NC Trail Days - Some Feed Us, Some Heal Us, Some Kill Us

Native plants in the Elkin Valley and their cultural significance
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What do you need to know before you pluck that berry or green leaf and pop it into your mouth?
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For all the millennia that humans have roamed the earth, they have tasted and tested to see what is good to eat, what might have healing properties, and what might make you sick as a goat. We will explore the Elkin & Alleghany Nature Trail and its rich native biodiversity to learn a little ethnobotany – the cultural uses of plants growing all around us.
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Two hours. Easy walking, out and back on level trail, with lots of stopping to look and talk. A check list and informational resources provided.
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Bring water. Meet in the Elkin Recreation Center parking lot at the northwest corner; you can see the Rail Trail sculpture from there. Public restrooms in the Rec Center and a clean pit toilet one mile down the trail.