What's blooming at Bear Run Reserve?

Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) of the Buttercup Family (Ranunculaceae)

From a yellow underground stem rises a single, large, wrinkled basal leaf and a hairy stalk with a solitary flower above 2 5-lobed stem leaves. Goldenseal flowers in late April – May in rich woods. Native Americans and colonists used the plant for medicinal purposes and in the early decades of the 20 th century, it was used as a tonic, astringent, and insect repellent, as well as a yellow dye.

Today, some sources report that extracts from this plant are used to treat colds and flu and as an antibacterial remedy. It is also reported to enhance the potency of other herbs.

Goldenseal grows in a few locations at WPC's Bear Run Reserve in Fayette County. Although once more common, it is listed now as a Pennsylvania Vulnerable species because it has become rare.

Western Pennsylvania Conservancy believes removal of natural materials can lead to damage in a variety of ways. For this reason, it is important that we retain as many of the native species as possible. So enjoy a hike on the reserve and look carefully for this special plant, but please leave it undisturbed.

“Fallingwater Homecoming”, an exhibit focusing on life in the community of Bear Run from the 1800's through the 1930's, opens at The Barn at Fallingwater this month and runs through July. Photographs, artifacts and oral histories from local residents, like this excerpt from the late Ruth Rugg McVay, provide a glimpse into the past.

“…… Roy, Andy, and Harry Hall were always hunting, fishing, digging ginseng, and getting goldenseal out of the mountains. Sometimes they would be gone a whole week. Maybe kill them a pheasant, or a couple of gray squirrels, roast them over a fire, and they'd stay out in the mountains all that time. That's how they made their living, what living they had.”

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