About the WANDER School

(Wild Artemisia Nature Discovery, Empowerment, and Reconnection)

Snow-covered field with footprints and distant hills under a partly cloudy sky.
Group of people hiking through a grassy field in autumn, under a cloudy sky, with trees and hills in the background.
Abby smiling and holding green leaves in a garden, wearing a floral top and jewelry, with tattoos on her arms.

About the Non-Profit

The WANDER School was registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization by herbalist, botanist, author, and professional forager Abby Artemisia in 2015 to serve communities by providing inspiration for a personal connection with nature and empowering individuals to improve their health through holistic means. Our mission is to connect underserved communities in need (such as Indigenous, Black, Queer, and Appalachian) to medicinal herbs. 

Over the past decade, Abby has learned and taught that much of what we know about herbs and their benefits here in the US came directly from Indigenous and Black people. However, overdevelopment and structural inequities in land ownership prevent those same cultures from benefiting from nature’s harvest.

While some communities lack access to the plants and herbs traditional to their culture, other communities may have an abundance of those herbs. To date, there is no centralized means to connect these communities.

Check out what The WANDER School is up to!

  • We are currently handling administrative redistribution of medicinal herbs to underserved communities in our pilot program and continue to expand.

  • Additionally, The WANDER School is asking our audience to become more aware of the need to acknowledge the traditional, indigenous roots of botanical, herbal, foraging, and wildcrafting teachings while we help to preserve traditional knowledge.

  • The WANDER School will continue providing free botanical education to communities in need to empower them to gather their own herbs and make their own herbal remedies.

  • Our services ranging from botanical property surveys, wildcrafting apprenticeships, and herbal education workshops, as well as extensive virtual learning opportunities, are available to help people make connections with the natural world. Free resources available from The WANDER School to provide accessible nature connection and empowerment include the Wander, Forage & Wildcraft podcast and The WANDER School's YouTube Channel featuring plant identification, classes, plant walks, and more.

A group of people in a garden tending to flowers, with some kneeling and others standing. They are surrounded by lush greenery and a variety of colorful blooms. A man wearing a hat and sunglasses stands nearby, while another man holds a book or notebook.

Want to help us continue to do this important work of spreading botanical education?



Make a (tax deductible!) ​donation.

Abby smiling and holding a large mushroom in a kitchen

About Abby Artemisia

Appalachian Herbalist, Botanist, & Forager

My interest in the botanical world first began as a child, climbing trees, hiking in the woods, and tromping through the creek behind my house. I had my own herbal tea business for five years because it was a career I could have while still spending time with my young daughter. While this sparked my interest in medicinal plants, I missed being in the woods and having a direct connection with the plants. I herniated a disc in my back, leaving me immobile for months. My recovery included therapeutic walks in the woods. I started to take my field guide out into the woods and taught myself how to identify wild plants.

I researched their edible and medicinal uses and decided to go back to school at Miami University to get a degree in Botany. At Miami, I worked at the Botanical Conservatory and took my first and favorite botany class, Field Botany, which I ended up assistant teaching three times. My favorite thing is to take people out in the woods and teach them about the plants that grow all around them.

Colorful wildflower meadow with red poppies and various flowers in full bloom.
Abby wearing a pink tank top and backpack, holding a botany guidebook, is smiling while standing in a forest.

I have been teaching myself about herbs and apprenticing as an Herbalist for years. My own journey (childbirth, recovery from an injury, etc) has taught me much about healing and given me empathy for others. In a world where we tend to be disconnected from our bodies, depend on doctors, and spend a large amount of our resources on healthcare and medication, part of my mission is to empower people with their own healthcare and that of their families. I believe that for every ailment, there is a plant growing close by that can offer relief. I also believe that many of our modern ailments are a result of not enough time spent in nature. I believe in the ideas mentioned in the book, "Last Child in the Woods," and that nature can often be our best therapy.

 Another reason I wanted to start my own business was to teach my ten-year-old daughter that she can do whatever she wants with her life; she can be whatever she wants to be. Right now, she wants to be a botanist or a pop star, and she knows either is fine with me.

I have a vision board on my wall, and one of my quotes posted on it says, "Turn your passion into a career." That's the plan. I heard a TED Talk (love these!) on this theme, and the speaker was talking about getting to the point where you just "can't not do it anymore." That's how I felt. I believe we all have a calling, a gift. By not taking advantage of my gift, I wouldn't be honoring it; I wouldn't be of service to the world. So here we are, on this journey together, through the woods, to better health and being our best selves.