Recommended reading
“Wild Seasons: Gathering and Cooking Wild Plants of the Great Plains” by Nebraska naturalist Kay Young, first published in 1993, at some Lincoln libraries and available for purchase in paperback from the University of Nebraska Press, 402-472-3581 or nebraskapress.unl.edu.
“Weed ’Em and Reap” by Nebraska folklorist Roger Welsch, published in 2006 and available at online book stores.
“Weeds of the Great Plains” by the University of Nebraska and the Nebraska Department of Agriculture. Available for purchase via mail order form at Herbmentor.com or by calling 402-471-2394.
“Field Guide to Wildflowers: Fontanelle Forest and Neale Woods Nature Centers” by Roland Barth and Neal Ratzlaff, published in 2004, at some Omaha libraries.
“Nutritional Herbology: A Reference Guide to Herbs” by chemist Mark Pedersen, last revised in 1998, available at online book stores.
Wildcrafting Web sites
Foodunderfoot.com, which centers on identifying and preparing edible plants.
Herbmentor.com, which is more focused on using wild plants for medicinal purposes.
Local experts
Members of the Nebraska Native Plant Society, which hosts periodic plant identification walks at wild prairies and nature centers across the state. An Oct. 10 walk, led by Roland Barth and Neal Ratzlaff, is scheduled at the Fontanelle Forest Nature Center in Bellevue. For more information, visit www.unl.edu/nebnps/NNPSindex.html.
Horticulture and food educators at UNL Extension offices. Some are skilled at identifying wild plants. For the Douglas/Sarpy office, call 444-7804.
Naturalists at local nature centers and wildlife preserves, such as Fontanelle Forest Nature Center in Bellevue and the Chet Ager Nature Center in Lincoln.
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