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Wild Plant Resources

The best entry point to the wild plants is of course to get outside and look at them. But research can help inspire, inform and enthuse. Particularly if you want to forage, always consult professional guides and ID books first. Below I share the sources that have sparked my own interest.

 

Find out more about wild plants, rewilding, and foraging on the links below.

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News 

Please click here to see recent relevant news stories on biodiversity, rewilding etc. 

Foraging Courses

One of the best ways to get to know the wild plants around you is to go on a foraging course. There are some great companies running engaging courses, including: 

  • Totally Wild runs some highly engaging courses, which includes cooking a meal at the end of it. I have been on two courses myself and it would probably be my first choice to book on another one. Courses run around the country. They also have some great info on identifying and using wild plants on their website.

  • Forage London - Offers courses in London and beyond with a range of course guides including experts - I went on a course with qualified herbalists which was fascinating.

Plant I
  • Harrap's wild flowers - The only way to be truly 100% about a plant is to check a field guide to wild flowers. I find this one easy to use as it has large-ish pictures
     

Foraging book
  • Forage: Wild Plants to gather and eat, by Liz Knight - This is a beautifully illustrated book which I think would be helfpul for beginners as it has clear diagrams and a similar format is used for all the plants covered which I find quite easy to navigate. 

  • The Foragers Handbook: A guide to the edible plants of Britain, by Miles Irving - I think this may have the most broad ranging anthology of edible foods that I've seen. The photos are in black and white and different amount of detail is provided on each plant, but it is mega useful if you just want to check quickly if something is edible and what it can be used for.

  • Foraging: Pocket Guide, Marlow Renton & Eric Biggane  - I like this book as it has a clear format with one page per plant and with clear photos to help with identification. 

Plant profile books

Herbal Medicine 
  • The Handmade Apothecary: Healing Herbal Remedies,by Vicky Chown and Kim Walker. A great introduction to herbal medicines with great explanations on how to collect, dry and prepare herbs (infusions, decoctions, tinctures, herbal vinegars and honeys. Profiles for key herbs with some recipes to try as well.

  • Edible and medicinal plants of Britain and Europe, Robin Harford - a useful collection of facts on a lot of key wild plants, including nutritional info. No pictures (though you can download an ebook of pictures) - but I'd say it's more useful if you are familiar with the plants and just want to quickly look up some of the benefits.

  • Intuitive Herbalism, by Nathaniel Hughes and Fiona Owen - a completely different approach to herbalism that focuses on building relationships with the plants as a way to navigate trauma and holistic healing. A short but very insightful read.

General 
Read
Listen

  • Worldwild podcast: ​Professional Forager Miles Irving supplies many top end restaurants with foraging supplies. He has many interesting conversations with guests about the importance of developing a relationship with the wild, and also has the view that humans are part of the wild and should interact with it rather than being kept apart and leaving the wild 'to just be' without us. I tend to agree. I particularly enjoyed his conversation with Lucy O'Hagan on rites of passage which had some interesting concepts about belonging and spirituality too.

Watch

  • A life on our planet, by David Attenborough - A really fascinating film where Sir David recounts his own experience of seeing wild spaces decline in his own lifetime - passionately making the case that to reverse climate change we need to free up more land for wilderness. 

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