Summer is here. You might go camping, hiking, kayaking, fire up the grill, or simply mow the lawn. No matter what, you’re heading outdoors and soaking up fresh air and sunshine.
But how often do you take a slow walk down a forested path? Breathing in the scent of damp moss and mushrooms poking their heads through the leaf litter? Catching a whiff of wildflowers on the breeze? Listening to birdsong, the trickle of a stream, and frogs leaping into the water as you pass?
How often do you sit barefoot in the grass, not thinking about chores, but instead wondering what that little purple flower is near the woodpile? Or where did that towering spire with yellow blooms and big fuzzy leaves come from?
Humans survived for millennia before written history because we were deeply connected to the world around us. Not just other people, but the natural world.
We could not have made it this far without plants.
The Purpose of Plants
Ever since humans began farming and settling in one place instead of wandering, the plants have found ways to come to us.
Have you ever noticed a new plant suddenly appear in your yard? Maybe you’re walking around, deciding where to put a garden or whether it’s time to weed whack, when it hits you: I’ve never seen that before.
Before you yank it out and toss it in the compost, I encourage you to pause. Identify the plant first.
There are many plant ID apps for your phone; I prefer LeafSnap when I need help. But you may be asking, why bother? Why care what the name of some weed is? Because in my experience as a practicing herbalist, the plants are here to take care of us.
If you have lived in your house for more than six months, the local flora knows you. They’ve felt your presence, heard your laughter and your cries, smelled your sweat, and watched you move past. They know you the way you might feel the presence of someone in a room without actually seeing them.
That plant came to your yard for a reason. For you or someone in your home.
As a professional foraging instructor, I’ve lost count of how many times this has happened—but nearly every time I walk a property with someone, identifying edible and medicinal plants, there’s a jaw-dropping moment. A spark of realization. A goosebump moment when someone says, “Wait… that’s exactly what I’ve been dealing with.”
Imagine struggling with a chronic condition for years, often sitting on the back porch wishing you had energy to enjoy the outdoors again – and the whole time, some persistent little weed has been quietly growing at the edge of your shed, creeping closer each year, waiting to be noticed.
No, I don’t mean poison ivy or bittersweet vines choking your trees. I mean that herbaceous perennial with soft leaves and tiny flowers that won’t stop showing up near your roses or along the walkway – no matter how many times you whack it down.
Identify it. Sit with it. Wonder why it’s here. Because some part of you may already know: It’s come to heal you. You just don’t know it yet.
Need Help?
I’ve been foraging for nearly 20 years and practicing intuitive folk herbalism since 2018. It would be an honor to walk your land with you and help you uncover what your backyard has been trying to say all along.
Book a private foraging walk at blacksunfarmct.com/foraging.
Amelia South is a professional foraging instructor, herbalist, and organic farmer with nearly 20 years of experience working with wild plants. She teaches people how to identify and use the healing plants growing right outside their doors through guided walks, retreats, and online education. Amelia is the founder of Black Sun Farm in Connecticut, where she practices Intuitive Folk Herbalism and helps others reconnect with the wisdom of nature.
Learn more at: blacksunfarmct.com.
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