I don’t have easy access to local woodland where I can responsibly forage materials for use in Bushcraft however I do have a small back garden full of plants that I initially labelled ‘Attractive But Not Useful’. As you travel on the Apprentice journey you will need to build up instructing equipment sets which set me thinking about what I might have that I can utilise, perhaps it was time to reappraise my garden. I knew from the previous owner that the garden was landscaped about 15 years ago but when I moved in it had taken over as you can see below.
To identify plants there are a myriad or resources both online, in books and in person. These sources can also be specific to a particular environment for example throughout this blog I’ve made extensive use of the Royal Horticultural Society website for plant ID as it leans more towards plants you might find in gardens. I’ve also used “Trees in Britain” by L J F Brimble, the Collins Gem “Trees” guide and the advice of a local Gardener who helped with initial identification.
My quest for resources started with an easy one, this is a Silver Birch (Betula pendula) that sits in front of my house. It’s easily identifiable at any time of the year from the white bark that goes black and cracks with age. It has a close relative, Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera) from which the bark peels in larger sheets and is popular with landscapers around car parks and office buildings. From my tree I can harvest pieces of bark for tinder and any fallen twigs in autumn will be excellent for kindling. The high oil content of Birch means twigs catch and burn really well, but quickly, so gather plenty when using them for fire lighting.
In the back Garden was what I thought was a type of Hazel, the leaf shape with distinctive alternate layout and toothed edge as well as occasional Hazelnuts was a clue. However, this is Corkscrew Hazel (Corylus Avellana Contorta) so the branches are twisted and not much use unless you need to bow drill around corners.
This type of Hazel is a Sport plant in that it’s a naturally occurring mutation that has been grafted onto a Common Hazel root. This means it produces straight runners as well as the main twisted trunk. As you can see now the leaves have dropped for winter I have a great supply of straight hazel alongside the more decorative trunk.
My initial ID of the next tree was a Maple or Sycamore from the distinctive lobed leaf. This example has a much smaller leaf than a Sycamore tree and with more spiky leaf edge compared to the rounded edges of Field Maple.
Using the RHS website I have identified it as a Japanese Maple (Acer Palmatum). Maples and their sub species Sycamore are great for carving utensils as they have mild antiseptic properties when green. Even better this type of Maple does produce sap and although not apparently as sugar rich as Sugar Maple it should be possible to try tapping the tree for syrup, I’ll let you know in a future blog how I get on.
Next up was definitely not a native plant as Yucca trees are more at home in the Americas and Caribbean but can be grown in the UK. The distinctive long spiky leaves were a good identifying feature. The main trunk died back last year but from the root ball I have 3 new stems growing so it’s still a viable plant.
I was aware that Yucca plants, also known as Cassava, are an important food source with the tubers being packed with carbohydrates and wondered if there was a link to the similarly named Yucca trees. Sadly they’re not related but I did find some online information that the flower stem of the tree is apparently edible. The golden rule of foraging of “Don’t Munch on a Hunch” comes into play here so when the tree flowers I will check and identify the exact species then conduct further research to ensure I confirm the edibility.
Being evergreen the Yucca leaves are available all year round and are excellent for use in weaving into mats or cordage. I tested this out by scraping the green outer layer off the leaf off using the flat edge of a stone. This separates the fibres which should be left to dry before use. I tried a basic 2 ply cord technique and this is my result. Even at this diameter I was unable to pull it apart with my bare hands, it’s tough stuff.
It’s also worth keeping an eye out for potentially hazardous plants when you’re searching for resources. I identified this Yew Bush (Taxus baccata) in the middle of my Garden from it’s distinctive needle like evergreen foliage.
All parts of Yew are toxic so whilst it’s a decorative shrub and larger trees can provide superb Bow making material you have to be extremely careful of touching, inhaling or ingesting parts of this plant. For me this goes in the “Attractive but not useful” category.
So with some research I have identified useful plants, literally on my doorstep, which I can use as resources to improve my Bushcraft Skills. I’ve also learnt more about plant identification, grown my library of plant books and had fascinating discussions with the more experienced Woodland Ways Instructors. I recommend you take a look and see what you have in your gardens, you might be surprised.