The Art of Ecology’s mission is to build visual connections between people and the natural world we’re a part of by blending the arts & environmental sciences.
Through eco/art public and private workshops, participants can discover the ecosystems we live in and how connected the various facets of people, plants, and wildlife are. From foraging workshops, to terrarium building classes, to scientific illustration programs and more, you can learn all about the wonderful world we live in here, with The Art of Ecology!
Did you know that beyond just education, Marissa of The Art of Ecology also creates her own, original artwork that you can snag for your own collection? A portion of the proceeds benefits wildlife conservation & habitat preservation efforts.
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2021 was an emotional rollercoaster. I switched from working at a nature center to having The Art of Ecology be my full time job! This is a dream come true, but I’ll be honest, running your own business is an emotional challenge. There were moments where I jumped up and down with excitement and moments where I was so discouraged and felt overwhelmed. Overall, it has been fantastic and those disheartening moments serve as motivation.
Exciting News from 2021
In April, I returned to Kenya to photograph daily life as part of a project for Forgotten Missionaries International. I photographed wildlife, the beautiful landscape, and ways that people interact with the world. These photos tell the story of Kenyan life so others understand some challenges the people face and experience the country’s beauty. Watch recordings of presentations I gave using my photos below!
Over the year I did a lot of Professional Development. I presented at the PA Environmental Education Conference about National Geographic’s educator certifications and ways to empower students. Then, in August, I blended the mental and physical benefits gained from being in the great outdoors with the benefits of creating art through a certification in Neurographica. Now, I teach Nature & NeuroArt classes where learners discover the wonderful benefits of art and nature! I also followed my foraging & wild-edibles passion through training in Wild Foraging. I am continuing this and will be certified in Herbalism (medicinal values of using wild-edibles) in spring 2022 through the Herbal Academy.
Speaking of foraging, I also published my book, “Trails-to-Tasting” : Foraging Field Guide and Drink Recipe Book! It includes recipes for seasonal foraged cocktails & mocktails as well as an illustrated field guide and botanical study.
By going full time, I expanded my reach and led many workshops, both in-person and virtually! I ran 25+ programs that encouraged learners of all ages to explore the natural world through art, such as Kokedama, Terrarium Building, Botanical Illustration, Photo Walks & Presentations, Foraging Classes, and new for 2021: Botanical Dye Workshops. One of the virtual presentations was even for a Montessori school in Southern India!
My Goals for 2022
Now that The Art of Ecology is my full time job, I can give it the attention needed to make each new year the best. With the extra time, my 2022 goal is to get more of my original art out into the world, sparking conversations about ecosystems and the importance of environmental stewardship. With YOUR help I can continue making the world a greener place. Stay tuned for monthly workshops and my new Conservation Photography & Nature Art Summer Camp! As always, a portion of all art sale proceeds benefits wildlife conservation & habitat preservation efforts.
As part of the Wild Art 2021 December Challenge, put on by Zoe Keller, I illustrated two pieces focusing on the theme, “Transformation”. Each month, I will focus on two pieces – one highlighting flora, the other highlighting fauna. This month, the first is an animal that has the unique ability to swap out the shelters it lives in whenever it outgrows them: The Hermit Crab! The second is a plant with a colorful adaptation to communicate to it’s pollinators, “Hey, this floret has already been pollinated!” Both of these transformations, whether in color or shell type, are adaptations that aid in survival.
Transformation to Protect
First, we have the delightful little hermit crab, who transforms it’s home once it has outgrown it’s current home.
Hermit crab shells do not grow over time, like the Chambered Nautilus does. As the crab ages, it outgrows it’s tight shell and leaves it’s home. It discards the old shell once it finds a new, larger shell. These shells do not have to be crab shells; any specie’s shell, as long as the crab can wriggle inside, will do!
Occasionally, a hermit crab finds something to live in that’s not even a shell. As plastic pollution becomes more prevalent in marine environments, hermit crabs find new items to live in! These little crabs were documented living in broken bottles, soda cans, laundry detergent caps, tin cans, and even broken old tennis balls! While this seems like a clever use of plastic debris, this can actually hurt the crab. Not only are some edges sharp and rusty, which can cause lesions on the crab, but chemicals from the plastic leech out into the crab! These chemicals can cause hyperactivity in crabs, and they die from exhaustion and lack of nutrition to fuel their energy.
Transformation to Communicate
Second, we have a flower who changes it’s appearance to communicate to insect and bird populations!
The Lantana (Lantana camara) are vibrant flowers that grow in clusters. You can find cultivars that have yellow and pink flowers, or red and orange flowers, or are all one color! You may notice that over time, after the flowers have bloomed, that they change colors.
Many pollinators love the color yellow and it signifies, “Hello! I have yet to be pollinated!” As the flowers become pollinated, they produce a anthocyanin (red) pigments to saturate the petals. They then fade to a less attractive color so pollinators don’t waste time visiting already-pollinated blooms.
In order to survive, animals and plants adapt. Hermit crab’s organs would outgrow their stunted bodies if they lived in a shell that’s too small! Pollinators would waste precious energy visiting unnecessary flowers, and the Lantana would be pollinated too slowly to efficiently disperse it’s seeds.
To help protect both plants and animals that go through transformation, you can start by not bringing whole shells home from beach trips. As shells are removed from habitats, hermit crabs have no choice but to scavenge for inappropriate homes. Take pictures as keepsakes or search for broken shells that would no longer be suitable for hermit crabs to move into. You can also help pollinators by planting more native plants in your garden and community!
Click for scientific illustrations, illustration workshops, or dรฉcor that supports conservation!
A portion of the proceeds from my art sales benefits conservation efforts. In 2022, instead of donating a small % to habitat preservation or wildlife conservation non-profits, I will switch to something that can have a greater impact!
Why the Change?
I feel strange about donating $2 here, $.50 there, $5 somewhere else based on the art sold, yet I know, after working with non-profits for years, that every bit adds up. I still wanted to come up with a way to make more of a difference. Starting in 2022, a % of every purchase will instead be added to The Art of Ecology’s Grants for Conservation pot! Applications open in February 2022.
By making this change, the impact can be as big as possible! I can connect with local environmental leaders who actively make a positive impact on the ecosystems we share. Occasionally, I’ll host special events to impact global conservation, too. I will specify them beforehand and you can make a larger contribution if desired.
Mini-Grant Details
These mini-grants are awarded to groups that:
Run Conservation Projects
Involve the Public to Increase Impact and Project Reach (not required, but projects that have an educational component will be given priority)
Focus on Endangered or At-Risk Species & Habitats
Applicants must describe their project, the impacts the project can have, how they educate or empower the public, and how they will improve species health that need our immediate attention. These grants are open to the public and groups or individuals who wish to make a difference can apply!
Grant applications will open on February 1st, 2022.
Once an organization is selected, I’ll announce the conservation projects funded with your help! The grant reports, including photos and impact details will be publicly available. Based on previous years total donations from art sales, I estimate that the grants for conservation will be for roughly $250-500. Ultimately, they are determined by the sales throughout the previous year.
Spread the Word!
Do you know an organization that could benefit from grants for conservation like this? Please pass this information along to them! I will announce grant information on Instagram, Facebook, and through my eblast. You can also email me with questions at mjacobs@theartofecology.com
As part of the Wild Art 2021 November Challenge, put on by Zoe Keller, I illustrated two pieces focusing on the theme, “In Peril”. Each month, I will focus on two pieces – one highlighting flora, the other highlighting fauna. This month, the first is a flower who brought me great joy picking them as a child in the Pocono Mountains, but now is threatened (hopefully not due to my bouquets!). The other is a marshy water bird whose populations decreased due to habitat loss.
Let’s start by figuring out what “in-peril” or threatened officially means!
“Threatened Definition”
Threatened covers a wide spectrum of organisms. Overall, any creature that is Critically Endangered, Endangered, or Vulnerable are considered to be threatened, or under “threat” of extinction. As of 2021, there are 16,000+ endangered species, with 35,000+ threatened species!
As climate change, overdevelopment, desertification, habitat loss, disease, and invasive species competition continue, many plants and animals face extinction. Extinctions happened before, so why is this a big deal now?
The 6th Mass Extinction Event
The most recent mass extinction event occurred when the dinosaurs died. Now species are going extinct so quickly that we are in the 6th Mass Extinction Event. Human-caused climate change threatens vital habitats, and as our own population grows and we don’t practice sustainable land development, construction, and more, we run the risk of ruining areas for wild plants, animals, and ourselves!
How does a mass extinction impact us, though? All of life is interconnected. Let’s look at wetlands as an example of an interconnected ecosystem.
Wetlands are home to amphibians, fish, insects, plants, turtles, water birds, and more. As water dries up due to overdevelopment in a housing community down the street, the habitat becomes unsuitable for these animals. Plants can’t grow without steady water and can no longer provide food for animals. Insects stop laying eggs without their aquatic nesting sites, so now frogs and fish can’t eat. Water birds leave since their prey of frogs and fish are gone. The animals have nowhere else to go, so they die off. Now, nutrients aren’t cycled and stagnant pools of contaminated runoff from roadways and storm water drainage form in these lifeless wet zones, sharply increasing our risk of disease and illness.
Building wildlife habitats, supporting green infrastructure and industry, voting with the environment in mind, and reducing waste whenever possible are great ways to mitigate this extinction event and protect the plants and animals we love!
What are some plants and animals that are currently threatened on a local scale?
Eastern Blue-eyed Grasses
The Eastern Blue-eyed Grasses (Sisyrinchium atlanticum) are native to the New England region. They are low growing plants with beautiful, small purply-blue flowers. They grow scattered in fields, woodlands, and marshes, especially if there is steady access to water near streams or wetlands.
Native grasses are important soil erosion managers and pollution absorbers. Although they are closely related to an iris, they are no different in their abilities! They provide food resources for several small bee species and tiny butterflies. After pollination and seed production (small green balls in the illustration), they also provide food for birds.
Unfortunately, these flowers, common as I thought they were growing up in damp woodlands, are listed as “Threatened” in Pennsylvania. Aside from plants, animals are threatened too!
Least Bittern
This bird, despite it’s very small size, is a heron species. They are a little bigger than an American Robin, although their neck size is quite deceiving! While perching on reeds, watching for prey, they keep their necks folded against their body, causing them to look hunchbacked. Once they spot their fishy food, they shoot out their long, heron-like neck and stab down. These acrobatic birds have long toes and talons with which to precariously straddle water reeds. As they crane their neck, the stripes along their body helps them blend in with the tall plant life.
Similarly to the Eastern Blue-Eyed Grasses, this bird is also a Pennsylvania resident who is struggling! Here in PA, wetland environment is quickly drying up. Tidal marshes have disappeared and many wetlands across the state were impounded. They require constant aquatic environments (where frogs, fish, and crustaceans live), so ephemeral wetlands, or areas that hold water only in the spring after a snow melt, or in the fall after the late-summer storms, aren’t suitable.
What Does This All Mean?
Fortunately, we can mitigate these threats and help restore plant and bird populations! By creating suitable wildlife habitat, removing competing invasive species, and restoring native wetland environments, we can help the Eastern Blue-eyed grass AND the Least Bittern!
Together, we can make the world a better place and transform these threatened organisms into ones that thrive! Interested in learning about other plants and animals that do actually transform, or change appearance over time? Stay tuned next month to learn more about post-pollination communication in plants and house hunting animals with the “Transformation” theme!
Click below for more scientific illustrations, illustration workshops, or some new home dรฉcor that supports conservation for species in peril!
Have you ever been slightly abashed when you assume someone’s age and then find out that either wow…. they are waaayyy older than you thought, or dear goodness, this person is a baby?! Determining age in humans just by sight can be really challenging! Determining squirrel age and the ages of other wildlife, on the other hand, is much easier! With wild animals we can look at them and gauge their age based on development and growth!
Isn’t Age Just a Number? Why Should We Care?
In the human world, age really doesn’t matter for the most part once we hit certain milestones. In the wildlife world though, age can play a factor in how they interact with the ecosystems they live in. Baby dragonflies (nymphs) live in water, whereas adult dragonflies live on land. This completely changes their diets and adaptations! Another example is octopuses. For females, generally around their 3rd birthday they lay their own eggs. This triggers senility and degradation of their brain as they care for the eggs. Knowing the age of an octopus can help veterinarians and marine biologists identify potential health issues.
Age doesn’t matter for just insects or marine species. As mammals age and develop they may have their own unique adaptations and skills that they get along with age. Their teeth may change and their behaviors may differ. Their fur colors may transition and how they live (either socially or independently), may change as well. This kind of sounds like humans, right? Developmentally, we might start walking around, lose our first baby teeth, or hit puberty generally around similar ages, but personal growth varies greatly! When we land a career, find a significant other, have children, move to a new place, etc… all happen at vastly different rates.
The Life of a Squirrel
There’s nothing wrong with humans growing and experiencing life at different rates, but for wildlife, life comes and goes in a fairly straightforward manner. Let’s take a look at one such species: the squirrel!
This pinkie (baby, hairless squirrel), has been out of the nest for too long without mom and most likely won’t survive, even with human intervention. Unfortunately, the life expectancy for young squirrels is very low due to predation, falling from nests, or disease.
Eastern Grey Squirrels in the wild usually live to be roughly 2 years old. At birth, their chances of survival aren’t very high, but if they can actually make it to adulthood, their life expectancy can increase to 4-6 years old! In fact, the oldest Eastern Grey Squirrel in the wild was recorded to be 12 years old. Incredible! Predation in younger squirrels is quite high, which is what threatens the baby’s life expectancy the most. Once they mature, they have adaptations to help them avoid predation.
When a baby is born, it takes roughly 8-10 weeks for it to be grown enough to survive without their mother’s care. The next spring or summer season after they were born, they reach sexual maturity and have their own litters.
Determining Squirrel Age
Squirrels have very obvious milestones as they age. When they are born, they are little, weighing about a half ounce, pink, and hairless. Their eyes are closed and they need their mother’s care and warmth constantly! At 1 week old, they are still hairless and blind, yet they are now looking a little more grey, rather than pink along their backs. When they reach 2 weeks, they appear to have a 5 o’clock shadow or peach fuzz of fur and are now over an ounce in weight! At 3 weeks, they have a thin layer of fuzz and their skinny tails now have greyish-silver fur. Even at 4 weeks, when the squirrels have over doubled in size and have an obvious “squirrel-like appearance” with their grey fur along their backs, white tummies, and bushy tails, they are still blind.
Notice how the tail has started to get bushier and the squirrel is obviously squirrel colored? This is a 6 week old squirrel.
Finally, at 5 weeks old they have finally opened their eyes and are ready to play! It’s amazing how much movement and jumping you can do if you can see! The mothers do not need to constantly watch over and warm the babies and she teaches them how to navigate tree branches and jump around. At 6 weeks old, the tail gets noticeably bushier and they now look like miniature adults. At 7 weeks old, the baby squirrel (similarly to human teens) starts to behave like an adult and tries to feed itself, jump around, and explore the world, although they still need the attention of the mother!
Finally, at 8 weeks old, they don’t need mom to provide food with them and she has taught them how to escape predators. They leave the nest a few days later and attempt to successfully find their way in the world!
Adult squirrels are able to forage and nest build on their own.
Caring for Squirrels
Being able to recognize wildlife by their age can help humans understand their care and point of growth and development when our paths cross. Squirrel nests can fall out of trees during storms, babies who are learning to jump can lose balance and fallen, or squirrels get injured by cars or predators. Just because a squirrel looks like it needs help though, doesn’t mean it needs help from a rehabilitation center! It could just need help from it’s mom, who might be nearby.
If you find baby squirrels and have a bit of time to observe and make sure the mom returns, try to play (using this YouTube Video) recordings of baby squirrels crying. While the babies are still young, the mothers know that they can’t wander too far from the nest and will hear the crying sound. She’ll come running and can help care for fallen babies.
Babies that have their eyes open are able to survive a little longer without mom. Try to find the nest to return them to, or if you can’t, put them in a shoebox with some warm blankets and leaves until the mom returns. Try to play the recording again, just be aware that the mom may have further to travel to get them and it may take a half hour – hour for her to find them.
Do you Love Squirrels?
First of all, thank you for caring about these fuzzy acrobats of the mammal world! They are important members of the ecosystem, even if they do happen to steal your birdseed.
Showcase your love of squirrels by bringing them home (although not from the wild – that’s illegal), by shopping with The Art of Ecology.
As part of the Wild Art 2021 November Challenge, put on by Zoe Keller, I illustrated two pieces focusing on the theme, “FLIGHT”. Each month, I am going to focus on two pieces – one highlighting flora, the other highlighting fauna. This month, I focused on two species, one amphibian who glides (instead of flies), and the other uses special morphological adaptations to catch the wind to move.
Let’s Define Flight
Flight occurs when a species can actively flap wings made of a thin skin or wings in order to maintain distance and height. Animals such as birds and bats are able to truly fly since they can maintain being airborne for long periods of time, sustaining flight by flapping. While animals such as Sugar Gliders, Wallace’s Flying Frog, Sailfin Flying Fish, and others, soar overhead, they don’t actually fly. Instead, they glide! They use thin membranes to catch air and wind, similarly to a parachute, in order to glide along before landing.
But why would an animal want to only “sort-of” fly?
The Benefits of Gliding
The Wallace’s Flying Frog, and many others (except for the fish), live in tree tops. Instead of clumsily jumping from branch to branch, they can leap off and soar from one tree to the next! This allows for a fast escape from predators.
Imagine being this jungle-residing, tree-dwelling frog… You are about the size of an adult fist, and hop around the tops of tree canopies in search of insects. Suddenly, you see a large, tree-climbing snake here too. Eek! This is one of your predators. In order to escape, you need to quickly get out of the tree you’re in, and to the tree next to you. Unfortunately, if you just drop out of the tree, you’ll have a LOOONG way to fall. Fortunately, you have adapted gliding mechanisms! You leap out of the tree, and spread your feet out, allowing the fleshy membrane between your toes to catch the wind. This carries you quickly away from the reach of the snake!
It’s not just animals though that have developed pseudo-flight mechanisms! Plants are able to take to the air as well, or at least some of the seeds are.
Importance of Seed Dispersal
A plant’s goal is to produce and release seeds to germinate and perpetuate it’s genes. In order to ensure that this happens, plants need to make sure that the flowers get pollinated and fertilized. This fertilization creates seeds, which will be dispersed to grow up into new plants. Some plants drop the seeds at the base of the plant. Next season, when it germinates, these plants are pollinated one after another and all have the same genetics. The gene pool won’t expand and the plant runs the risk of becoming diseased or deformed. Think of seeds like dog breeds. Purebred dogs, with the same gene pool being tapped into repeatedly, the more likely it is to have health issues. Mutts have a ton of diverse genes and will be more likely to overcome health issues. Seeds want a wide variety of genes too!
How do plants, without feet to walk and meet new plants, ensure that the genes they pass down contain diversity? One way is to rely on animals to move for them! As animals, such as birds or small mammals, eat the fruits or nuts, they run around all over the place. When they poop out the undigested seeds, it’s usually not in the same place that they ate. Now, the seeds are in little packets of fertilizer and can germinate away from the parent plant, thus being more likely to be fertilized by another plant with different genetics! Other plants develop sticky seeds that attach to the fur of animals running by. Other plants don’t want to rely on animals to spread the seeds. Animals might not travel by while the flowers or seeds are ready, so what can the plant do to adapt?
They can learn to fly on their own!
Seed Dispersion by Wind
What better way to ensure that you will be able to move, regardless of if an animals passes by or not, than by just taking flight yourself?! Wind is always available, so many plants have adapted ways to have their seeds be wind-dispersed. Whenever you see a seed that is attached to soft, feathery hairs, you can be sure that this plant has learned to “fly”. Dandelions, milkweeds (as illustrated here), clematis, and more have seeds attached to lightweight sails that are caught by wind and can be blown almost a mile away; a super long way for a plant to travel! The dandelion holds the record for seed dispersion, with a dandelion seed being blown over 60 miles (100km) from it’s parent plant!
While these plants and animals technically don’t have flight capabilities, it is amazing to see how they have overcome and adapted to be able to glide and use the wind to their advantage in order to ensure their survival. Interested in learning more about plant adaptations, and how important and difficult survival is? Stay tuned next month to learn more about plants and animals that are threatened, and ways to make a positive difference for their populations with the “In Peril” theme!
Click below for more scientific illustrations, illustration workshops, or some new home dรฉcor!
Flowers die back, but not before producing what they are specifically designed to produce – Seeds! This autumn, prepare for your spring and summer garden by harvesting these future plant-makers!
Seed Saving is the perfect way to save money in future years, and you also will be able to perpetuate the plants you love the most. Year to year, nursery’s and greenhouses will stop stocking plants to make room for newer, trendy cultivars, leaving you without some of your favorites! Personally, I really loved and wanted Sunshine Yarrow, a gorgeous, vibrant yellow cultivar of the native yarrow, and when I went to return for another one to add to the other side of the garden to balance it out, the nursery didn’t stock it any more. They only had the new “Strawberry Passion Yarrow”! This was another lovely cultivar, but it wasn’t what I was looking for. Seed saving can help prevent this particular challenge!
Some plants are easier to do this with than others.
Understanding Timing
First off, not all plants have seeds that are ready to harvest when we’d typically think they are. Plants, such as cucumbers, have vegetables and fruits that are picked and eaten before the seeds are mature! We eat these, and maybe try to save the seeds, but won’t be mature unless the vegetable is left to grow a little longer. This typically means that you won’t be able to eat the vegetable! For example, kale needs to bolt and produce flowers before it goes to seed. When many leafy greens, including kale, bolt, the leaves turn very bitter, making them practically inedible. Planting multiples can ensure that you get to enjoy your veggie garden for the food, and be able to leave some to go to seed!
Other plants, such as this Clematis, have very obviously mature seeds. Once the flower dies back, the dry seeds are left behind to be carried by the wind to a new spot to germinate. These already-dried seeds are great to harvest!
Easy Garden Seed Saving
Flowers with large, easily visible seeds, such as this clematis, the cosmos (pictured here), milkweeds (pictured below), or sunflowers (seeds in my hand), have seeds that will come off of the plant an into your hand very easily. If you have to tug to get the seed off, then it’s not mature and ready yet! Give it a few days, then return. Other plants, such as the Flower of the Hour (pictured at the very top), have little seed pods, or containers, that break open when mature. If you need to double check if the seeds are ready to harvest, shake the pod. If the seeds rattle around inside, they are ready and often times can just be dumped right into a seed-saving paper pouch.
Vegetable plants that can be great for beginners to harvest from are peas, beans, and pumpkins. In fact, many pumpkins that become autumn decoration, when they are composted, turn into their own little pumpkin patch on their own!
Storing Harvested Seeds
Regardless of the plant, when you harvest the seeds, be sure to be gentle with them! Some seeds, such as lobelia seeds can be extremely tiny, and if dropped can be impossible to find (although, if you drop them out in the garden, hopefully they will germinate when they’re ready!) Others, such as nasturtiums or black walnuts, are very large! and store them properly.
Seeds need to be fully dried before storing, since any excess moisture can create mold growth – and moldy seeds won’t germinate! After you harvest the seeds, keep them on a paper towel in a dark, cool place to finish drying. Then, they can be stored in a paper bag, or seed pouch until you wish to use them. To check if seeds are dried, try to press into them with a fingernail. If the nail leaves an indent, they are still to moist. If not, your seed is dried!
Store various species’ seeds in different, labeled bags so that you don’t confuse them in future seasons. I store my seeds in paper pouches labeled with the date and location of harvest, in a drawer.
Wildflower Seed Saving
If you’re trying to harvest seeds from your garden, that’s great! Those were plants that you put there, took the time and effort to care for, and maintain. Wild plants, on the other hand, are not just for you to enjoy! These wildflowers are important food resources for the native wildlife that rely on the nectar, pollen, seeds, berries, or home they provide.
When harvesting seeds from wildflowers and plants, be sure to:
Ask permission to harvest seeds if on private land first! Never take if you don’t know if you are allowed to.
Harvest no more than 1/3 of the seeds available. You love the plant, so be leave enough for the plant to reseed itself so that more grow in the future! Other animals rely on the seeds for late season food as well, so leave some for them to eat.
Never harvest from endangered, or rare plants. Seed collectors can accidentally damage the plant, which will prevent it from establishing it’s population in the area!
Avoid invasive plants! Yes, some may be gorgeous, however invasive plants hurt the ecosystem. If the seeds spread, they can outcompete native plants that are more nutritious to local wildlife populations, and provide better ecological functions. Instead, see if you can eat it! Eating invasive plants is a great way to appreciate the plant, while ensuring the seeds don’t spread.
Looking for other ways to enjoy the garden? Check out my upcoming gardening workshops (virtual presentations are perfect for those who aren’t local!), or visit the shop for botanical art in the form of photo prints or illustrations.
We are definitely starting to feel that Autumn is fully upon us, and this season is ripe for foragers! Fortunately, there are so many things to search for out there and use in our cooking. When we forage for and create eco-recipes for our meals, snacks, and drinks directly from nature, we have such control of what goes into our bodies as well as start to understand and appreciate the ecosystems around us a little bit more.
What are you foraging for in Autumn? Here in Southeastern PA, there are many goodies available, from the fruits of the native Black Tupelo tree, to the invasive fruits of the Autumn Olive shrub. Mushrooms are starting to pop up like crazy, and there are many Chicken of the Woods, Chanterelles, and Turkey Tails available to use, provided we’ve identified them correctly.
Are you new to foraging and want to learn how to get started and what foraging etiquette to abide by as you harvest?
Get inspired to forage with some of these wild-plant based snacks and autumn eco-recipes and you’ll never look at the natural world the same way again!
Nasturtium Salsa
Clean, sealable jar
Diced tomatoes to fill 1/2 the jar
Diced peppers to fill 1/4 the jar
Diced onions to fill 1/4 the jar
Red Pepper flakes, garlic powder, sugar, salt, and lime juice (to taste)
5-10 cut up Nasturtium flowers
Dice all veggies and add into the jar. Stir together. As you stir, you may notice that the levels that they fill the jar decrease. Feel free to add more of any type of vegetable. Occasionally, I will supplement with black or kidney beans. Add spices & lime juice, and stir again. Harvest and wash Nasturtium flowers, removing any extra stems or unwanted debris. Be sure to leave the back, pointy end of the flower, as this is where much of the spicy flavor is located! Chop or rip up the flowers into bite sized pieces and stir into your salsa mixture. Enjoy with tortillas (I personally love it with blue corn chips)! Store in the refrigerator. Salsa can last for up to 3 months in the fridge.
Wildberry Jam
Clean ball pint jars (6)
1 packet of Jelly-making Pectin
2 – 3 c. of wild, foraged berries (Blueberries, Blackberries, Wineberries, Black Raspberries, and Black Cherries were what I used)
Sugar (as called for in the instructions in the Pectin box)
Water (as called for in the instructions in the Pectin box)
Wash all berries and mush them up in a saucepan with water. Inside the pectin box, you will be able to find a table of ratios that will instruct you how much water to add to the saucepan based on the type and amount of berries that you foraged. Follow those ratios for both the water AND the sugar. Boil the berries and water quickly for 1 minute, then strain the fruit bits out (If desired. I only strained out the black cherry pits, but kept the rest for a chunky jam). Add sugar, and boil again while stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Quickly pour jam mixture into your clean ball jars and fully seal. Jam will be ready to store in the refrigerator or pantry once you hear the pressurized lid “pop”. My 2 1/2 c. mixed berries created 6 full pint jars of wildberry jam.
Goldenrod Honey over Pears
8 oz. local, unflavored, wildflower honey
1 1/2 c. Goldenrod flowers that haven’t fully bloomed yet
1 clean pint ball jar
1 pear
3 tbsp. crumbled feta cheese
Harvest and wash your goldenrod flowers gently. Dry flowers between paper towels for a few days, or quickly in the microwave (do not heat the flowers in the microwave for more than 20 seconds at a time!). Once the flowers are dried, add to clean jar. Pour honey overtop of the flowers and seal the container. Every day, for one week, flip the jar over to ensure that all of the flowers are being covered and infusing their goodness into the honey. When prepared to serve, slice pears thinly and lay them out, slightly overlapping each other. Microwave (or double boil) the honey mixture until it becomes very runny, then strain or pick out the flowers (discard them or eat them raw). Drizzle honey over the pears, then crumble the feta overtop.
Cosmos-Dandelion Cupcakes
Vanilla Cupcake mix
10-15 Cosmos Flowers
10-15 Dandelion Flowers
Buttercream Frosting
12 Cupcake liners (either reusable or paper)
Follow the instructions on the cupcake mix box, or follow your favorite cupcake recipe! Gently wash and remove the petals from the flowers. During the step where you add flour, or the dry ingredients, also add the flower petals (leaving a handful to the side to add to the icing) and mix in. Finish the recipe as directed. Once the cupcakes have come out of the oven baked and cooled, spread buttercream frosting overtop. You can either mix the remaining petals into the frosting, or use as a garnish.
Autumn Olive-Rosehip Limeade
1 c. Autumn Olive fruits
1 c. Rosehips
8 c. water (2 for the autumn olive-rosehip mixture, and the rest for the limeade)
1 c. sugar
1 c. lime juice
Wash the harvested fruits and remove unwanted debris. Add fruits and 2 c. water to a saucepan and bring to a rolling boil. Some of the water may boil off – don’t worry about that! Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the fruits are easily squished (rosehips can be rather hard sometimes and need to soften). Once the fruits are soft, mush them up with the side of a spoon, or a fruit masher. Remove from heat and let cool. Strain out seeds and pour remaining liquid into a pitcher. Add the lime juice, remaining water, and sugar to the pitcher. Adjust the sweetness to taste by adding more sugar or lime juice if needed. Serve cold. You may notice some separation of color/autumn olive skins; this is natural! Stir quickly before serving to blend the autumn olive skins and color throughout the drink.
Now that you’re more comfortable with foraging, learn more about creating specialty drinks with wild-edibles, regardless of the season with my “Trails-to-Tasting” Foraging Guide & Cocktail Eco-Recipe Book!
Discover more wonders of the natural world, tips for how to forage, and some eco-recipes and tutorials on my YouTube channel’s Wild-Edibles & Foraging playlist!
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