This is one of the best places in the world for early spring foraging, with a wide selection of wild herbs, greens, roots, and even some cold-weather mushrooms. Habitats include miles of mature forest, as well as the trail edges and the disturbed, overgrown, and cultivated habitats that provide homes for all sorts of diverse species.

Root vegetables include wild carrots, growing on the hillside adjacent to the meeting place, right in front of the Parks Dept. administration building.

Another choice root vegetable is sweet cicely, which tastes like black licorice. This one's easy to unearth, and there's so much in Forest Park, you can't harm the habitat by collecting reasonable quantities.

Herbs and greens we'll be looking for include honewort or wild chervil, which tastes like parsley, celery, and carrots; sassafras, the original source of root beer; black birch, which tastes like wintergreen, garlic mustard, with garlicky leaves and horseradish-flavored roots; and onion/garlic-flavored field garlic leaves and bulbs.

The forest is one of the best for mushrooms. We'll be looking for early-season species such as oyster mushrooms and tree ears.