A year-long study of seasonal plants and fungi
This year I’ve been working on a Roger Phillips inspired, explorative project I’ve called Monthly Gather. Once a month I take my foraging basket and head out for a walk within an hour of my home, collecting whatever plants and fungi are appearing at that moment in the year. Minus the super poisonous or stinging ones!
It’s been a calming practice, good for clarity in thought, a chance to slow down and medicine for my nervous system!
The project is building a kind of library for my own practice, a record of the free and accessible materials that nature offers throughout the year. I’ve been drying some of the findings, seeing what preserves well and what doesn’t and who knows, it might become part of my 3D work in the future!
We’re now in September, and I’ve managed to complete each month so far – apart from April, which I’ll probably return to next year. My hope is to photograph the last four months as they come up, so that I have a full record of the project. For me, it’s already become a valuable resource, one that has brought me closer to the plants and fungi that share my landscape.
Watch this space for project updates!
