Foraging Report at the East Branch Nature Preserve

by | Mar 27, 2026 | Nature

Last October 9th, the board of the Catskills Water Discovery Center hired Laura Silverman of the Outside Institute to take us on a foraging walk so we could find out what we have growing there. We now have a catalogue of 37 species of plants and trees. Here’s the list, beginning with the first plant at the start of the trail, going round the trail loop counter-clockwise and finishing where we started.

Dandelion, plantain, golden rod, garlic mustard, stag horn sumac, burdock, pokeweed, wild carrots, foxtail, mugwort, honeysuckle, black raspberry, wild clematis, sugar maple, quaking aspen, crab apple, grape vines, dock, oak, polypore, hawthorn, mullein, mustard, white vervain maple, cherry, cow parsley or Angelica (undecided as yet), hornbeam, birch, dogwood, Angelica, American elder, box elder, wild clematis, creeping Charlie, hemp nettle, butternut, willow, and dog bane.

As spring continues, we will be documenting all these plants and trees and tracking their progress.

Wild Clematis at the East Branch Nature Preserve

Happy Spring from the East Branch Nature Preserve!

by | Mar 23, 2026 | News

Friday March 20th was the first day of spring and a collective sigh of relief was heard across the Catskills after this long, particularly arduous winter. Too many to count was the number of days that it was so dangerously cold that a hike was inadvisable even at low elevations.

At the East Branch Nature Preserve, wrinkled crab apples hang in the trees like forgotten Christmas ornaments and brilliant red leaves flicker in the wind beneath misty, rainy skies and a flock of geese were observed flying overhead.

Stay tuned this week to hear about what you can expect to forage on the trail this spring. Board member Jenny is excited to report back from the trial this coming week.

See you on the trails!