This woodland park is as scenic as it is bountiful. A great abundance of edible and medicinal wild plants and mushrooms makes Putnam State Park a great venue for foraging in the fall.

Common edible "weeds" such as Asiatic dayflower, chickweed, wood sorrel, and sheep sorrel grow in sunny areas throughout.

The trailsides are full of sassafras and black birch trees, while rocky slopes provide mullein, northern bayberry leaves, white oak acorns, and hickory nuts.

The group will hunt for berries such as the sweet-sour autumn olive (actually a member of the honeysuckle family), and the mild-flavored but colorful partridge berry.

Although the leaves are long dead, the bulbs of ramps (wild leeks) are at their best. They're rampant in the woods, and the "Wildman" will encourage everyone to "take a leek!"

This is one of the best parks anywhere for wild mushrooms, especially if it's rained beforehand. In past years, we found limitless quantities of choice honey mushrooms and aborted entoloma mushrooms at this time. Other possibilities include gigantic chicken mushrooms and hen-of-the-woods, oyster mushrooms, pear-shaped puffballs, and the enoki or velvet foot mushroom, which is prized in Japan.