I have always been curious about the origin of unusual plant names, and with a nod towards Halloween, I thought I would embark on local plants with ominous or spooky names. So here goes:

Bloodroot: This early spring flowering plant has a large daisy-like flower and odd shaped scalloped leaves. As the name implies the roots when broken emits a bloody looking fluid, which Native Americans used for body paint and as an insect repellent

After a long hot summer my favorite time of year is finally here, with its balmy days, cool nights, and eventual forest color display that everyone looks forward to. If you ever wonder why leaves change color, here’s the latest scoop.

From science class you know that a tree leaf is green because it contains a group of pigments known as chlorophyll. These are so abundant during the summer that the green color hides any other pigments present. Chlorophyll has the life giving function of catching the sun's energy and using it to manufacture food and building materials for plants. During this process the chlorophyll breaks down but is constantly replaced during the growing season.

By Steve Roark
Volunteer Cumberland Gap National Historical Park

The late summer/early fall season puts on a good flower show in our area, especially asters, those daisy-and sunflower-like species that come in a variety of colors, yellow being most prominent. One species that is not only pretty to see but can also be enjoyed as a seldom used vegetable is Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus).

Deer are social creatures and so there is a need to communicate with one another. Sometimes it’s one on one trash talk, while other times it’s an alarm to an entire group.

There are several ways a deer communicates that it is alarmed about something. Stamping one hoof several times shows mild alarm. Next it may snort, which sounds like someone blowing their nose very hard, and has a high pitch sound. Lastly, when disturbed enough they will run, flipping their tail straight up and exposing the bushy white underside. This is called tail flagging, and it tells the other deer to get the heck out of Dodge.

During August and September, it is easy to spot Joe-Pye Weed along roadsides and woodland edges. I wondered about its name, so I did my usual research thing and discovered the following.

The Joe-Pye Weed common one around here is Eupatorium fistulosum. It has another nice name as well, Queen of the Meadow. It is a tall, slim plant 5-10 feet in height, with whorls of dark green, spear shaped leaves along the stem. What will catch your eye is the dome-shaped cluster of dull pink flowers that bloom from August into October. It is common in our area and easy to spot even from a moving car.

On October 26 be sure to look to the east at sunset and behold the most famous of all full moons, the Harvest Moon. Its nostalgia goes back to the days before electricity, when it was used as a night light by farmers to work longer in the fields to get the fall crops in, hence the name. But the Harvest Moon stands out for other reasons as well.

The eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus) is a member of the squirrel family and very common in our area and locally called ground squirrels. They are the little reddish-brown squirrels you see scurrying about in the woods. The average chipmunk is only 5-6 inches long with a narrow bushy tail. When they run, note that their tail is held straight up.

The mourning dove (Zenaidura macroura) is truly an All-American bird that can be found from coast to coast. It is brownish gray in color and around 1 foot in length with a wingspread of 20 inches. The dove has a long, slender tail that is white bordered and a black spot behind the eye. The species is monomorphic, meaning the male and female look alike. Birds that show distinct differences between the sexes are classified as dimorphic.

No one can deny that we humans like to see nature. It’s why we set aside land for city parks, national parks, and greenways. It’s why we get our fingernails dirty planting trees and flowers in our yard. And I don’t think anyone would dispute that being in a forest or quiet natural area has a calming effect. Some recent research is verifying that there is a relationship between the natural environment and improved health outcomes. Science guys love to hang impressive titles on things, and in this case enjoying nature is receiving “spatial emotional stimulus”.

Skunks need no introduction, with their black and white markings and universally known odor. The most common species in our area is the Striped Skunk (Mephitis mephitis), also known locally as a "polecat". This is another example of old English making it over the ocean and then preserved in mountain speech. Polecat was the name of a similar skunk species in the old country, which was particularly bad for raiding hen houses on farms. Poule is an old French word for "fowl”. The other alternative is that the first element is from the Old French pulent, which means "stinking."