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May 2019
This short workshop will provide an overview of vernal pool ecology, including their landscape position, basin characteristics, typical breeding species, and their importance for local and regional biodiversity. The field session will explore this two-year-old pool for evidence of amphibians, fairy shrimp, and other macro-invertebrates that are typically found in such habitats. Get ready for getting your hands wet and your eyes amazed! Rain or shine! Recommended equipment: Wading boots (optional) Dip nets Hand lens Collecting jars, trays, etc. Camera & notebook Reference books (if you have them)
Find out moreCalling all plant and mushroom lovers! If you or your family would love to walk in beautiful woods and discover the riches of spring beneath your feet, this walk is for you! Join master naturalist Dr. Rick Van de Poll for a tour of a rich and diverse woodland in the upper Connecticut Valley region. Witness the delicate colors and fragility of rare plants, learn about the bedrock and soils that help create this rich mesic forest, and discover the fascinating world of spring fungi that attends the coming of warm weather. We hope to find squirrel corn, maidenhair fern, blue cohosh, jack-in-the-pulpit and some fungi (morels, false morels, cup fungi, early polypores).
Find out moreJune 2019
The edible and medicinal value of plants and fungi will be contrasted with the poisonous aspects of certain members of these groups. Although the collecting season for fungi will only be beginning, there will be ample material among the polypores to identify and talk about medicinal aspects in the field. Who knows, we may get lucky and find a morel or two! Please register for the event with Bette Jo Taffe at [email protected] 603-786- 2553. Cost is $20 per person. A wild-crafted soup included in the price!
Find out moreIn spite of centuries of ancestral practices to collect wild edibles, the grocery store ends up being our most common “foray site.” This workshop is designed to recall some of the knowledge of bygone days, where sustenance and nutrition relied on familiarity, skill, and careful preparation. We will cover common edible and medicinal plants that grow right in our backyards. Both in-class presentations and fieldwork will provide a taste of what is out there. Be prepared to sample new foods from weeds to tree bark to rock tripe. Registration is through the NHOLC web site above ($165/day).
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