Father, forager, husband, chemist, adventurer, and highly productive insomniac, Dr. Mark “Merriwether” Vorderbruggen doesn’t have time to sleep. Having learned foraging from his parents, this skill is now shared to thousands through classes, his website www.foragingtexas.com, and most also now with his book, Idiot’s Guide: Foraging. When not collecting plants he’s using their naturally occurring compounds to replace less environmentally friendly chemicals in the oil/gas industry, leading to a number of patents.

Photo credit: Mark Merriwether Vorderbruggen, PhD