Photo by Ian Manning on iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0
Dulse
Palmaria palmata
- When
- Typically June – September — June, July, August, September. Earlier in the south, later in the north.
- Where it grows
- Cold Atlantic and Pacific shores, on rocks in the lower intertidal at low tide.
- How to know it
- Flat, hand-shaped, deep red-purple fronds with no midrib, attached by a small disc.
- Look-alikes
- Few dangerous seaweeds, but never harvest near outfalls or marinas.
- Harvest and use
- Cut above the holdfast so it regrows. Dry in sun; eat as chips or crumble into chowder.
- Caution
- Check local closures and licence rules — several provinces and states regulate seaweed harvest.
Found in these regions
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Also ready in September
FruitAugust – SeptemberBeach plum
Prunus maritima
Low sprawling shrub in the sand, with dusty purple plums about the size of a marble.
How to know it & its look-alikes →Photo: Tom Norton · CC BY 4.0
NutSeptember – OctoberBlack walnut
Juglans nigra
Tennis-ball green husks lying under a tall tree with long compound leaves; the husk stains everything it touches brown.
How to know it & its look-alikes →Photo: Sandy Wolkenberg · CC BY 4.0
FruitAugust – SeptemberChokecherry
Prunus virginiana
Long drooping clusters of dark red-to-black cherries on a small tree with finely toothed oval leaves.
How to know it & its look-alikes →Photo: Tom Norton · CC BY 4.0
Educational information only. Never eat a wild plant or mushroom identified from a single photograph or description — confirm with a regional field guide or an experienced forager, and know the poisonous species in your area first.