We had a beautiful walk today with a wonderful girl scout troop. We walked on the Trillium Trail outside Pittsburgh, PA, where hundreds of native trilliums were in bloom. (Trillium is not an edible plant that I know of…but it is gorgeous!)

Trillium (not an edible)

We did identify native edible and medicinal plants such as bloodroot, May apple, fiddleheads, wild ginger, spring beauty and trout lily.

Wild Ginger

We also saw some of our “weed” edibles such as the invasive garlic mustard and Japanese knotweed, chickweed, cleavers, ground ivy/creeping Charlie.

Also seen: violets (purple, yellow and white), stinging nettles, wood nettles (stings!), cleavers, broad leaf dock and jewelweed.

And one of the girls spotted this robin’s nest, complete with tiny hatchlings.

Baby Robins

What an amazing day in Western PA!

Make sure to join us on our walks this Saturday, April 21, 2012 at 1 and 2 pm at the Frick Park Earth Day Celebration! It’s at Frick Environmental Center on Beechwood Blvd…the festival runs from 11:30 to 4. Hope to see you there!

~ Melissa