Jimson Weed

These are just a few odds and ends I wanted to show you.

As you know, I went recently to photograph hummingbirds at Beatty's Guest Ranch in southern Arizona near Sierra Vista. They had some wonderful stands of Jimson Weed. Here is one of the blossoms. This is also known as Datura, or Sacred Datura. It's poisonous and hallucinogenic, but would be dangerous to use for that purpose. It can be used externally on the skin to alleviate pain. A drop on a painful insect bite (do not rub) can be helpful. This is a member of the nightshade family. They usually bloom at night or evening or early morning. I have a lot of information on the uses of this plant medicinally, but it should only be used under the supervision of an expert, so that's all I feel safe telling you.