Meet your Green Neighbors

You don’t have to go much further than your backyard, a sidewalk, parking lot or roadside, to find medicinal plants. No matter where you live, the land around you is chock full of edibles and medicinals – even in the urban landscape. One of the most important parts of being an herbalist is your relationship with your local plants, and one of the best ways to cultivate that relationship (and your relationship with other herb lovers) is to go on Plant Rambles.

When we Ramble, we spend time getting to know the plants, in the environment where they thrive. This is not a time for harvesting, but rather a chance to observe and deepen our relationships.  (If you are interested in learning more about foraging and harvesting wild plants, please visit our Foraging Resources Page.)

Plant Rambles offer folks a chance to learn basic plant identification and improve their botany skills. It is also a great opportunity to trade information with other folks about the plants you see, sharing your thoughts on herbal uses, harvesting and medicine making techniques, and so much more.

New to plant id and you haven’t found someone to help you – use a reliable field guide. An old school favorite is Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants by “Wildman” Steve Brill, but there are many options, particularly depending on the region you are in.