(MD) (Nature Forward)
Join a naturalist for an introduction to the pleasures of winter plant observation and study. Naturalist Henry David Thoreau wrote that a walk through winter’s woods, fields, and wetlands was like walking through a “cabinet of curiosities.” He described the landscape as nature’s self-made herbarium. During this season, trees and shrubs stand out against the sky with bark, twigs, fruits, and stature sharing clues to their identity. The dried stems of many herbaceous plants persist into the winter months as well, giving the winter explorer a chance to consider seed dispersal strategies and signs of summer insect activity, such as insect galls, chrysalids, cocoons, and egg cases. Expect a moderate walking pace with some uphill/downhill as our leaders guid