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.
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.
We have a number of stands of mullein at the East Branch Nature Preserve and in the winter it looks like this (pictured above). Mullein is an extremely versatile plant to forage. All parts of it are useful in some way. In the winter, its large, furry, floppy leaves are shriveled or gone and its seed heads look scorched like they’ve been set on fire. This is ironic because In a pinch, in a survival situation, you can use the sturdy winter version of mullein as a torch by soaking the end in oil and lighting it. Otherwise, the leaves, roots and flowers are used for tinctures, oil infusions and tea. Come Spring it’s going to be fun to watch these plants grow again.
There is still much that the observer can learn about their property during the winter. The landscape is laid bare, exposing ground that was inaccessible during the summer, and the fragile, skeletal husks of once-colorful plant life show us all their seeds. One gust of wind, and new life is scattered, ready for spring.
Last October, board members Jenny Neal and Linda Reich took a nature walk around the East Branch Nature Preserve guided by local expert Laura Silverman of the Outside Institute. The board was excited to learn about all that is growing in the Preserve and we identified many plant and tree species. One plant that we have in abundance in the Preserve is Goldenrod.
Goldenrod is a main stay of summer, during which they bloom with brilliant, vivid yellow, hand-sized draping clusters of blossoms atop tall rods, about three to six feet high. Thin leaves, two to six inches long, grow all the way down the stem alternately, and are hairy. Goldenrod grows by rhizome and you’ll usually find whole fields of it. Our Preserve was no exception. This is what a large patch looked like in November last year, with the trail winding through it.
Put fresh blossoms into a mason jar of hot water (not boiling) to make a delicious fresh tea that tastes like a strong green tea. Sweeten with local maple syrup. (Tree Juice was one of our sponsors last year).
Goldenrod is said to have a number of health benefits. It soothes a sore throat, reduces pain and inflammation. It is also used for gout, joint pain (rheumatism), arthritis, as well as eczema and other skin conditions.
The flowers don’t freeze well, so if you want to save some tea for winter, make a condensed batch and freeze to dilute later with water. To make a condensed batch of tea, simply soak as much fresh goldenrod as you can fit in a mason jar of hot water. Strain through a sieve and freeze.
See you on the trail! Remember to keep dogs on a leash and pack out the poop.
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