Wildcraft Workshops Field Guide

I've compiled this list to assist my local community in identifying a number of native and non-native plants in our area. I encourage everyone taking my workshops to use this guide to see what my plant medicines look like in their natural state. I understand there are thousands of plants I left unlisted, what I have below was chosen for its availability and abundance.

Aromatic Sumac

This smaller Sumac variety grows all over our valley. I’ve found it up in the Cleveland National Forest down into some undeveloped areas of Murrieta. It starts fruiting tiny berries early in the summer that are mostly seeds and have a very tart, sour taste. They can be eaten raw or dried, powdered and mixed with water to make a refreshing drink with a plethora of health benefits.

June - August

Black Sage

Out of all the sages we have growing here the sweet scent of Black Sage in the spring has always been my favorite. It makes an excellent tea to treat coughs/colds, it can also be made into a powerful poultice to treat sore throats. Peak foraging season is late May - early July. Keep in mind that the leaves are slightly sticky and may leave a bit of residue on your hands after foraging.

May - July

Black Walnut

Wild Black Walnut trees are becoming more and more scarce here in Southern California but you can still find them up in the hills and even a few growing amongst the pepper trees here in the valley. The walnuts are usually dropping sometime between late August and early November. The shells are thick but easy enough to crack open with a simple nutcracker and in my opinion, these walnuts taste much better than store bought.

August - November

California Brittlebush

In my experience California Brittlebush is the most misidentified plant we have here, I find it is often mistaken as White Sage (Sativa Apiana) Technically this can be harvested year round but you’ll get the best brittlebush has to offer if you forage in late spring before it gets crispy from the summer heat. From the leaves to the stem Brittlebush treats a variety of ailments and is a good staple to have on your shelf, especially during allergy season.

February - June

California Buckwheat

California Buckwheat is one of the most plentiful native plants we have, you can find it growing near housing tracks, on trails, undeveloped land, even the side of the road. The appearance changes slightly according to the seasons, in the late spring you’ll see the tiny white flowers bloom in clusters, when late summer hits the flowers turn a deep red.

May - October

California Everlasting

This is one of my favorite native plants that I use regularly, California Everlasting has a sweet, almost maple scent and tastes just as good. As a bonus, it can be foraged twice a year IF you’re comfortable using the green leaves (Left Photo) in the spring and the flowers after blooming in the mid summer (Right photo) It is a favorite of the painted lady butterflies, their larvae feed on the fully bloomed flowers so make sure to leave some for them too!

January - July

California Sagebrush

California Sagebrush has such a unique appearance and scent it's, in my opinion, one of the easiest native plants too identify. It retains most of it's color and leaves all year with a bit of thinning in the late summer. It's been historically used as an infusion to treat colds or as a special wash for women among many other uses. You'll find it in peak condition in the late spring, after the heavy rains but before the summer heat.

May - June

Chamise

Chamise has a wide variety of applications as plant medicine, food, tool making and fuel for camp fires due to its high oil content. The leaves can be brewed like a tea or processed and used topically, while the wood can be fashioned into small tools, fire drills, even arrows. Chamise is one of the main plants in the chaparral brush biome and it’s likely what we see most when we look out into the western mountains.

January - May

Chaparral Dodder

Chaparral Dodder is a fascinating parasitic plant we have native to the area. Its bright orange color is caused by its inability to photosynthesize and can be seen in the summer covering native plants like Buckwheat, Black Sage and Deerweed. It attaches itself to a host plant and spends its entire lifespan drawing water and resources but is careful not to kill the host plant. There are a few known medicinal uses for it, the Kumeyaay used Dodder growing on California Buckwheat as a cure for black widow spider bites. It is also said that after boiling it can be consumed as a tea to help with stomach issues, it can even make a natural yellow dye.

March - September

Chaparral Yucca

Chaparral Yucca has a 4 - 7 year lifespan and only flowers once before the end of its life cycle. It has many uses for humans but it's also an important part of the chaparral biome. For example, it's the host to a rare nocturnal moth that pollinates its many flowers and lays eggs in the seed pods. I mainly use this yucca to make natural cordage but it doubles as a soap while you process the leaves into fibers. A word of advice, finding an older yucca that’s already bloomed is a great way to go if you’re looking for plant fibers, so in the name of conservation, do not forage from the young ones. . I have so much love and appreciation for Chaparral Yucca, over the years it's come in handy more times than I can count.

