As covered in section 1.1, the best guide to timing is sensory,
not a calendar date. That said, here's a general sense of when
each plant from this section tends to be at its best —
treat these as loose patterns, not fixed windows.

Fiddlehead fern shoots and young fireweed shoots are at their best
in this brief window — tightly coiled or still tender,
before they unfurl and toughen. The first nettle leaves
of the season are also at their mildest and most tender now.

Chickweed, ground elder, plantain, and lambsquarters are generally
best picked before they flower, while leaves are still tender
and less fibrous. Chickweed is unusual on this list for staying
good across a much longer window, sometimes nearly year-round
in mild conditions.

Clover and dandelion flowers are at their peak through early
and midsummer. Pick flowers freshly opened, ideally in the morning
before the heat of the day, for the best flavour and texture.

Mugwort is generally harvested before it flowers, when the leaves
carry the strongest aromatic oils. Once it flowers, the leaves
become tougher and more bitter.

Bilberry, raspberry, blackberry, gooseberry, and cherry generally
ripen through mid to late summer, though exact timing shifts
with local conditions year to year. Watch colour and firmness
rather than relying on a fixed date — a berry that gives slightly
when pressed is usually riper than one that feels hard.

Lingonberry and cranberry tend to ripen later than bilberry,
often persisting well into autumn and sometimes under early snow.
Sea buckthorn berries also tend to be at their best from
late summer into autumn.

These windows shift year to year and place to place depending
on weather, latitude, and microclimate. The plant in front of you
is always a better guide than any general timing description —
including this one.