Plants are such generous friends, working hard to provide the planet with clean air, soil, and water, as well as food, shelter, and raw materials for innumerable creations. We rely on them for nearly everything that keeps us alive. But because they don’t get up and walk around (at least not when we’re looking!), and because they don’t have audible voices, it’s easy to take those gifts for granted. Many new plant enthusiasts, in their uninformed excitement, harvest plants without understanding the impact their actions might have on the plants and the land they grow on. So I’d like to share with you my thoughts on mindful ways to collect plants for magick, medicine, creative projects, or any other purpose (except annual food crops, which are a whole different story!).

I should note that some of the considerations I list here are more applicable to wild plants than to garden plants. Many garden plants, for example, can be harvested more heavily than wild plants, though there are still considerations about how our harvest might affect wildlife. And I strongly feel that considerations of permission, respect, and reciprocity always apply.

Be informed

Chances are, you’ll be looking for specific plants to harvest. So be sure you know how to correctly identify the plant you want: many plants have lookalikes, and not all lookalikes are benign. Also find out if the plant is endangered, and if they are, choose a different plant. 

Before you go out foraging, do a little research. Learn to identify weeds, who tend to be very plentiful. Also learn to recognize the truly poisonous plants: there aren’t as many out there as some people think, but there are a few who can really cause serious damage if you accidentally handle or ingest them. 

And finally, consider where you intend to harvest. Many public places – especially urban and suburban ones – are heavily treated with herbicides and/or pesticides, and the plants growing there probably aren’t going to be very good for you to ingest or use on your body. Also, depending on where you live, you could be fined or otherwise penalized for trespassing, so do keep that in mind for your own safety.

I hate that I have to say this, but PLEASE be careful about where you find information about plants. There are some horror stories out there about foraging and herbalism books created by AI which are full of inaccurate information. Some reliable sources of information on plants, which I’ve been using for years, include:

• Alexis Nikole, a.k.a. Black Forager, creates delightfully entertaining videos on edible wild plants which include identification, fascinating facts, and even recipes.
• Wildman Steve Brill has been stirring up shit and introducing people to wild edibles for decades.
• Extension services. Many regions, in many countries, have extension services, who provide free, informal education on a variety of topics including gardening, invasive plants, native plants, land management, and more. Most of these services have websites with abundant resources. Just do an internet search for “extension service” and your state or country to find out if there’s one for your region. 
• Lone Pine field guides are well organized, have color photos, and provide interesting facts about the plants alongside info on identification and habitat.
• Timber Press field guides have been around for ages and have excellent photos and thorough information

Mind you, I don’t know everything! My knowledge is limited to my experience, and by where I live (in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States). There are probably many wonderful resources out there for plant enthusiasts that I know nothing about. If you know of a good one, please feel free to share it in the comments.

Sustainability is crucial

How you harvest plants determines whether your actions deplete the plant population and harm the ecosystem, or encourage plant growth and the health of the plant’s habitat. Some important things to consider:

What is the conservation status of the plant? Is the plant invasive? Is it endangered in your area? If the plant is invasive, you might think removing a large quantity of it is unlikely to do much harm. But it’s still important to understand the effect of your harvest on the land. Exposing a lot of bare soil will, for the most part, cause more problems with invasive plans in the future. Removing too many plants can also be detrimental to wildlife: Even a thick patch of invasive blackberries, for example, provides habitat and food for wild creatures, and in areas where humans have devastated the plant populations, I think some plants are always better than no plants. And, especially in colder months, remember that many insects spend the winter sheltering in plants or under plant debris left on the ground. Disturbing the ground or removing a lot of a plant could harm them, and we need to protect our bugs.

On the other hand, if you have a large garden with an invasive species who is taking up a lot of space, you could remove a large quantity of the plant and replace it with native or otherwise beneficial species, if the timing is right and wildlife isn’t relying on the invasive species.

If you are very new to working with plants, and therefore unsure of how much is too much, err on the side of caution and take a very small amount. My own general guideline is to harvest in such a way that someone viewing the plants after I leave couldn’t even tell someone was there harvesting.

And I’ll say it again: if the plant is endangered, please don’t harvest them. Focus on collecting abundant plants to meet your needs, and on protecting the endangered ones. 

Ask Permission

This might be difficult if you’ve never practiced communicating with plants before, but there are several ways to know if your request has been answered with a yes.

• Use a yes/no divination system – preferably one you’ve practiced with before. I don’t personally like to use pendulums for this type of divination, because I feel it’s too easy to influence the answer. There are many ways to do yes/no divination, from flipping a coin to using dice. A discussion of this type of divination would take up an entire post on its own, so I’m not going to delve deeply into it here: fortunately, there are many articles available to discuss the options.
• Watch the plant. I’ve often received my “yes” in the form of movement when there’s no breeze, a sudden burst of sunlight on a cloudy day that hits the plant and makes them seem to glow, or – and this is most common – suddenlly noticing a part of the plant that has recently broken off and is still fresh and viable, eliminating the need to cut anything at all. 
• Feel the energy. If you’ve learned to sense energy, you will most likely be able to feel the plant’s answer. In my experience, a yes will feel joyful, vibrant, and happy, while a no will feel tired, sad, or even a little bit irritated or angry. Some of my friends feel a sense of reluctance or even dread within themselves when the answer is no. I’ve had very few no answers from plants, but the ones I’ve gotten had very distinct energy.
• Listen. Sometimes you will “hear” answers. For me they come almost like a thought dropped into my head, rather than as audible words, but this kind of hearing varies a lot from person to person. But you don’t have to be able to hear the plants speak to use your sense of hearing for this exercise. There have been times when I asked permission and suddenly a beautiful bird song sounded in an otherwise silent woodland, or a breeze rose and sang through the firs. On the other hand, if you hear an unpleasant sound of some kind, it coul be the plant isn’t willing, and you should look for another specimen.

Obviously plant communication is a subtle art, and one most of us need to practice before we can be confident in our interpreations of the signs. When in doubt, turn to divination until you’ve had more practice.

Make an offering

I’ve written a detailed post on ways to make offerings to plants, and I recommend reading it. But a quick rule of thumb is to remember that any physical item which doesn’t support the plant or the ecosystem is litter, not a gift, and is better left at home. When in doubt, gift your breath, your prayers, a story, or poem, or song, rather than leaving a tangible trace of your presence. 

Gather mindfully

Use clean tools to avoid spreading disease. Use sharp tools to avoid leaving jagged cuts which can contribute to infection or attacks from pests. Avoid trampling delicate plants and small creatures in the vicinity.  Take your time and be as gentle as you can. Consider talking to the plant as you work, expressing your admiration and appreciation for their generosity and kindness. At the very least, leave no evidence of your presence behind. At best, leave the place better than you found it.

Say thank you

Yes, even if you were given permission. Yes, even if you made an offering. Plants are people too. They have lives and agency and individuality, and deserve every kindness and respect we can give them. 

Further reading

For more thoughts on foraging and harvesting, check out these articles.

Foraging for Wild Edibles and Herbs at Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine

The Honorable Harvest by Robin Wall Kimmerer 

How to Gather Roots for Magick and Medicine by yours truly

Don’t forget, I’ll be kicking off my year long Plant Spirit Ally Challenge on the equinox. If you’d like to join me, or work on the challenge at your own pace, you’ll find all the activities for the challenge, links to blog posts about the challenge, and a link to download the free guide on the Plant Spirity Ally Challenge page.

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