Welcome to our About Us and introduction to The Wood Folk Diaries series and plant blog.
Being close to nature is the main reason I left the city life of my 20s to flee to the woods of cottage country, Ontario. I arrived late in the summer of 2013 to live in a Thoreau-esque cabin, in the one-acre wood, surrounded by flora and fauna. Lions and tiger swallows and bears! Oh my, they are here. And they bring awe and tremendous joy. When I first arrived, it really was like being in love.
I have since wandered these woods and more with red foxes, black bears, rabbits, and partridges, among other wild ones. A few wandered with me. I’ve had a ruffed grouse stalker. I’ve had to shoo an overfriendly fox. I’ve been shooed by a black bear or two. And my most daunting encounter was with a snarling American pine marten, adorable but ferocious. Many of these experiences were once in a lifetime.
Being out in the bush anew also solidified my childhood obsession with nature, which admittedly started with one of the least appealing to most folks: bugs. I was the bug kid. And slowly but surely I became interested in learning as much as a could about every species in the wild, and the rocks too! I am neurodivergent and learning everything about God’s almost infinitely intricate creation is my “special interest” as they call it.
The Wood Folk Diaries section of my blog is my way of sharing these naturalist experiences with field notes, amateur photography, and videos. I’m not claiming to be William J. Long or R. D. Lawrence, but I will be Rachel of the Woods. Volume 1 Chapter 1 will be about my ruffed grouse is the beginning of my diaries, which have accumulated since taking over Song of the Woods (see blurb under photo).
The Edible & Medicinal Wild Plants area of my blog is much larger, topping 200 plants now. I am especially interested in how wild animals and plants live symbiotically. I do forage. And I make herbal medicines, but not to the degree I’d call myself a practicing herbalist. I try to keep these blogs as more of an introduction to a plant without going above my paygrade. And I try to focus on my main interest, their place in creation / flora and fauna interactions.
I have taken multiple university courses in these areas with their certificates of minimal value (I’m no doctor). And it’s easy enough to find volunteer work in this area (e.g. removing invasives), but much harder to find an actual desirable job in environmental sciences. I’ve considered that path, but I am content as an hobbyist.
I hope we can connect! Sincerely, Rachel of the Woods
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