Blackthorn / Sloes – Prunus spinosa
Blackthorn is a deciduous shrub with edible flowers and edible berries which are called sloes. Very popular with foragers and lovers of sloe gin.
SPECIES
SPECIES
A catalogue of commonly found wild plants, mushrooms and animals which live in the UK
This page is intended as a free guide to the wild plants, fungi, seaweeds and everything else we come across running outdoor skills courses in the UK.
The articles here are written almost exclusively by Richard Prideaux or Amy Green, we are professional foragers and habitat managers and we write about what we know intimately and research thoroughly into those species which we have yet to encounter in person. Our articles are based upon personal experience combined with information gleaned from trusted sources, some of these being older texts and others more modern.
Elder – Sambucus nigra
Elder (Sambucus nigra) is a tall flowering shrub with clusters of white, fragrant flowers in late Spring and red berries in early autumn. It has a long history of uses as a source of food, for hedgerows, for keeping insects…
Stinging Nettle – Urtica dioica
Stinging Nettles (Urtica dioica) are a native superfood in the UK. What’s even better is that they are wonderfully easy to identify, collect and use! You will find stinging nettles available year round in abundance spread across a wide variety…
Wood Sorrel – Oxalis acetosella
Common Wood Sorrel (Oxalis acetosella) is often listed as being toxic in wild flower identification books, but it is recommended by many foragers. There are some potential health and toxicity issues to be aware of (see below), but in small…
Scarlet Elf Cup – Sarcoscypha austriaca
This distinctive fungi looks like something straight out of Lord of the Rings (or your other chosen fantasy film). You have probably seen this small fungus adding some colour to the otherwise often dull winter palette as it pushes it’s…
Marsh Samphire – Salicornia europaea
Marsh Samphire (Salicornia europaea) has little to do with the similarly-named Rock Samphire other than their location and a vaguely similar taste. Marsh Samphire, AKA Glasswort, is found in estuary mud and the intertidal edges of creeks and some muddy…
Opposite-Leaved Golden Saxifrage – Chrysosplenium oppositifolium
This short, green and slightly hairy plant is almost always found in shaded wet soils within a few metres of a body of water – even if that body of water is more of a swamp than a babbling brook.…
Cep – Boletus edulis
Cep (Boletus edulis) is one of the most reassuring edible mushroom that you will find in the UK. It has a distinctive appearance, few things to confuse it with and very tasty. It’s a highly-prized mushroom in the kitchen and…
Bilberry – Vaccinium myrtillus
From early August onwards any of my work in the mountains of England, Wales and Scotland is often accompanied by the action of grazing on these tiny purple blobs as I work my way through the heather and scrub. Bilberries…
Training
Training