March - May

Comb Tooth Mushroom

Coral Tooth or Comb Tooth Mushroom (Hericium coralloides) is related to the more famous Lions Mane mushroom. It's easy to spot with its furry, fuzzy look, it sits apart from other fungi in our area. With it's medicinal benefits/properties which include antioxidants that protect the heart and reduce inflammation, diabetes management, antibacterial, antibiotic compounds that can aid in wound healing, infection prevention and I've even heard talk of neuro-regeneration. It's a diamond in the rough for us in the valley and if you have the chance to forage some in it's prime I suggest you take full advantage.

March - May

Coyote Mint

With its broad, dark green leaves and sweet aroma Coyote Mint might be one of the easiest to identify as well as easiest to propagate. It can be used medicinally or as a food source in the same way we use mint that we buy from the store. You’ll find it growing anywhere there’s plentiful, clean water. Check out your local creeks and rivers, you might just find some thriving!

May - August

Deerweed

Deerweed (Acmispon glaber) with it's bell shaped flowers that grow prolifically during the early summer, it's a favorite of our local hummingbirds, bees, butterfly larvae and of course mule deer. This is also one of the chaparral inhabitants that needs wildfires to help their seeds germinate. The following year after a fire and heavy spring rains you'll start to see them sprout up again. It has traditionally been used more for its material applications like building material for thatching but it can also be used as a decoction to help ease coughs and sore throats.

March - August

Golden Yarrow

Growing throughout our local hillsides and mountains, Golden Yarrow is a terrific find in the field. It supports local wildlife like bats, bees, butterflies, caterpillars and has many medicinal uses. My favorite is using it in a field bandage, after chewing up some leaves and flowers it can be applied as a poultice directly to an open wound to help stop any bleeding. It’s usually found growing in large groups, sometimes entire hillsides if the conditions are right and can grow up to 2 feet tall.

January - July

Hoary Leafed Ceanothus

This is such a beautiful native plant when it’s in full bloom, the flowers smell wonderful and can be used as an impromptu soap. The term "hoary" is a reference to the leaves' soft, velvety underside. The branches, leaves, bark, flowers and the berries that follow can be used for tools, medicines, soap and food depending on the season.

February - April

Laurel Sumac

Laurel Sumac is a staple in the Chaparral Biome with its large green leaves and red stems it provides food, shade and habitat for a variety of wildlife. The tart berries ripen in the early summer and can be used to make a delicious lemonade like drink or eaten after a bit of preparation. The leaves have medicinal uses and the inner bark of younger shoots were eaten by the local natives as a delicacy.

June - July

Miners Lettuce

Miners Lettuce is a great snack in the field, packed with vitamins A and C as well as a natural source of iron. It can be eaten raw in a salad or cooked, it helps maintain an alkaline balance in the body, reducing acidity and supporting overall health. You'll find it hiding in the shade up in mountains or perhaps in the valley but near water. I tend to look under the sagebrush and chamise to see if I can spot some, when I do I just follow the trail until I find a field of them. Be sure not to overharvest, all the spring babies need miners lettuce to fatten up in their first year so make sure you leave enough for the wildlife!

April - May

Red Mulberry

Although technically native to eastern and central regions of the U.S. Red Mulberry has made its way to California and has done quite well. I’ve personally found several in the wild and if I have time, I enjoy foraging from them twice a year. Fruiting here comes in 2 short bursts, one in early Spring and another in mid to late summer. The berries can be eaten raw, cooked, dried or powdered and used as a drink mix. It can even be used as a natural pigment for arts and crafts after a bit of processing.

June - July

Pineapple Weed

Pineapple Weed is one of my all time favorite herbs to collect simply because of how easy it is to forage. It’s the only one I don’t have to deliberately grow myself but can still harvest from my own yard every year. It’s basically North American Chamomile, it smells the same and has the same benefits as the German chamomile you’d find in the store. The only real difference is locally foraged herbs are going to help you build a natural immunity to your surrounding allergies and therefore pack a bigger punch towards your overall health.

May - September

Poison Oak

Poison Oak, not quite an herb or something you’d want to forage but I added it to the list so people can take a good look at it and hopefully recognize it out in the field. Although not technically poisonous it produces a substance, urushiol, that most people are allergic to and as such should be avoided. The leaves are bright glossy green in the spring and turn various shades of green and red in the fall.

The oil is present year round so be careful!

Sawtooth Goldenbush

The spikey leaves of Sawtooth Goldenbush are surprisingly soft and have a slightly citrus aroma when harvesting. They produce one of the few flowers that bloom in the late summer and as such, provide a vital food source for many insects when most other flowers have gone to seed. The Cahuilla boiled the plant and bathed in it to relieve aches and pains, they would also breathe in the steam while boiling to relieve minor sore throats.

