Sunday, 8:00 AM. 60 degrees, wind ENE, calm. The channel is calm with some ripples. The barometer is down, predicting partly cloudy skies, which they are at present. It is a very quiet morning, even the birds are silent.
Millfoil, also called yarrow, genus Achillea, is an interesting group of plants important to the garden and to herbal medicine. The yellow millfoil pictured here is A. fillipendula, a stalwart garden perennial. A. millifolia is white, or occasionally rosy, and a common roadside weed and native plant throughout the northern hemisphere. The genus is named after the Greek conqueror Achilles, who reputedly used the plant A. millifolia to staunch the bleeding of battle wounds, and military plant and woundwort are Euorpean common names. The leaves of the A. fillipendula have a strong camphor-like odor that is quite unmistakable, and will separate the Achillia from the somewhat look-alike Tanacetum. The species name millefolia refers to the finely divided leaves, and another common name is “million leaves.” I have not, fortunately, had the need to use this herb to stop copius bleeding, but will try it the next time I get a nosebleed or cut myself.
Later: being an honest and hopefully scientific observer of the natural world, I must report that our indicator tree did not predict the rain currently falling, but, to be fair, neither did my barometer. Chalk one up for the weatherman, who predicted showers this afternoon.
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