Midwest Women's Herbal

Learn to identify medicinal plants and weeds along woodland edges in the Upper Midwest. We'll cover pharmacological properties, traditional folk medicine uses, food and wildcrafting uses, harvesting ethics, foraging laws and history, and common names in English and Ojibwe. Ideally, we will have a mix of advanced and beginner herbalists on this walk to enrich our communal conversations.

We will discuss 10 common wild plants with medicinal properties and sketch them as we learn about them. We will also discuss some common plant families and basic botany terms. This class is for those just beginning their journey into herbalism or others who would like to practice sketching to deepen their connection with the plans and fine tune their identification skills. Please bring a journal or paper and a pen or pencil.

Join certified Forest Therapy guide Emilymae King for a restorative journey into nature. Through guided invitations and quiet reflection, participants will explore how stillness in the woods can awaken purpose, calm the nervous system, and deepen connection to self and Earth. Backed by research, Forest Bathing supports stress relief, immune function, creativity, and emotional well-being. Participants will be able to shed what no longer needs to linger and be fully present for the weekend of learning ahead.

Trees are anchors for humans past and present. In this workshop you will learn skills to directly connect to trees. Connecting to trees can foster a sense of calm, relaxation, and community. They can also be a bridge that connects us to deeper wisdom and truth. Come, be curious and play with the trees!

In this session we’ll explore ways that connecting to nature can foster a sense of calm and creativity when life is overwhelming. Participants will be guided through simple, nature-based practices that can have a calming effect on the nervous system such as grounding, exploring nature through the senses, and mindfully connecting with the Earth. Practices can help reduce stress, cultivate emotional wisdom, and plant seeds for new ways of living that benefit you, your community, and the planet.

Join us for a sensory-rich herb walk where we’ll explore our plant allies using taste, smell, touch, and intuition. You’ll learn the “Scratch, Snort, Savor & Spit” method, an ancient, animal-inspired way to connect with plant medicine through direct experience. This hands-on practice deepens your understanding of herbal energetics, identification, and potential toxicity. Come ready to explore the living wisdom of the plants, in the spirit of our herbal ancestors.

Explore the underground partnerships between plants and fungi in this guided walk through the woods. We’ll discover mushrooms above ground and the mycorrhizal networks below that sustain and connect plant life. Along the way, you’ll learn simple observation skills, field journaling tips, and how fungi and roots shape the health of our forests. Whether you’re new to fungi or an experienced forager, this class invites you to see the woods with new eyes and appreciate the magic of plant–fungi relationships.

When foraging through the lens of conservation, our focus shifts from simply finding and harvesting edible plants, to watching and learning about each plant’s role in an ecological community, and taking action to help steward that community for maximum biodiversity (e.g., by eating/preventing spread of invasives, protecting/planting appropriate natives, etc). On this walk, we’ll discuss each of the wild edibles we encounter, along with their ecological/conservation status, and how that knowledge is essential for informing responsible harvest methods. In addition, we’ll talk through identification features, habitat, seasonality, wildlife interactions, and how to incorporate these plants into your diet in meaningful and delicious ways!

In this immersive forest walk, participants will explore the quiet yet resilient world of mosses. Mosses are the most ancient living plants on earth that teach us to slow down and connect with life at finer scales. We’ll explore the diversity, beauty, and adaptations of mosses found along the trail, learning to recognize two major lineages (i.e. pleurocarpous and acrocarpous growth forms), examine their tiny structures under the hand lens, and witness their astonishing ability to metabolically reawaken with mist. Ethical and sustainable harvesting practices will be demonstrated for naturalists, artists, and ecological collections. Basic 10x hand lenses (aka loupes) will be provided!