The snow's gone and the lawns are doing that thing where they're suddenly, aggressively green at the edges. That's not grass. That's dinner.

What I'm reading

• Chickweed is the gateway green — mild, succulent, free, and carpeting every shaded yard in the city. Eat it raw like sprouts. The line-of-hairs-on-one-side-of-the-stem ID trick in this piece is foolproof.
• Purple dead-nettle vs. henbit — the purple-topped mats taking over vacant lots. Both edible, both in the mint family, neither actually a nettle. Good guide to telling them apart.
• iNaturalist — if you take one action this spring, make it logging your finds here. The Chicago-region observations are how I scout new spots from my couch.

Field note

Humboldt Park, the unmowed strip by the lagoon: chickweed, dead-nettle, and the first dandelion crowns all within one square foot. Made a "lawn salad" that genuinely surprised me. Spring ephemerals are coming — get your eyes calibrated on the easy stuff now.

— Jenna