The United States is a massive country. With a total area of over 3.7 million square miles, it’s larger than the United Kingdom, Ireland, Iceland, Germany, Mexico, Uruguay, Thailand, and Uganda combined. For the nation’s foragers, this can make identifying common forageables difficult. While plants like the field pennycress can be found in every state except Alabama and Hawai’i, other sprouts like Kellogg’s yampah are mostly confined to specific areas.
With climate, terrain, and wildlife conditions varying significantly from one part of the U.S. to another, many foragers find it useful to split the country into regions. By grouping areas with similar characteristics, foragers can create detailed, region-specific plant life guides. Start your foraging journey by learning about common wild plants in these five regions. As always, be extra careful when identifying wild plants. Practice caution before consuming foraged food, and harvest responsibly to keep plants healthy.