Many years ago, I became obsessed with finding wild cranberries.  At the time, I had only read about wild cranberries in foraging books.  I had never seen a single cranberry in the wild.

On my quest to find wild cranberries, I somehow ended up in northern Pennsylvania.  A friend told me that a bog existed several miles north of I-80.  “You can’t miss it,” my friend said.  When I arrived at the location and stepped out of my car, all I could see was a deciduous forest.

“A bog must be in there somewhere,” I thought.  Rather than consult a map, I immediately hopped on a trail leading into the woods.

A closed-canopy forest surrounded me for many miles.  Large trees prevented sunlight from reaching the understory.  The forest exuded dark beauty, but it lacked wild cranberries.

I continued walking deeper into the forest, constantly scanning the ground for wild cranberries.  No luck.

Hours passed before a realization dawned on me.  Earlier in the day, I saw an extensive opening in the forest.  It was way off in the distance near the beginning of the trail.  Unfamiliar with bogs, I thought the opening might’ve been a field or a meadow, so I ignored it.  Several hours later, I realized my amateur mistake.  Could the opening have been a bog?

With daylight fading fast, I headed back toward the opening and eventually walked into a sphagnum-rich ecosystem bursting with wild cranberries.  “So this is a bog,” I thought to myself.  “How could I have overlooked this?”

In hindsight, it’s easy to see how I missed the bog.  I had no idea that a bog was an open habitat.  I had no idea that finding a bog in a forest could be as simple as looking for light.

Today, I see things a bit differently.  I certainly don’t consider myself to be an expert forager, but I understand the importance of developing ecological literacy — something that specialists often disregard.

To improve any outdoor skill — foraging, botanizing, birding, hunting —  it’s essential that we learn the ecosystems in which our desired organisms live.  I’m not sure why ecological thinking is undervalued today, but I decided to do something about it.

Exploring Wild Ecosystems is my newest online course designed to help you gain ecological literacy.  If you want to be able to read landscapes more effectively, consider enrolling today.  Enrollment is currently open until Monday, September 30.

To learn more, and to register, click here.

I hope to see you in there!

—Adam Haritan