Phenology Report: What’s more edible, a spittlebug or a red elderberry?

This week, staff phenologist John Latimer compares the boreal forest and lake ecosystems of Ontario to that of Minnesota, introduces us to a naked miterwort, and discusses the comparative edibility of local fruits and an insect – more on that below. Enjoy!

Charlie Mitchell

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KAXE

• Introduction (0:00 – 0:40) 
• What’s going on in Canada? (0:40 – 8:26) 
  
  • Lack of deer leads to Canada yew, young cedar, thick understory (1:20-2:58) 
  • Forest composition (2:58-4:15)
  • Naked miterwort (4:15-5:51) 
  • Round-leaved pyrola (5:51-6:32) 
  • Other wildflowers (6:32-6:54) 
  • Lack of worms leads to deep duff (6:54-7:26) 
  • Dark, clear skies (7:26-8:28) 
• Wildflowers in Minnesota (9:02-9:27) 
• Fruit development and (in)edibility (9:27-12:38) 
• Loon chicks (12:38-13:08) 
• Eaglet (13:08-13:37) 
• Insects (13:37-16:14)
  
  • Spittlebugs (13:37-14:37) 
  • Jewelwing damselflies (14:37-16:14) 
• Conclusion (16:14-17:03) 

Kids are always asking John whether they can eat various items in nature, and I’ve heard him answer in a few ways:

• “You could, but why would you?”
• “Did you bring toilet paper?” 
• "You can eat anything once."

In this week’s report, John highlights the red elderberry as a fruit that looks and sounds attractive, but whose edibility is questionable.

He began, “Allegedly - I have not tried this – you can cook them and separate the seeds from the pulp, and it’s supposed to be edible." However, John then recounts a story of a woman who was selling red elderberries, only to be told by one of her customers that they had made her sick. As a conscientious person, she tried them herself.

At first, she tried eating them straight. She wasn’t able to; they weren’t palatable. So, she put a quarter-cup into her oatmeal, and ate them that way. A half-hour later, she got a terrible stomachache followed by diarrhea and vomiting for 24 hours.

She and her customer could have avoided these digestive misfortunes by asking an expert, performing a quick online search or stopping by the library!

(For another excellent example of someone embracing the do-it-yourself method of testing ediblity, please enjoy this spectacular botany article from 1903.)

Have you ever eaten something you shouldn’t? What happened? Let us know; email us at comments@kaxe.org or text us at 218-326-1234.

That does it for this week! For more phenology, <b>subscribe</b> to our Season Watch Newsletter or visit the Season Watch Facebook page.

Funding for this project was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR).