Join Eco-A and co-host Susan Edwards for a seasonal series of walks featuring the special qualities of some of our common plant friends. Susan will introduce us to the edible and medicinal qualities of some of our most common trees and “weeds” – some you may be surprised to find growing along a sidewalk, fence or in your own backyard.

Backyard Edibles

Discover the myriad qualities of the edible and medicinal plants found beneath our feet and climbing up trees in our backyards — including Plantain, Pine, Greenbriar, English ivy and more. Susan Edwards joins us for another foraging discovery in our common places.

Learn how to put some of those pesky invasive plants to good use! Together we will explore common species that can be found in almost every neighborhood in the South. Learn easy ways to prepare foods and remedies, from nature’s band aid plantain to nature’s cold remedy pine. We will have the opportunity to taste trail nibbles, teas and try salves from summer’s plentiful bounty.

Location: Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve

Cost: $15 – Limit 15

To register (RSVP) click HERE – details and directions sent to registered participants. 

A donation of $15 or more helps support or programs.

For other Eco-A outings with Susan Edwards see:

• Farewell to Summer: The Goldenrods

• Grateful for the Oaks!

More about Susan Edwards: Susan is a Naturalist Educator and lives in Pine Lake, Georgia with her musician husband Dan and their two young children, Murphy and Lily.  She has degrees from the University of Georgia Athens in Entomology, Ecology, and a Master’s of Education in Environmental Education. She has worked in numerous educational settings from Audubon and Nature Centers, Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta, public schools, and as a naturalist at Reggio Emilia inspired preschools.

Susan has been interested in plants and their myriad of uses since growing up exploring the Great Plains ecosystems in Oklahoma as a young girl, where her classroom was nature. Playing in the grasses and creeks, she was “always mixing various plants and mud and making various concoctions.” After moving to Georgia, she was able to learn about the eastern Piedmont region and explore the wilds of the South. In high school she had the opportunity to learn from naturalists in several fields at Fernbank Science Center. In college she expanded her knowledge base, and through international travel experience furthered her study of medicinal plants in other regions. She says:  “It was always out there on the edge of my work and experiences, always calling to me in a strong yet whispering way. And finally as an adult I’ve been fortunate enough to truly be able to dive deeper into this healing world of plants and beyond.” Susan continues to learn from regional herbalists in Georgia and the Southeast, gathering new knowledge and experiences with plant uses and the natural world and our deep connection to it.

“It’s a big passion and a life long journey for me — I love sharing it with others so much.”

Most recently Susan and Dan started their own program called Sound of Nature School which offers hands-on homeschool classes in areas such as Nature exploring, History, Music in our home studio, creative writing and even interactive physics classes. She is thrilled to be a member of the SEED panel in the City of Pine Lake, GA, and looks forward to working together with her community on “projects that help connect us all to the nature that is within us and all around us.”