The Merry Month of May: Part 1
Hitchcock Nature Center, Pottawattamie County
Saturday, May 7, 2022
So much happens during the month of May when we nearly go from spring to the summer season in the course of one month! Because of all these amazing changes taking place, Dustin Clayton will be leading two programs this month where you'll look deeply at the plethora of folklore and myth associated with this busy month as the forest fills up with life, color, and sound.
During Merry Month of May: Part 1 you will venture through the forest and onto the prairie to observe spring ephemerals before they largely recede into the background. Along the way, you will also learn about the Bur Oak and Cottonwood tree's place in folklore and mythology. With so many plant medicines to be harvested this time of year, you will learn about their uses and then head back to the lodge for a demonstration of how to make simple folk tinctures.
Join us for Merry Month of May: Part 2 on May 28th!
Ages 16+ please. $12 per person. Park entry fee included in registration. Please meet at the Loess Hills Lodge.
About Dustin:
Dustin Clayton is a lifelong student of the natural world and an avid woods walker. He has for many years been a practitioner of various Earth-based skills including: flintknapping, folk herbalism, foraging, traditional woodworking, cordage making and fiber arts. Additionally, he has extensively studied folk traditions and practices from around the world. He believes very deeply in approaching the land as it presents itself through the lenses of myth, craft, and contemplation. Dustin’s goal in all the programming he presents is to inspire people to get out into the woods and begin to build respectful relationships with the living world all around them.
“It is my very great hope that this program will provide people who are not scientists, but who are nevertheless filled with wonder and curiosity while in natural spaces, with access points for being in the right relationship with the living world.” — Dustin Clayton
Awaken Your Connection to the Natural World Today:
This is one of ten programs that Dustin will lead in 2022, all with the goal of guiding you into a deeper relationship with the land by awakening your senses, curiosity, and interconnectedness with the living communities of which you are a part. Each program will include three components: traditional craft, folk/ancestral knowledge, and contemplative engagement. These programs will naturally build on each other and have cumulative value, but participants do not need to attend them all to gain understanding and a sense of awakening. We hope to see you soon - whether it’s for a single program or more!
