Sunday 1pm Plant Walk: Stories of Native Colorado Plants with Erin Smith
Sunday 1pm Plant Walk: Stories of Native Colorado Plants with Erin Smith
Stories of Native Colorado Plants
The plants of Colorado carry stories shaped by land, water, weather, and time. Long before they were cataloged or named, they were known through daily use, seasonal observation, and lived relationship. This workshop invites participants into the living stories of some of the region’s most familiar and powerful plants.
Together we will explore native and long-naturalized Colorado plants such as Oregon grape, soapwort, cottonwood, catnip, teasel, snowberry, wild currants, willow, hawthorn, and others. We will cover traditional uses, ecological roles, and plant behavior, we will look at how these plants have supported human life as medicine, food, fiber, shelter, and symbol.
Participants will learn how to recognize these plants in the landscape, understand their seasonal rhythms, their common uses, and appreciate the ways they continue to shape both wild and cultivated spaces in Colorado.
This workshop is ideal for gardeners, plant lovers, herbal enthusiasts, and anyone curious about the deeper relationships between people and the plants that grow alongside us. All materials are provided, and no prior experience is necessary.
Erin Smith is a clinical herbalist and ethnobotanist with more than 30 years experience working with medicinal plants. As an ethnobotanist, she worked internationally supporting the work of indigenous communities to promote their traditional knowledge and community based conservation efforts. With 15 years of experience in the herbal product industry, she has specialized in sustainability and social impact, product development, and research. She is on the Board of the American Herbal Product Association, the ERB Foundation, and Advisory Board for American Herbal Pharmacopoeia. Passionate about sustainability within the herbal industry and broader herbal community, she is Chair of the Sustainability Committee of the American Herbal Products Association and a Stewardship Council member for the Sustainable Herbs Initiative. She teaches internationally on herbal medicine, ethnobotany, sustainability, and the human/nature relationship.