Last month (it doesn't seem that long ago...), we (the herbies) went on a week camping trip to Los Padres National Forrest. We were supposed to go to a specific spot call "The Indians", but it was raining so much that we couldn't use the roads to get there. So we settled at a different local, and set up in the rain!
Harlequin Lupine
We did a lot of plant identification, and talked about medicinal properties. We made mugwort and black sage infused olive oil for a salve. We made mugwort vinegar. We made yerba santa tincture. Ask me for some if you come visit!
Western Peony
We spent one afternoon talking about flower essences. A flower essence is used for the emotional health, for soul rather than body. The flower is infused into water by the sun, and depending on the plant, will help with depression, sadness, anger, ...
We went hiking one day, and it was beautiful. Much of the trail was still muddy from the rains, so we took of our shoes and hiked barefoot. The rains had brought out so many lovely plants, including this field of lupine.