Learn Your Wildflowers and Wild Edibles: Sign Up for Walks with The Natural Capital

For several years, we've been leading walks in the DC area with a heavy emphasis on plant identification and wild edibles.* Sign up for a walk, learn to identify lots of plants (and hopefully some fungi), and find out that some of them are actually pretty tasty to eat! We've got four scheduled for spring and early summer:

March 27, 2010 -- Spring Wildflowers Walk, Carderock, MD.  Come out and enjoy the first signs of spring: trout lilies, bloodroot, toothwort, spring beauties, spicebush, and other early plants coming up from the ground. Learn about edibility and other traditional uses of the early bounty of new growth. Walking up to 3 miles on unpaved trails.  Fee: $15. Register here (via Matt's Habitats).


April 24, 2010 -- Spring Wild Edibles Walk, Scott's Run in McClean,VA. Last year we found a good amount of morel mushrooms at Scott's Run. Hopefully nature will display them again! In addition to morels, we will see wild ramps (a.k.a. wild leeks), nettles, and other edible plants and spring wildflowers. Hiking 3-4 miles over unpaved and hilly steep trails. Fee: $20. Register here (via Matt's Habitats).

May 22, 2010 -- Mountain Laurel Walk, Northwest Branch, Montgomery County. A stunning hillside of mountain laurels in full bloom overlooking the Northwest Branch is our destination (providing mother nature cooperates).  On the way, we'll exercise our identification skills as we explore plants growing from riverine habitats up to dryer upland habitat. We'll walk a total of 1-2 miles with a steep hill or two and a stream crossing. FREE. Register here (via the Maryland Native Plant Society).

Photo credit: leedav

June 12, 2010 -- Early Summer Wild Fruit Fest, Upper NW, DC. The first fruit of the summer season is ripening. We'll snack on serviceberries and munch on mulberries. After our fruit fix, we'll find lots more that mother nature has to offer, be it edibles or other interesting plants and fungi. Hiking 2-3 miles on streets and unpaved trails. Fee: $15. Register here (via Matt's Habitats).

*Gathering of edibles will only take place in places where it is permitted, and sampling of native species will only occur where abundant populations exist. We want to keep doing this for many years!