Every spring is pretty much the same around here. February and March hikes will lead you to find some interesting winter treasures like deer antler sheds and different bones from beings that Mother Earth reclaimed the past season. April, you begin to find new life popping up but not much to collect on in terms of new wildflowers. I like to think of these months as a re-introductory period. We can get out and remember what it is to wild craft. We anxiously anticipate the new growth, begin to plan, but here in Missouri these months can bring a large array of weather conditions: snow, rain, and even freezing temps. This year it seemed like we had a very short spring season in terms of weather conditions. It is barely the third week of May and we have our first hotter temps. High 80’s low 90’s are bringing in flowers and plant life quickly. The rains and unstable atmosphere of the season, making it muggy, and humid, and often, even stormy. Pollen is blowing and covering everything with a thick dust. It is the season of LIFE renewed! We took our first trip to the woods to see what herbal treasures could be found. I usually have a pretty good idea what is available during specific times of the year but different weather can produce early or even late surprises. I like wild crafting in May. Things are growing and sprouting but the underbrush isn’t too incredibly thick yet. You can still find things near the ground. Many plants are most potent in their early growing stages too. I am highly allergic to poison ivy and least likely to get it this time of year, while I seem to get it just blowing in the wind a month or so from now. Ticks aren’t bad in my area for another month or so either. With all the disease and illness they carry these days, I am very cautious about taking the kids out in the thicket when they are out. This is the time of the year we really get out and into the woods. Into the places that will soon be too thick with vegetation to explore. Here soon, when the woods fill in and the bugs really come out, we will stick to our pathways and our secret places that we rely on year after year to produce and find the things we need. For May wild crafting, all we really need is our gloves, our basket, our scissors and our rubber bands. We need the sun screen. We need my phone for the camera and my handy new app that helps me to identify new plants I discover. But most of all we need each other’s company. There are many fun family memories that we have made exploring and hiking these Missouri parks and woods. Never miss an opportunity to spend quality time with your kids and family, making memories and teaching them things that they can pass down for generations. Photo: My very first rose blooms of the 2018 season.
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Keri Nichol
Founder, Artist, Herbalist, and Writer Archives
August 2018
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