If you spend enough time in the outdoors, sooner or later, you will become curious about the plants around you. In West Virginia, plant identification is especially gratifying at times, since a walk in the woods could bring you upon a species that grows nowhere else in the world.

If you are hiking or camping in a park setting, ask the park guide or ranger if a brochure on local plant life is available. If you plan to spend more time outdoors in the future, invest in a good field guide. Many field guides cover the plant life within a specific region, which is a good place to start.

In general, there are five basic kinds of plants you will encounter in the woods: fungi, mosses, trees, ferns and flowers.

Fungi, most often, are mushrooms. Mushrooms don’t contain chlorophyll, but still, can be quite colorful. Another fungus is referred to as a "puffball." And while many West Virginians and herbalists can easily identify which mushrooms are edible, we don’t recommend eating any you aren’t sure about. Many varieties are extremely poisonous.

Mosses are easily identified, and most often are found in damp and moist areas of the forest. Although on the surface it may not show, mosses are home to all kinds of creepy crawlies. A mossy log or stone may seem like a good place to take a seat, but only do so if wearing long pants. Once, I was picking at a piece of moss, loose on the rocks, and was stung (or bitten) by a centipede hiding underneath. Besides developing an immediate high fever, I also was struck with an immense headache.

Trees come in two basic types, confierous and deciduous. Coniferous trees are cone bearing trees, like such as spruces, hemlocks, pines and firs. Coniferous trees are typically conical (cedar) or columnar (poplar), or look like a pyramid (spruce).

Deciduous trees are typically trees that "shed" their leaves. In fact, deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off." Deciduous trees are often vase-shaped (Elm), round (Oak), or have spreading branches (Dogwood). Deciduous trees are easily identified by their leaves, which come in five common shapes including: lobed (Oak), unlobed (Birch), compound (Maple), broad leaf (Balsam poplar), and simple (Beech).

If you’re still confused, start perhaps by identifying the seed or fruit of the tree. Acorns mark the oak tree, chestnuts identify their own tree, etc.

Wildflowers are the most plentiful plants on earth. Beautiful, and some edible, they tempt us to pick them. Remember though, it is illegal to pick wildflowers in state parks and forests. Flowers are characterized by their parts, including petals, sepals (leaves), stamens (the male organ) and pistils (the female organ).

Flowering plants also have varying leaf shapes, including palmate, pinnate, toothed, lobed, alternate, opposite and whorl.

You urge to pick can be satisfied on wild berries including raspberries, blackberries and blueberries. Raspberries grow in thickets and come ripe in midsummer. Blueberries can be found in bogs, woodlands, and on mountain slopes wherever there is acidic soil. Blueberries ripen between June and September. Blackberries ripen in late summer.

Be sure however, to stick to the berries you know. Some varieties are poisonous. and never pick a berry plant dry. Leave enough for the wild life, which will eat and dispense the seeds, creating new plants for the future.

Of course every camper should be able to identify poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac. It’s a matter of outdoor survival. Abide by the rule, "leaves of three let it be" - just to be safe.

As your familiarity with common plants grows, you can begin the challenge of identifying and seeking the rare or nearly-extinctplants that can be found in West Virginia forests, like Mountain pimpernel (Taenidia montana). Distinguished by an unpleasant odor, Mountain pimpernel has smooth leaves of three to five parts and several umbrella-like clusters of tiny yellow flowers.

Or, look for Shale Barren buckwheat (Eriogonum alleni). The United State Department of Agriculture ists only five West Virginia counties where this rare species grows. A foot-tall plant with circles of three to five woolly leaves topped by tiny yellow flowers, Shale Barren (or Yellow) buckwheat, within the state, is located in fewer than twenty populations.

Or, seek the treasure of rare wildflowers, Shale Barren rockcress (Arabis serotina), a Federally Endangered Species. Once found only in shale barrens of West Virginia and neighboring Virginia, this species has not been identified in the region in several years. A slender member of the mustard family with four-petaled white flowers, exists now in less than 34 populations nation wide

If you do find a rare plant species, obviously don’t pick it. But also, tread carefully in its environment. If you do find a rare species, note the location and report it to the forest ranger.