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Programs for Students
Plants Your Mother Never Told You About (Students)
This talk is filled stories about wild California plants. You will meet sinister plants with deadly reputations as well as friendly vegetables disguised as weeds. Every vacant lot, park, field and open space contains the characters covered in this presentation. Your wild green thumb will be tickled by the answers to such questions as:
- How do you eat a pine cone?
- What do Oak trees have to do with California Indians dying young?
- Can you recognize the tree found throughout California that produces fake chocolate?
- What unusual threat to motorists resulted in the removal of Pyracantha bushes from along Highway 101?
- Why did missionaries carry sacks of mustard seed when traveling?
- Kids all over California eat sour grass. Why is this dangerous?
This is an enjoyable introduction to botany. Jim shares the plant wisdom of his woods-wise grandpa, Alexander the Great, and even a squirrelly raccoon. The plants that live all around you have fascinating stories to tell. If you opt for the hands-on section of the class you will have even more fun as you discover what your early ancestors had to know to survive in mother nature's wild grocery store.
Comments
Outstanding talk! Many people thanked me for booking such a great show. Polly Bolling, Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI)
Thank you for adding to the success of the Chronicle's Outdoor Adventure Fair. We were pleased to see the large turnout at your plant talk. Dianne Levy, San Francisco Chronicle
Jim's Botany Background:
Jim Wiltens, B.A. Botany (UC Berkeley), MSc. Biology (Simon Fraser University). Jim has stalked wild plants throughout California and around the globe. His book, Plants Your Mother Never Told You About, is in its third printing as Edible and Poisonous Plants of Northern California (available from Wilderness Press). Jim’s foraging exploits have been featured in the San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News, and on KGO, KNBR, and KXTV. This program has also been presented at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco California.