Looking for an incredibly rewarding activity? How about learning to identify new plants and mushrooms?
Here’s how I see it: The more plants and mushrooms we can identify, the happier we are!
Now I don’t know of any good studies to support my claim, though it’s been my personal experience that a deep satisfaction can be experienced when identifying wild plants and mushrooms.
And honestly, the real reason probably lies much deeper than simple taxonomy. Naming is only the beginning of a long process that guides the curious naturalist along the timeless journey of understanding, connection, and fulfillment.
I recently spent some time in the winter woods identifying various plants and fungi, and while I was at it I thought I’d film a brief video on ways you can improve your plant and mushroom identification skills.
These strategies aren’t widely discussed, though they’re ones that have worked really well for me over the past few years… and I’ll bet they’ll work for you too!
If you’re interested in learning more plants and mushrooms (and birds, snakes, reptiles, slime molds, etc.) this year, check out the video!