Tag: botany

Botany For Hikers

Have you ever been out hiking and thought to yourself, “Wow! I wonder what kind of berry that is. Is it edible?”. If so, then this course is for you! I studied plant biology in college and let me be the first to tell you that it’s quite interesting.

Plants are amazing things. The way they reproduce, the way they develop survival mechanism, or plans for soil invasion at that! What I find most amazing about plants, especially while out on the trail, is their ability to sustain our body’s energy reserves when necessary.

It can provide a great time on the trail, adding a complete new level of activity while hiking, actively seeking plant identifiers. It can also be lifesaving in some scenarios.

Plants That Are Useful On The Trail

Some plants that you could identify are useful. They can provide medication, food, and shelter. Here’s a list that shows some of the plants you may come across that you’d be able to use for good outcomes on the trail.

Wood Sorrel have heart shaped leaves that are edible and they even taste like sour candy!
Planting Weeds are very common in the trails and can be broken down and pressed into bug bites and scrapes to reduce inflammation.
Stinging nettle, do sting! But if you soak their leaves for about ten minutes they can provide the means to make tea!
Known for their waxy leaves and bright, blue, edible berries, the Oregon Grape can provide food on the trail. Depending on which species you get, the berries may be sweet, or tart.
Thimbleberry provide fruits that are edible.

The Bad Plants That You Would Want To Identify On Trail

Not all plants are good for you. There’s some out there on the trail that can bring about serious issues if you let them. Quick identification and knowledge about these plants in general will help you to better be prepared on the trail.

Cow Parsnip secretes an oil that will make your skin sensitive to light, running the risk of a terrible sunburn!
Snow Berries are poisonous.
White Snakeroot: poisonous.
Poison Ivy: um, name says it all.
Poison Oak: yep, poison.
Giant Hogweed: poison.
Poison Sumac: poison.
Wild Parsnip: poison.
Death Camas: Let’s take its word for it.
White Helibore: Poison.
Mountain Laurel: poison.
Oleander: poison.
Foxglove: poison.
Monkshood: poison.
White Banesberry (creepy doll eyes): poison.
Corn Cockle: poison.
Larkspur: poison.
Jimson Weed: poison.
Jack in the Pulpit: poison.
Wild Poinsettia: poison.
Pokeweed: poison.
Rosary Pea: poison.
White Snakeroot: poison.
Angels Trumpet: poison.
Deadly Nightshade: poison.
Iris: poison.
Water Hemlock: poison.
Daffodil: poison.
Elderberry: poison.
Castor Bean: poison.
Manchineel: poison.

Having Fun Identifying The Trail Flowers.

You can find yourself having a great time on the trail if you decide to embark on a mission to identify as many plants as possible. For some, you’ll find that the name is very descriptive of its looks. For identifying things like wildflowers, I suggest bringing a book along with you as a resource to utilize. Sometimes, the difference between two species are very small, such as the way the veins run in the leaves.

Butterfly Orchid
Fairy Slippers
Rime Ice
Yellow-Faced Bee on Kau Silversword
Prickly Pear Cactus
Raindrops collecting on spine leaves

Heading Off Of The Trail As A Newfound Botanist (kind of)

So now you have some information on the plants you may come across on trails throughout the United States. Hopefully this article will help someone identify a plant at a time of need. If you know of some amazing plants that should be included with this list, please feel free to list them in the comments section below!

Thank you for reading!

This post was written by Evan
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