I have grown vegetables for over 10 years now and became interested in wild plants and foraging when I got involved with a local community garden in Rogers Park, Chicago. Our garden is unique in that it is well established and has many native plants in it, along with loads of pollinators. We have master gardeners who have been able to teach us about lots of these plants and their benefits to the environment and to humans. Some examples are asters, comfrey, many members of the mint family, nettles and thistles, wild carrot, clover, butterfly weed and milkweed, serviceberries, gooseberries, currants, dandelion and wild lettuce, just to name a few....and all in a small piece of park land! I have been involved in managing the garden for almost ten years and still learn new plants each year.

My husband and I like to go on long walks in the woods when we can get out of the city and use iNaturalist to identify plants. We have also found lots of interesting species in the city: at parks, cemeteries, abandoned lots, and in allies. The hobby of plant identification brings endless entertainment and fascination!