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The Alchemist's Color Codex

A natural dyer's swatch book

What to Gather When

Spring

Fresh Red Onions	Heap Of Onions	Pomagranate
Avacado	Saffron stamen Saffron stamen - you can grow your own.

Summer

Dyers Polypore Stock	Alkanet	Avacado
Pomagranate	Common Buckthorn	Dwarf Prairie Coneflower
Red Dahlia	Black Knight Scabiosa	Dyers Coreopsis Dyers Coreopsis (AKA plains coreopsis, Coreopsis tinctoria) - proves yellows, pinks, oranges, rust - flowers early summer through fall
Dyers Chamomile Dyers Chamomile (AKA Golden Marguerite, Anthemis tinctoria) - provides yellow, light greens	Safflower Safflower (AKA false saffron, kárthamos, κάρθαμος, Carthamus tinctorius) - flowers June to September - provides yellows and pinks	Merigolds
Sumac	Oak Gall	Goldenrod Goldenrod (AKA Solidago, Aaron's rod, woundwort,) - blooms from August to October - provides yellows
Yellow Onion Skins Yellow Onion Skins (also shallots) - provides yellows and yellow/brown	Red Onion Skins Red Onion Skins (keep separate from yellow onion skins)	Common Reed Seed Heads Common Reed Seed Heads - immature seed head - harvest in late August

Fall

Avacado	Prismion	Pomagranate
Osage Orange	Common Buckthorn	Dyers Coreopsis Dyers Coreopsis (AKA plains coreopsis, Coreopsis tinctoria) - proves yellows, pinks, oranges, rust - flowers early summer through fall
Sumac Sumac flowers - a source of tannic acid	Goldenrod Goldenrod (AKA Solidago, Aaron's rod, woundwort,) - blooms from August to October - provides yellows	Oak Gall Oak galls - source of tannic acid
Dyers Polypore Dyers Polypore Mushroom - can be used fresh or dried, see blog post	Black Walnut Hulls Black Walnut - Green or Brown Hulls - harvest in September and October	Shagbark Hickory - Hulls Shagbark Hickory - Hulls - harvest in early October Brown ones produce brown. Yellow/Pink produces other colors, see blog post

Winter

Avacado	Pomagranate	Red Onion Skins You can collect onion skins of all kinds at the grocery store and buy them.
Yellow Onion Skins You can collect onion skins of all kinds at the grocery store and buy them.

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