Familiar Faces in Far Off Places

Have you ever tasted sassafras tea? It is a bit like root beer and in fact is the original root beer. I had the chance to have this sun-brewed tea when I lived in North Carolina and it was a nice treat. The only issue I take with it is that you have to dig up the root (aka kill the plant) to make the tea. 

I recently went back to the Southern Appalachians to visit with old friends including the flora and fauna. Walking through the woods took me back in time to past experiences. The Smokies are a biodiversity hotspot. There are so many trees, wildflowers, snakes, snails, insects, and mammals that I was reintroduced to and it was a delight.

The sassafras is a favorite tree of mine not just because of the root tea, but also because it can have 3 different shaped leaves. An elliptical leave (what we typically think of as a leaf), a mitten shaped leaf and a tri-lobed or dinosaur foot leaf. The leaves are also aromatic and have a spicy smell to them. I noticed it growing in the Cumberland Gap area of Kentucky as well. 

I hope those of you that had a summer break enjoyed it and were able to meet up with familiar faces wherever you were and they will fuel you for the new school year.