Blinking Chickweed
Montia fontana, commonly known as blinks or water blinks, water chickweed or annual water miner's lettuce, is a herbaceous annual plant of the genus Montia. It is a common plant that can be found in wet environments around the globe, from the tropics to the Arctic. It is quite variable in morphology, taking a variety of forms. It is sometimes aquatic.
blinking chickweed
Download File: https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fgohhs.com%2F2uiPEi&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AOvVaw3U-SF4rzSXqtGP8Z48E7nE
In the spring it seemed like the chickweed looked exactly as you described but as summer progressed the same stuff had hair all around the stem?! What?! Is this not chickweed or does it change as the plant matured?
Chickweed should have a thin straight line of hairs on the stem, a bit like a mohican haircut. There are other varieties of chickweed without the hairs but the most common and safest is to stick to chickweed with the line of hairs on the stem.
Another variety of chickweed, known as sticky chickweed, has a slight variation in appearance. It grows a bit more upright, and its stems are hairy. Some of the hairs leave behind glandular secretions, giving it a sticky feel and earning it its nickname.
The best way to keep chickweed out of your lawn is to prevent it from growing in the first place. And the best way to prevent chickweed is by maintaining a healthy lawn, ideally with professional lawn care services. A thick lawn of grass and desirable plants will leave little room for chickweed to grow. You can take several steps to promote lawn health.
You can remove chickweed by hand. If you choose to remove it by hand, be sure to pull out the entire plant and root. Then bag up and dispose of all plant parts, as they can re-root if left on the soil. Manual chickweed removal can be tricky. You have to be diligent, removing all remnants of the plant to ensure it does not grow back. Professional lawn care service providers will know how to remove chickweed correctly and save you the hassle.
Except for the far east and west coasts, CGs are found from the Rio Grande well north into Canada, especially in the eastern half of the US. Because their larvae eat the leaves of chickweed (and clover and smartweed and other low plants) and because lawns may be hotbeds of chickweed and clover, CGs are often found in manicured situations, where their presence is welcomed. Adults may sit on flowers, and they may pollinate flowers, but they probably do not eat. They are eaten by predators, but Sogaard, in Moths and Caterpillars of the North Woods, wonders if their cheery colors signal that they are distasteful.
Q. My husband has prided himself on being an organic gardener for almost 20 years and has never used any chemicals on our lawn, which looks out of place in our neighborhood of impeccable landscaping. It is full of chickweed, clover, and violets. I find it unattractive and it diminishes the pleasure I have in our property. Is there a way to have an attractive organic lawn? We give organic care a bad name!
But all the weeds you mention are edible and highly nutritious. We've discussed how the flowers of wild violets can perk up a salad and make your varicose and spider veins vanish in this Previous Question of the Week and we'll talk about chickweed in a moment.
And your chickweed is far from a tough garden problem; it's easily pulled, hoed and mulched away. And using a flame weeder to torch its distinctive white flowers in Spring and fall will prevent it dropping the seed that fuels the growth of new plants. Just realize before you take such action that it's one of the most nutritious of the edible weeds!
Our good friend and renowned expert on medicinal and edible plants, Dr. Jim Duke (author of numerous books, including the best-selling "Green Pharmacy" from Rodale and the soon to be released (also from Rodale) "The Green Pharmacy Guide to Healing Foods"), notes that the young leaves of chickweed; preferably harvested before those little white flowers open; are a favorite fresh addition to Springtime salads. Boil those leaves, adds Dr. Duke, and the taste is a lot like cooked spinach.
Dr. Duke adds that chickweed has a long folk history as an anti-inflammatory, both when taken internally (i.e., eaten) and applied topically as a poultice. The science supports this, he explains, as chickweed has been found to contain genistein, a natural COX-2-Inhibitor that functions to control inflammation in a way comparable to the synthetic prescription medications Celebrex and Vioxx. More importantly, he explains, genistein is one of the more promising plant-based compounds for the prevention of cancer, especially hormonally-influenced ones. Genistein prevents blood vessels from feeding new cancer cells, preventing them from becoming full-blown tumors. It's also a great source of the antioxidant vitamins C and E, and the carotenoids that are precursors of Vitamin A.
Making a fresh herb poultice to address inflammation and support the eye area is a great option if you have any of these herbs growing around you: chickweed, plantain, calendula, or violet (all leaves or leaf/flower). Simply chop up or crush the fresh plant until it's moist and juicy enough to be clumped into a ball or paste and apply this to the eye area, covering it with a moist cloth if desired.
Back to the herbal eyewashes made via the three main methods described above, if you're using a clean, sanitized dropper then simply drop the solution into the affected eye, blinking to help it fully absorb and reach everywhere. If using an eye cup like the one pictured, pour enough into your eye cup to fill it up halfway, hold it up to your eye (head down) to create a seal, then tip your head up and let the solution permeate your eye area, blinking and opening your eye, for 30 seconds to a minute. Use the mixture applied to the eyes 2-6 times daily until the desired outcome is achieved. 041b061a72