Open Inquiry 2: Gathering

Usnea “Old Man’s Beard”

On a hike through ȽÁU,WELṈEW̱ (John Dean Park) on Sunday, I gathered some Usnea for my project. Wild harvesting is something I do with intention and respect. I never take more than I need, and always leave plenty for others. Sometimes it’s not my place; plants used in First Nations medicine-making and cultural practices are best appreciated by admiring only. I have not harvested Usnea before, but learnt about its medicinal properties in a Community Herbalism Certificate I did at Pacific Rim College and through one of my favourite books:

I have previously learned that Usnea is a slow-growing lichen, evidence of clean air, and to only harvest after a wind storm, when small bunches have fallen off branches and will no longer be able to grow. Even the fallen lichen should be taken sparingly, as the decomposition back into the forest soil provides valuable nitrogen.

I told my friend Jules about this project of “start to finish processing of yarn” because she is a fellow former farmer and current fibre art lover as well. She told me she has some raw wool that we could clean, then dye and process. This inspired the idea of using Usnea to dye. Looking online, we suspect that to get a copper or brown/orange colour when we dye.

I recently finished Robin Wall Kimmerers book “The Serviceberry” and keep thinking about a quote from it,

“How are we going to fall in love with the world if we don’t pick berries?” Kimmerer

Here is a picture of an unknown (to me) but beautiful mushroom I saw on the hike.