Along the forest edging of our campsite at Ralph River grows a pretty carpet.  What catches my eye is the unusual leaf configuration.  It kind of looks like the footprints of some 3-legged duck.

I know to bring my copy of Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast when we go into the wild.  It’s always my fastest way to ID native plants.

It turns out this plant is named Deer Foot.  Really?

Duck Foot vs Deer Foot.  What’s your call?

Its more commonly known as Vanilla Leaf.

The first people’s of the west coast hung dried bunches of vanilla leaf in their homes as an air freshener and insect repellent.

OK, that’s a naming convention I can support.

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