... also known as the Bloodroot flower. Not only is this native wildflower beautiful, but it is medicinal and ecologically crucial to the wild forests of the East Coast. ^u^

The sap, leaking from the root, is a very potent (but a bit staining) insect repellent, and will keep most biting bugs off especially biting flies, fleas, and mosquitos. Compounds that can be extracted from this root sap are also being studied for use in treating and curing cancers. Raw and unprocessed, these compounds are quite toxic. The toxic sap is also a very effective natural treatment for warts, skin tags, unwanted moles, and mild eczema. Due to their anti-cancer properties, some use it as a preventative treatment on moles suspected to be skin cancer (though it should be followed up on, to ensure all cancerous cells have been destroyed). For all intents and purposes, sap or powders derived from it should not be ingested or inhaled, and only used topically in moderation.

Another reason to use it in moderation... they are rather rare perennials which need to be collected in very small amounts to keep from disrupting their colony areas. They tend to grow in humusy, well-drained soils in shade, and usually in areas with a lot of animal-based fertilizer. They play a crucial role in composting animal matter back into the soil--they tend to grow in grave areas and where big hooved critters have gone to the bathroom. Without them, lots of that dead or potentially polluting matter could end up in the water table. I myself have observed them frequently in places where roadkill remnants were removed from the road and buried a ways away, popping up in colony stands between the carcasses' resting place and the nearby creek, their root systems catching and blocking organic debris from being carried to the stream by rain runoff. And they're extremely resilient plants when it comes to drought, naturally equipped to deal with East Coast's quite hot summers.

:D These also happen to be one of my favorite flowers of spring. ^u^ So I'm super-stoked to have found a little colony coming back up at Roaring Run.