Last Garden Walk of 2015—Aaron’s Blanket

November 27, 2015

The last walk I took in Schoepfle Garden this year was on October 19. It had been weeks since the previous walk, downriver from the garden, and would be months before my next walk in Ohio. I took the first photo of the day at 8:08 and the last one at 12:25—that’s a span of four hours and 17 minutes and 622 photographs. Some of the first photos I took were of the leaves of a plant Euell Gibbons called Aaron’s Blanket. In the family Scrophulariaceae, its Latin names are Verbascum thapsus or Verbascum densiflorum. An online herbal encyclopedia lists these other names for the plant: Mullein, Torch Weed, Aaron’s Rod, Blanket-leaf, Candlewick Plant, Flannelflower, Feltwort, Hedge-taper, Jacob’s Staff, Shepherd’s Club, Velvet Plant, Velvet Dock, Shepherd’s Staff, Torches, Our Lady’s Flannel, Blanket Herb, Woollen, Rag Paper, Wild Ice Leaf, Clown’s Lungwort, Golden Rod, Adam’s Flannel, Beggar’s Blanket, Clot-bur, Cuddy’s lungs, Duffle, Feltwort, Fluffweed, Hare’s Beard, Hag’s Taper, and Cow Lungwort. When I took their pictures, dew was still on the hairy leaves, giving them a crystalized appearance.