shinleaf, Pyrola elliptica

Shinleaf is a welcome sight in summer woods. Its three-eighths inch flowers pop out when little else is blooming. Shinleaj is a natural pain reliever. One use was for plasters to relieve aches and pains. Those plasters were sometimes called shin plasters. Ergo shinleaf. Shinleaf grows in mostly low moist forests in AZ, CT, DE, IA, ID, IL, IN, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OH, PA, RI, SD, VA, VT, WI, WV, WY, AB, BC, MB, NB, NF, NS, ON, PE, QC, and SK. Onsted State Game Area, Lenawee Co MI, 7/7/13.