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Did you know there are hundreds of blackberry varieties around the world? Trailing blackberry is native to the Pacific Northwest and has long vines that grow close to the ground. Himalayan blackberry was introduced to the region and has tall canes that grow tall enough to cover houses! Some people enjoy drying my leaves to make a mineral-rich tea.
Bees love to gather nectar from my white 5-petaled flowers. You can pick my fruit in summertime, but watch out for my sharp thorns! Add me to pie, smoothies, or freeze me and enjoy my sweetness in wintertime.
ST. JOHN'S WORT
SNOWBERRY
BLACKBERRY
CRANBERRY
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I am a powerhouse of nutrients! My young leaves and stems contain 12 times more calcium, five times more magnesium, 83 times more iron, and six times more vitamin C than spinach! No wonder chickens and other green foraging animals love me (hence the name: chickweed). Try me in salad, cook me like spinach, or make pesto!
I often cover the ground in wet garden beds. My scientific name, Stellaria media, refers to my star-shaped flowers and the line of hairs that runs down the middle of my stem.
CHICKWEED
CLEAVERS
PURSLANE
SHEEP SORREL
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When I am young, you can press me into a vibrant green juice that is high in chlorophyll, minerals, and anti-inflammatory compounds. Harvest a large handful, mash it up with your hands, and squeeze it to get the juice out. You can also chop me up and add me to a blender with a little water, then strain out the plant debris.
I am called “stickyweed” because I have reversed hairs that I use to climb up towards sunlight. My round fruits hitch a ride on animals and spread seeds.
WOOD SORREL
NETTLES
CLEAVERS
HORSETAIL
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I might be called a weed, but I have many gifts, including improving soil health and providing nutritious food and powerful medicine. You can eat my leaves, flower buds, and flowers. My roots are harvested in autumn and are roasted to make a tasty “dandelion latte” that is bitter and sweet.
My French name is “dent de lion” or “lions’ tooth” because my leaves have toothed edges. Over 90 insects pollinate my golden flowers. My seeds form “wish balls,” and each seed has parachute-like hairs that can travel as much as five miles in the wind!
RED CLOVER
ST. JOHN'S WORT
PLANTAIN
DANDELION
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When you touch my leaves, you will feel the rocky texture of silica and other minerals. My dried leaves can be used as fine sandpaper. I can also be dried to make a mineral-rich tea that helps build strong hair, bones, and nails.
My ancestors were once the dominant group of plants on our planet, with some varieties growing as large as pine trees. Dinosaurs ate me! Now I only grow 1-2 feet tall. My narrow leaves grow in whorls around my stem.
CLEAVERS
NETTLES
HORSETAIL
PURSLANE
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Make a tasty tea from my spring flowers and leaves or my autumn berries. I am good medicine for strengthening your heart, boosting immunity, and balancing blood sugar. You can even make jelly or ketchup from my ripe berries!
I am a thorny tree with pinkish-white flowers that bloom in thick clusters. My flowers ripen into red berries with a large pit. I am common in urban areas because birds eat my berries and spread seeds.
WILD ROSE
HAWTHORN
BLACKBERRY
CRANBERRY
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My young shoots can be boiled, sautéed, steamed, and made into delicious pesto. Try my leaves as a tea to boost energy, support detoxification, and ease allergies, arthritis, and skin problems. My mature stalks have strong fibers and can be made into rope.
I am called a “superfood” because I am so high in nutrients. But watch out! My stalk and underside of my leaves are covered with stinging hairs. Gather my young shoots with gloves or scissors and cook them to remove the sting. My leaves can also be dried for tea or seasoning.
HORSETAIL
PLANTAIN
CLEAVERS
NETTLE
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I am called “band-aid plant” because I help heal wounds and draw out infections. The easiest and fastest way to use me is to make a poultice by chewing a fresh leaf and placing it on a wound. You can also make plantain oil, salve, and tea.
I can thrive in driveways, trails, and lawns. My leaf veins are parallel with strong white fibers, and my small creamy white flowers grow in a saucer or crown shape along my leafless flower stalk. You might see two types of me—one with wide leaves that is sometimes called “frog leaf” and one with narrow leaves that is often called “ribwort.”
ST. JOHN'S WORT
PURSLANE
CLEAVERS
PLANTAIN
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Try me! My leaves taste nutty, slightly salty, and tangy. They are rich in beta-carotene, minerals, vitamin C, and essential fatty acids. You can eat them fresh, stir-fried, or in soups.
I have thick oval leaves and can cover garden beds in summertime. Did you know I am a nutritious vegetable?
CHICKWEED
SHEEP SORREL
WOOD SORREL
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My leaves and flowers are edible and can be dried to make a nutritious tea. I may help improve skin conditions, ease long-term congestion, and promote detoxification.
You will find me in sunny fields, roadsides, and backyards. My leaves are grouped in threes and my pink to purple-colored flowers form a large oval head. Some people pick each flower and taste my sweet nectar at the base. I enrich the soil by fixing nitrogen from the air to the earth.
RED CLOVER
ST. JOHN'S WORT
CHICKWEED
DANDELION
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“Warrior plant” is my common name among many Indigenous communities across Canada and the United States because I stop bleeding, cool inflammation, and fight infection. You can use me in many ways! Make a fresh plant poultice by chewing or mashing up flowers or leaves, sprinkle dried powder on a wound, make tea, or make an infused oil.
People call me “squirrel’s tail” because of my feathery leaves. My flat-shaped flowering heads have many small 5-petaled flowers clustered on a single stalk. My scientific name is Achillea because I was a favorite first aid medicine of the Greek warrior Achilles.
HORSETAIL
PLANTAIN
CLEAVERS
YARROW
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I am a nutritious green that can be added to salads, sauces, and other dishes. My flowers make a beautiful garnish. Just a handful will be enough to delight your taste buds but too much can upset your digestion.
My three heart-shaped leaflets resemble shamrocks. I come in several varieties, but all are edible. My leaves taste like Sour Patch Kids candy.
chickweed
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WOOD SORREL
plantain
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I am native to Europe and have a long history of use as a medicinal herb, including healing wounds, enhancing immune function, and easing depression. My flower buds are made into a brilliant red oil that is used on sore muscles and injuries.
I am called “herb of the sun” because my yellow 5-petaled flowers bloom around mid-summer. If you squeeze my flower buds, they will release a blood-red fluid. Hold my leaves to the light to see tiny holes or perforations, hence my scientific name Hypericum perforatum.
NETTLE
DANDELION
ST. JOHN'S WORT
YARROW
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Pick my leaves in spring while they are still deep green. They will add a bright sour flavor to sauces, salads, sautés, and baked dishes to add.
People call me “sour grass” because my arrow-shaped leaves taste tart and lemony. I am originally from Europe and am a common weed in fields, lawns, and gardens. Many people around the world use me as food and medicine.
ST. JOHN'S WORT
SHEEP SORREL
SNOWBERRY
CRANBERRY
