My Story
A Life With Plants

Meet Melissa

Forager & Educator

I grew up learning the names of wild plants from my grandparents and my dad. My grandmother started me in the backyard with lambsquarters, dandelions, and clover. My grandfather taught me that dandelion comes from the French dent de lion, tooth of the lion, named for the shape of its leaves. Plants have always been part of my world, more familiar than foreign, and that has never changed.

Now, I spend my days foraging across our Missouri homestead and teaching others to do the same. As an educator and photographer, my goal is to make the wild accessible. I document the seasons through my lens, capturing the quiet details of the forest floor and the changing light on the high tunnel. I am also a co-founder of Foraging Academy, an online foraging certification program designed to help people across the country learn to identify and use wild edible plants. My work is rooted in observation and a deep respect for the land.

I also homeschool our three children, integrating the rhythms of the farm into our daily learning. We spend hours outside identifying new growth and observing the cycles of the seasons. It is a life built around intention, curiosity, and a constant willingness to learn.