurring poisons that affect the heart, specifically cardenolides or bufadienolides. These poisons are called cardiac glycoside toxins, and they interfere directly with electrolyte balance within the heart muscle,” the site said.
The website poison.org said folks might recognize “digitalis” as the name of a heart medicine.
“In fact, the medicine is derived from this plant, and that is why measuring digoxin (a form of digitalis) concentrations in the blood can help detect foxglove poisoning,” the website said.
The site went on to say that “people who eat any part of the plant or make tea from the leaves are, in essence, taking an unregulated dose of heart medicine. This can cause the heart rate to slow down or become irregular. Both can be dangerous and life threatening.”
So it’s safe to say that foxglove is one of those plants we should just look at but don’t touch and definitely don’t even think about consuming it.
A frog at the neighbor’s pond.
Song sparrow perches in a tree
Day lilies
Meanwhile, the day lilies are out. Waterbugs continue to send ripples across the surface of the neighbor’s pond.
Water bugs create ripples on the neighbor’s pond.
The Applegate pooches got a wading pool.
Sadie and Sherman in the pool
This suited Sadie and Sherman just fine, but Buford prefers his swimming hole, complete with mud and water snakes.
Buford swims in the neighbor’s pond.
A Walk in the Woods contains photos from newsroom staffer Anna Applegate’s daily jaunts around her neck of the woods. Tagging along on the treks are dogs Buford, Sherman and Sadie, and goats Kyle and Kennedy. Applegate manages the Good Times and can be emailed at bigdogs.thederrick@gmail.com.
