Kristyna Baczynski - The Wild Year: A Field Guide for Exploring Nature All Around Us

INTRODUCTION

This book began six years ago, during a cold, dark winter in the North of England. I was sitting in my home studioa spare room in an apartment that lacked any outdoor spaceweary between freelance projects and gripped with seasonal gloom. I started taking walks around my neighborhood to shake up my motivation and noticed little plants thriving despite the frosty bleakness. What were these intrepid leaves? How could they prosper when everything else seemed to have faded? Those brave weeds reignited my curiosity and enthusiasm; I wanted to explore and discover, to document and research, to write and illustrate. That winter I self-published a pocket-size zine that collected together my favorite plants and their fascinating histories. Eventually I made a zine for every season, and together those pages became an early version of The Wild Year.

I hope this book can help you connect with the wild plants growing around you, whether youre on an epic hiking adventure or a casual neighborhood stroll.

FORAGING NOTES

Foraging can be an amazing way to enjoy seasonal plants and experiment with new ingredients. However, it can also be dangerous, as misidentification may lead to interaction with irritants and ingestion of toxic matter.

Its always worth foraging with someone who is experienced, knowledgeable, and confident in identifying local plants. Its also advantageous to wear protective gloves and take containers to collect cuttings.

Every plant in this book is accompanied by its scientific name. This is to avoid misidentification, as some plants have look-alikes or share common names across different regions and cultures. For example, in North America groundnut refers to a leguminous vine that produces subterranean edible tubers (), whereas in South America groundnut refers to the herbaceous peanut plant (Arachis hypogaea), and in West Africa you would find yet another plant with edible underground pods called groundnut (Vigna subterranea).

The many types of ground nut, left to right: Apios americana, vigna subterranea, and arachis hypogaea.

You can use the official plant classifications to assist in accurately cross-referencing images and descriptions for more confident identification.

All the plants in this book are broadly categorized by season, based on when each plant is at its peak, most striking, or most useful. These are intended as a guide, as some plants may appear out of season, depending on regional habitat and local climate.

If youre at all unsure about a plant, do not touch or eat it. Take a photo, make a note, and keep exploring.

CHECKLIST

• American wintergreen

• Hairy bittercress

• Douglas fir

• Honesty

• Wolf lichen

• Common chickweed