By Cindy Berdine, West Virginia Highlands Conservancy 

May in the spring is a beautiful month to collect wild edibles from the woods. It is always fun to create your own smorgasbord from the harvest of your wild bounty and marvel at the nutritious and healthy spread you discover.  

May is the peak month for foraging offering a diverse compilation of wild edible plants. Wild foods are found at different times throughout the year depending on location and sometimes elevation. From late March through May your target edibles may include violets, watercress, dandelion greens, ramps and morel mushrooms, which typically peak in April.  

In summer, usually from late June through August, many focus mainly on berries. Late summer and early fall, pawpaws are a delicacy; they are also West Virginia’s largest native fruit. These are just some of the tasty morsels you may find during your excursions. The benefits of foraging provide sustainable organic food sources without any pesticides. Foraging also fosters self-sufficiency and improves mental well-being. It offers the opportunity to engage in physical activity and enhance health through hiking, bending, searching, and learning. Spending time in nature can also reduce stress, improve memory and strengthen your connection to the environment by engaging in traditional Appalachian cooking and maybe discovering a little medicinal folklore along the way. 

It sure is fun to go out in the woods and spy new things. When I was a little girl, my brother and sister often played “I Spy” with me when Grandma visited. Grandma would always start by saying, “I spy something green or maybe I spy something brown”; it was almost always nature-related, usually ending up being a robin, a daisy, or a tree. That game continued as we got older and Dad would play it with us on car trips that almost always pertained to nature. As we grew older, the identified objects became more specific and scientific ending in a Turdus migratorius, Chrysanthemum lucanthemum, or a specific tree like Hemlock, Sugar Maple or a Liriodendron tulipifera. This leads me to a very important point. As fun as it is to forage in nature, there are some very important rules of etiquette you should always follow. 

Know the difference between a look alike and the real thing, if you cannot 110% identify it, leave it alone! Remember in West Virginia it is illegal to pick, cut, or remove wildflowers, plants, shrubs, or trees within 100 yards of a public road including highways without written permission from the landowner. Foraging is typically prohibited in National Parks, Forests or Protected Areas. Picking flowers kills the plant’s ability to reproduce, harming the ecosystem and limiting enjoyment for others. Forage responsibly, Never dig up roots, never take more than 1 plant for every 20, Do not over harvest, use scissors or a knife rather than pulling by the roots. Always avoid endangered species. 

In conclusion, always seek permission, know exactly what you are collecting or picking, leave plenty behind, do not ever collect rare species, leave no trace, ensure 100% identification and take only what you need from plentiful populations. Do not take the best specimens, as those determine how the item will reproduce next year or, in some cases, how it will reproduce again in several years.  

Now that you know the basic dos and don’ts of foraging, go outside and play your own version of “I spy” and make sure you have fun! Remember, you are never too old to play games and walk in the woods.