June - October

Scrub Oak

Scrub Oak (Quercus dumosa) is the small shrub-like oak tree that lines our western mountainsides. The galls found on scrub oaks have medicinal uses and the acorns that drop every year can be relied on as a reliable food source. Historically, the acorns were only eaten when Live Oak acorns couldn't be found.

August - December

Seep Willow

A hardy native plant that grows well in sandy soil, you’ll find seep willow growing on the banks of local rivers and creeks. The leaves have several medicinal uses and the long shoots can be used for things like fire drills and other hand tools. If you are planning to forage these, wait until after the flowers bloom in early fall for mature, sturdy crafting materials.

April - October

Spiny Redberry

When eaten, the drupe (berry) from the Spiny Redberry bush is said to be like cherry with a cinnamon aftertaste. You'll find them growing alongside slopes and in valleys throughout coastal California, their bright red drupes are quick to catch your eye. The tiny flowers bloom April - May and they fruit in the late spring making them a favorite for birds and small animals.

June - August

Stinging Nettle

Stinging Nettle has been used by many different tribes in the area and up the coast throughout southern California. It has medicinal qualities that can treat several ailments like arthritis, hair loss, diabetes and UTIs to list a few. It can also be boiled and eaten like spinach and is a great source of vitamins A, C, and K as well as iron, calcium and magnesium making it a nutritional powerhouse. You may find this one in your yard after the spring rains, make sure to take advantage when you see it growing, it starts to die off at the start of summer, especially if we have an early heatwave.

March - May

Toyon

Toyon is a great native plant to have growing in your neighborhood. The leaves can be used to make herbal medicine and the pomes, which resemble berries, can be cooked and eaten or dried and powdered to use as a drink mix or food flavoring. Toyon is one of the few plants to be bearing fruit in the later half of the year and they provide an important food source for local wildlife so make sure you leave some behind if you go out to forage pomes in the winter.

April - May / November - January

Turkey Tail Mushrooms

Turkey tail is one of the few mushrooms I trust myself to forage, I am not a mycologist and I am very weary of eating something I shouldn't. That being said turkey tail is a safe choice because there are no mushrooms that look anything like it. With many medicinal attributes like immune system support, antioxidants and cancer fighting properties it's something I look for every spring. You'll find it growing on dead wood, I usually find it thriving on a fallen oak tree in the middle of the forest in the late spring.

February - May

White Horehound

Although not technically a native plant, I’ve added it to the list because I see it on almost all my local hikes. Horehound hails from the Mediterranean but was believed to have escaped cultivation in California in 1833 and it found throughout the rest of the world. I don’t often use this personally as it’s a blood thinner and I have a few native plants I prefer to use for coughs and colds. If you would like to use White Horehound be sure to do your research, do not use it if you've recently had surgery, will have surgery or if you’re taking any medication that may counteract with it.

April - September

White Sage

Within the last few years white sage has leapt to the forefront as the most popular local plant we have. California's indigenous people would burn it to use the smoke as a spiritual cleanse or to purify a living area after someone was sick. Which makes sense, we now have scientific research to prove its efficacy in fighting bacteria and airborne pathogens. Despite these benefits, I do not forage white sage anymore, with its rise in popularity and subsequent scarcity, I do my best to leave it be and when given the opportunity, I try to plant even more.

April - July

Wild Cucumber

First and foremost this wild cucumber is not edible, in fact it would probably act more as a laxative if you tried eating one of the spikey fruits. Heavy in saponins, wild cucumber is a great natural soap to use while you're out in the field. It's easy to identify and grows all over our hillsides and up into the mountains of the Cleveland National Forest. You'll see it flourishing in the late spring, climbing all over whatever happens to be near. I've even seen some climb up into the high canopy of oak trees.

March - June

Witches Jelly

Witches Jelly (Tremella mesenterica) is an edible fungi, found in the rainy season growing on decaying wood. With its unique appearance it’s easy to identify and since there are no fungi that resemble it your mind can rest easy while foraging. Although fairly bland, it can be cooked and eaten safely, historically it was often used to bulk up stews. It contains mannitol which can help with glaucoma, boosts the immune system, promotes healthy skin as well as supports brain and heart health.

November - January

Wooly Yerba Santa

You’ll find Woolly Yerba Santa growing on the hills and slopes of the valley. The leaves can be used to make a tea that treats respiratory issues like serious coughs or fevers, a poultice can also be made and used to treat external wounds. You’ll find the leaves in their best shape for foraging at the end of Spring before the summer heat dries them out and makes them too crunchy.

May - July