Even I Got Confused Out There

I have two updates: a special live event next month, and a brand-new video on an iconic forest plant.

First up: On Tuesday, July 21, I’ll be speaking at a unique, immersive event called Field & Fork.

This is a multi-sensory farm-to-table dinner and ecology experience hosted by Plant it Further at the scenic 80-acre Lodge at Water’s Edge in Portersville, Pennsylvania.

I’ll be speaking alongside Cornell Master Beekeeper Christina Joy Neumann, and we’ll all be sharing a beautifully crafted seasonal dinner.

If you want to slow down, talk forest ecology, eat incredible local food, and connect in person, I would love to see you there.

Click here for details and tickets to Field & Fork.

Next up: Ginseng.

Recently, I thought about a forest I visited 8 years ago, and I wondered if two American ginseng plants were still growing there.

To get an answer, I decided to visit the forest and see for myself.

The only problem was that I never dropped a pin on a map, and I wasn’t sure exactly where I found the plants 8 years ago. But after an hour of intense searching under a canopy of tulip tree and red maple, I finally found them.

“What luck!” I thought to myself.

Interestingly, I was also surprised to see quite a few other plants that looked like ginseng. Some of these lookalikes were even growing right next to the real thing.

This made me wonder: If I’m getting confused out here, I’ll bet other people are too.

So, I decided to film a video breaking down how to spot a few ginseng lookalikes, as well as how to identify true American ginseng in the wild.

You can watch the brand-new video here.

Thanks for watching, and I hope to see some of you in July!

— Adam Haritan

Why This Shrub Is A Tick Paradise

In my neck of the woods, some places are absolute tick hot spots. If I need to photograph ticks or study their habits, I know exactly where to go.

But until last week, I didn’t know that a particular shrub was strongly associated with tick abundance. A new study found this to be true, and we can now add this species to the growing list of plants that sustain ticks.

What is this shrub? And why do ticks love spending so much time near it?

In a brand-new video, I answer these questions and discuss why we shouldn’t be too surprised to see things moving in this direction.

You can watch the video here.

Thanks for reading and watching.

— Adam Haritan

Spring Greens as a Nourishing and Healing Food

Spring Greens as a Nourishing and Healing Food

The Great Tick Illusion

Before I share a brand-new video with you, I have some great news:

My newest online course, Elders: The Ecology of Old-Growth Forests, will be open for enrollment in two weeks!

I’ve spent the past 16 months filming, researching, and structuring this course to be a comprehensive guide to these incredible ecosystems. I’ve gone deeper into the science and soul of the forest than ever before, and I’m excited to finally bring this vision to life.

If you’ve been following the updates over the last few months, thank you for your patience.

Keep an eye on your inbox over the next two weeks. The official launch date is Monday, May 11.

In the meantime, I have some new information to share with you about a well-known member of the forest:

The black-legged tick.

So far this year, I’ve had more than two dozen ticks crawling on my body. [Fun fact: Not all these ticks surprised me. To capture video footage of ticks, I often have to intentionally walk through shrubs and tall grasses to find them.]

No matter how they end up on my body, I’m always left with the same question: Where are all these ticks coming from?

For a long time, we’ve been told that ticks are simply moving north as the climate changes. But interestingly, a recent preprint study challenges this assumption.

It turns out that the history of the tick on our landscape is far more complex and ancient than we realized.

In a brand-new video, I discuss the latest research and what it actually means for those of us living in tick territory.

Thanks for reading and watching!

— Adam Haritan

A Wheel of Deepening Land Healing through Sacred Gardens and Refugia, Part II: Radiating Rituals and Sending Energy Outward

A Wheel of Deepening Land Healing through Sacred Gardens and Refugia, Part II: Radiating Rituals and Sending Energy Outward

A Wheel of Deepening Land Healing through Sacred Gardens and Refugia, Part I

A Wheel of Deepening Land Healing through Sacred Gardens and Refugia, Part I

No 300 Foot Giants

I’ve spent a lot of time in wild places over the years. Something I’ve noticed is this:

Humans are place-based creatures. We thrive when we feel connected to certain landscapes.

I’ve also noticed that one of the best ways to develop this connection is to learn what makes each place unique.

Lately, I’ve been exploring mature and old-growth forests, and I’ve wondered:

What trees live here? How old are they? What do they do all day? Do they care that I’m filming them?

More recently, I’ve been wondering something else: How tall can these trees grow?

It’s a question that leads to an interesting realization: Forests in eastern North America are known for their exceptional biodiversity, but none of the trees that grow in these forests attain the heights that the tallest trees out west reach.

Why is this the case? Is it a lack of rain? Is it the soil? Or are there other factors involved?

In a brand-new video, I explore why eastern forests don’t have 300-foot giants.

P.S. My newest online course, Elders: The Ecology of Old-Growth Forests, launches in May 2026. This course explores the life and legacy of ancient forests, offering a deeper understanding of these extraordinary ecosystems. Stay tuned for more information.

— Adam Haritan