Mountain Medicine and Wild Foods: A Seasonal Ethnobotany Series

Join ACES naturalist, Penelope Thornton, for an immersive four-part series in ethnobotany, exploring the edible and medicinal plants of the Aspen area. From June to September, we will follow the phenology of our local flora through monthly guided walks. Each session is timed to follow the plant’s life cycle, moving from the emergence of buds and shoots in the spring to the vibrant flowering plants of mid-summer, concluding with the harvest of seed and roots in the autumn. Participants will learn to read landscapes to engage with our local wild food plants and medicines throughout the flowering season. Whether you are a lover of the Roaring Fork Valley, a budding herbalist, or a culinary explorer, this series offers a new way to feel at home in the wild.

May 29 Buds and Shoots – Discover the first nutrient-dense arrivals of the season, from resinous “”sticky buds”” to tender wild greens. We will discuss the energetics of spring plants and how to harvest young growth without harming the plant’s future vitality. We will be looking for tender greens, buds, and flowers for spring salads!

July 15 Flowering Plants – Explore the summer wildflower meadows at their most vibrant and abundant stage of their lifecycle. Learn the traditional uses of local blooms and how to identify the diversity of wild foods and medicines of the alpine.

August 6 Fruits and Flowers – Explore the culinary and medicinal bounty of the mountains as plants transition from flower to fruit. From wild raspberries to alpine medicines, August in the Rockies brings fruits to the forests and high-altitude flowers to the alpine. We will practice reading the landscape to find reliable foraging patches and discuss the ethics of gathering food from the wild.

September 16 Roots and Seeds – Learn to identify and harvest wild foods and medicines through seeds and roots as they hunker down for winter. We will learn to identify “skeletons” of summer plants to find nutrient-dense roots and protein-rich seeds, mastering the skills of the late-season harvest.

This outing requires advance registration to ensure appropriate planning for the field experience. Participants must register by 5pm on the day prior to the outing.

The meeting location will be communicated to registered participants.

About the Instructor:

Penelope Thornton is a former ACES naturalist with a speciality in herbalism and wild edible and medicinal plants. She graduated from Colorado College with a degree in Southwest Studies, focusing on ethnobotany and ecology. For her senior thesis, Penelope compiled her knowledge of edible and medicinal plants into a guidebook on the Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants of Central Colorado, which has grown into her life’s work and passion.