Join Charles for an Edible and Medicinal Plant Walk in the Spring Mountains
When: Sunday, October 9th, 9am to 12:30pm.
Where: Mt. Charleston area (Spring Mountains), west of Las Vegas, NV.
Meet-up point: 9am, meet up in the Smith’s parking lot – the location adjacent to 95, north of 215 (northwest part of the city). The registration email will provide the specific address.
From here we’ll caravan/carpool 25-30 minutes to out on-foot point.
Important: The start time is 9am, in the Smith’s parking lot. If you’re running late, and miss us here, I can’t guarantee that I’ll be able to answer the phone and give the exact location of the on-foot point.
Cost and Registration: $60 per person. Use the PayPal form at the bottom of the page for payment (the PayPal Checkout button gives the option of paying with a credit card, without a PayPal account, if so desired). Your payment secures your spot and is your registration. Print out (or on phone) the PP receipt and bring it with you to the class. Once paid/registered, I’ll send a welcome email (check your spam-junk folder/blocker).
Cancelation Policy: If a cancelation notice is given more than 72 hours before the plant walk start, then a full refund will be issued. With notification of 24-72 hours before the plant walk start, no refund will be issued, but the participant can reschedule for a future plant walk at no additional charge. If less than 24 hour notice is given (or failure to attend*), there are no refunds or free reschedules. Participants will have to pay the full price for a future event.
*This includes late arrivers who miss the group at the meet-up point*
Considerations: I love pets/babies/children…but this really isn’t the right event for them. A focused middle-teen may have the necessary attention span, but anyone younger will be climbing the walls. If I allow one pet, I have to allow them all, which means animal chaos with a side of plant walk.
Love or hate them, cell phones are now a part of our lives. The camera function will come in handy for plant photos. Audio recording the walk for later review is fine. Or old-school paper and pen. But, please, no video (of me); photos are OK.
Total walking distance will be about 1 mile. This is not an aggressive hike – more talk than walk. However, attendees should be of at least average health with no mobility impairments. We do go off-trail occasionally (still easy walking, but don’t except a botanical garden improved walkway).
Additional: The upper elevations of the Spring Mountains maintain a bevy of therapeutic (and semi-caloric/nutritious) plants, though only visible seasonally.
We’ll be under the conifers (around 7500′) for this plant walk (Ponderosa and Fir, each with their related medicinal influence). Present are some nice stands of Valerian and Nettle. Other important medicinal members, Creeping hollygrape and Angelica await discussion. At least two Artemisia species (Sagebrush/Sagewort/Mugwort) are found with little searching. Yarrow and Mullein are common to the area. The more potent of the two, Yarrow, has a trifecta effect – bitter, astringent, and simulating. A mild (and weedy) plant, Mullein is both a food and medicine.
One prolific small tree, Elder (Sambucus nigra ssp. cerulea), gets much notoriety these days as an ‘anti-viral’ cold and flu application. True, the flower tea has a long and storied use when an elevated temperature is present, however, heavily-marketed berry products are a rather new phenomenon. The clarification of how and when to use one or the other makes for an informative discussion.
For edibles, Wild rose, Dock, Sorrell, Evening primrose, and Bracken are present for us the check out. Currant and/or Gooseberry are here too. Not to forget our poisonous Legumes, Lupine, Locoweed, and Pea vine serve as checks to a caution-free plant-utilization attitude.
All in all I’ll discuss or touch on 20-30 species.
Mini Book Signing: After we finish, I’ll have a book signing at the vehicles for anyone who wants to purchase a book (or bring your own copy for me to sign). I’ll have these titles available to sign/purchase:
- Medicinal Plants of Western Mountain States (covers high elevation Nevada plants)
- Medicinal Plants of the American Southwest (covers low elevation Nevada plants)
- Wild Edible Plants of Nevada
You’re welcome to email with questions. Once registered, I’ll provide a contact phone #.