Poisonous Plant Walk
October 24, 25 & 31 | All Ages | 9 am - 5 pm | Self-Guided
How well do you know the plants you should not eat? Take an autumn walk down the Southern Hedgerow Trail while discovering the strange, beautiful, useful—and sometimes deadly—world of poisonous plants. Advance registration required!
Support a local non-profit: All ticket sales directly support needs-based scholarships for our non-profit focused on organic agro-ecology education.
Poisonous Plant Walk
9:00 AM–5:00 PM
Parker Learning Gardens | Coburg, Oregon
Self-Guided • All Ages • Pre-Registration required
Poisonous Plant Walk
9:00 AM–5:00 PM
Parker Learning Gardens | Coburg, Oregon
Self-Guided • All Ages • Pre-Registration required
Poisonous Plant Walk
9:00 AM–5:00 PM
Parker Learning Gardens | Coburg, Oregon
Self-Guided • All Ages • Pre-Registration required
Event details
The Poisonous Plant Walk is a self-guided educational experience featuring photographs and informational signs placed along the trail. Wander at your own pace while learning about poisonous plants, identification, ecology, human history, traditional uses, folklore, and symptoms of poisoning. You may be surprised to discover that the line between medicine and poison depends on the plant, preparation, and dose.
Families, curious adults, and young naturalists are all welcome. This is an especially fun outing for homeschool families, homeschool co-ops and small learning groups looking for an unusual seasonal science and nature experience.
Important: Poisonous plants will NOT be brought in, planted or displayed along the trail. This is a photo-and-information-based educational walk. Guests will be learning about poisonous plants without creating a collection of hazardous plants for visitors to encounter.
Dates & hours
Journey on the Poisonous Plant Walk anytime between 9 a.m. & 5 p.m. on Saturday, October 24; Sunday, October 25; or
Saturday, October 31.
The walk is self-guided, so there is no scheduled tour time. Register in advance, then arrive anytime during event hours and explore at your own pace. Please begin your walk early enough to finish and depart by 5 p.m. The farm will close between daytime and evening events to allow us to reset for the Haunted Bamboo Forest Maze.
Cost & fundraising
The suggested cost is $5 per person,
$15 per family, and
$35 for groups of 5–10 people. A free option is available, and farmstand purchases are encouraged in lieu of direct payment. We do accept Farm Direct Dollars at our farmstand. Have a larger homeschool, school or community group? Text us at 541-579-8788 or email us at info@parkerlearninggardens.org about group registration.
All proceeds support Parker Learning Gardens, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing outdoor education and hands-on learning experiences for youth and families.
The trail
The Poisonous Plant Walk follows the Southern Hedgerow Trail from the event parking area near the Farmstand. You will travel down the trail, turn around at the designated end point, and return along the same route. This is an outdoor farm trail in late October—not a paved botanical garden! Expect uneven ground, mud, leaves, roots and changing weather.
Hazards & safety
Wear close-toed, comfortable shoes and dress for the conditions. Children must remain with their supervising adult. Please stay on the designated trail and do not consume unfamiliar plants anywhere on the farm. Information presented during the walk is for educational purposes and should not be used as medical advice or as the sole basis for identifying or consuming wild plants.
Parking
Event parking is located near the Farmstand. Please follow the event parking signs and do not park another vehicle in. Parking is designed to flow in a loop so vehicles can enter, continue through the parking area and exit without needing to turn around. On busy days, parking may extend farther into the field than the parking signs. The field can become very bumpy farther out, so please drive slowly and use caution.
And after dark...
The Poisonous Plant Walk ends at 5 pm, but our October event days aren't over yet. On these same three nights, the Bamboo Forest transforms for the Haunted Bamboo Forest Maze from 7–10 pm. Learn about dangerous plants by daylight...then come back after dark if you dare.