Wild asparagus grows in moist, open spots in the Kamloops-Thompson area. We have seen it in the floodlands near Kamloops Lake poking up through the muds and silts, in roadside ditches, in the grasslands near ponds and seeps, and on open hillsides where a natural seep keeps the ground moist. On the Valleyview Silt Bluffs Trails, several mature specimens can best be seen in the fall, when they have grown to their seasonal maturity and turn a golden-yellow color:

As the plant matures, the the plant branches out and the leaves become fernlike.

Asparagus has become naturalized in our landscape, but it started as an escapee from gardens, brought over by Europeans. The young edible shoots can be harvested in late spring. Mostly, it grows unnoticed until fall when the colors capture our eye.

Some other bits of asparagus trivia:

• small flowers greenish-white flowers form in the spring
• male and female flowers form on separate plants
• round red berries form in the summer
• the asparagus we eat from the supermarket is the female young plant, harvested early
• asparagus is often found in ditches
• although the young shoots are edible, handling the plant can cause dermatitis so gloves are recommended