Pluteus cervinus – Deer Mushrooms
Deer mushrooms (Pluteus cervinus) are common edible mushrooms that can be found around the world. There are 40+ species of Pluteus in North America. All species in this genus are wood rotters with free gills and pinkish spore prints. Some Pluteus mushrooms are edible, some are psychoactive, and some are too small to forage. Deer […]
Phytolacca americana – Pokeweed
Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) is a native perennial that is a traditional food of Native Americans and Southerners. Pokeweed can be found in fields, roadsides, and forest edges. It prefers disturbed soil in partial shade to full sun. Pokeweed starts to send up shoots in mid-spring. Shoots should only be harvested when they have tender, […]
Syringa spp. – Lilac
Lilac (Syringa spp.) is a genus of 12 species of flowering woody plants that are native to southern Europe and Eastern Asia. Lilacs are commonly grown in temperate areas. Lilac flowers are edible raw. They have a floral flavor, reminiscent of their scent. Lilacs can be infused into sugar or honey. They can be used […]
Cardamine concatenata – Cut-leaf Toothwort
Cut-leaf Toothwort (Cardamine concatenata) is a native, edible ephemeral in the mustard family. Cut-leaf toothwort can be found in hardwood forests with rich soil. They are often found growing near other spring ephemerals such as Virginia Spring beauty and trout lily. They can form dense colonies from their tubers. Cut-leaf toothwort has three deeply […]
Allium tricoccum – Ramps
Ramps (Allium tricoccum) are a native species of onion that can be found late March- early May in CT. Ramps can be found in woodlands with rich, moist, well-drained soil. They usually grow under trees but get full sun since the leaves are not yet out. Ramps have 1-3 leaves that attach to a white […]
Viola sororia – Common Violets
Common Violets (Viola sororia) are a native perennial that produce one of the first spring flowers. Common violets prefer moist soil with partial shade. They are often found under deciduous trees. Common violets have heart-shaped leaves with small, pointed teeth at the leaf margins. Flowers have five petals that are usually purple with some […]
Hosta spp. – Hostas
Hostas (Hosta spp.) are a common landscape perennial that thrive in shady woodland conditions. They are commonly eaten in Japan as a “mountain vegetable”. Hostas are edible from shoot to flower. In the spring, shoots can be cut and eaten raw or lightly sautéed. Look for larger young shoots that are tightly coiled. They will […]
Matteuccia struthiopteris – Ostrich Fern
The Ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) is the only fern in CT that produces edible fiddleheads in the spring. The fiddlehead is the immature, furled frond of a fern. Ostrich ferns can be found in rich, disturbed soil. Check near water sources with wet, sandy soil. They are most common in river floodplains. Ostrich ferns can […]
Reynoutria japonica – Japanese Knotweed
Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica) is an invasive perennial that was brought to the U.S. from Asia as an ornamental. Japanese knotweed can be found in moist areas that receive sunlight. It often grows in large thickets in disturbed areas. It can grow up to 15 feet tall and its root system can reach 20 feet […]
Artemisia vulgaris L. – Mugwort
Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris L.) is an invasive perennial plant that came from Europe. Mugwort can be found in fields, roadsides, and woodland edges that have partial to full sun. Its rhizomes exude a chemical that discourages growth of other plants. This allows mugwort to take over entire fields. Mugwort leaves have a green upper […]
Alliaria petiolata – Garlic Mustard
Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) is an edible invasive plant in the mustard family. Garlic mustard can be found in human-disturbed areas, shaded field edges, and woodlands. It has the ability to take over woodlands and kill off 90% of all other herbaceous plants. Garlic mustard has no native predators and seeds can last up to […]
Magnolia spp. – Magnolia
Magnolia (Magnolia spp.) is one of the first blossoms to appear in the spring. The flowers bloom for 1-3 weeks before the leaves appear. Magnolia is a genus of over 200 flowering plant species. Although some species are native to eastern North America and South America, most species are native to Asia. Magnolia can be […]
Cardamine impatiens – Narrowleaf Bittercress
Narrowleaf Bittercress (Cardamine impatiens) in an edible invasive plant in the mustard family. Narrowleaf bittercress can be found in woodlands, meadows, and near rivers. It prefers shade. The plant starts as a rosette with leaves with 13-21 leaflets. These leaflets are round with lobes. As the plant ages, it produces a flowering stalk with […]
Salix babylonica – Weeping Willow
Weeping Willow (Salix babylonica) is an edible and medicinal tree that came from Northern China. Willows are one of the first trees to bud in early spring. They can be found growing near water in full sun. Willows often form many small trunks due to their salicylic acid content which acts as a natural […]
Heracleum maximum – Cow parsnip
Cow Parsnip (Heracleum maximum) is a native perennial in the carrot (Apiaceae) family. Cow parsnip can be found along rivers, swamps, and forest edges. It prefers partial to full sun. Cow parsnip has 3-part, alternate, compound leaves with irregularly toothed and lobed margins. The leaves can grow to be 2 feet across at maturity. […]
Hylotelephium telephium – Stonecrop
Stonecrop (Hylotelephium telephium) is an edible perennial from Eurasia that can escape cultivation and naturalize in North America. Stonecrop can be found growing wild in sunny, dry areas. It has succulent leaves and fleshy stems. The plant produces pink, star-shaped flowers from late summer to early fall. Young stonecrop leaves are edible raw or cooked. […]
Hemerocallis fulva – Common Daylily
Common Daylily (Hemerocallis fulva) is a perennial plant that was brought here from Asia as a garden ornamental. It has since escaped cultivation and is now considered invasive in many states. Common daylilies can be found in fields and roadsides. They have the ability to form dense colonies, displacing native plants. The plant reproduces by […]
Cirsium vulgare – Bull Thistle
Bull Thistle (Cirsium vulgare) is an edible plant that is native to Eurasia. Bull thistle has become naturalized in North America and is now considered invasive in some areas. There are over 200 species of thistle in North America, 60 of which are native. Thistles are related to globe artichoke. They can be found in […]
Auricularia nigricans – Ear fungus
Ear fungus (Auricularia nigricans) is a wood-rotting mushroom that can be found growing singly or in clusters on dead or dying trees. The ear fungus (A. nigricans) can be differentiated from other wood ear fungi (mushrooms in the Auricularia genus) by its upper surface which is ash-gray to yellowish brown and hairy. Wood ear mushrooms […]
Rosa multiflora – Multiflora Rose
Multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora) is an extremely prolific invasive that can form dense thickets, crowding out native plants. Multiflora rose is found in open woodlands, forest edges, fields, and margins of marshes. All roses have edible leaves and fruits (hips). Roses have compound leaves with an odd number of leaflets. The thorns are long and […]