There’s an increasing interest among homeowners, property managers and others to utilize more native species in their landscaping, thanks to books like Doug Tallamy’s Bringing Nature Home, which extol the virtues of native plants over exotic ornamentals for attracting and sustaining beneficial insects. Yet, for some people, this alone may be insufficient motivation to “go native.” The fact that many of our native species are edible provides an additional incentive for people to plant them in their yards and landscapes as well as for the ecological rationale.

Join Russ Cohen, expert forager and author of Wild Plants I Have Known…and Eaten, for a 60-minute slide show featuring at least two dozen species of native edible wild plants suitable for adding to your own landscape, or for nibbling on as you encounter them in other locales. Keys to the identification of each species will be provided, along with descriptions of edible portions, seasons of availability and preparation methods, along with guidelines for safe and environmentally responsible foraging. Russ will also include a few details regarding some native edible plants he has grown successfully from seed, and the partnerships he has made with conservation groups and others to add edible native plants to their landscapes.
Until his retirement in June of 2015, Russ Cohen’s “day job” was serving as the Rivers Advocate for the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game’s Division of Ecological Restoration, where one of his areas of expertise was in riparian vegetation.

This presentation will be both live and virtual via Zoom. Members will receive the Zoom link. Non-members may register here. Additional event information: (860) 529-8713

Suggested donation for non-members: $10.