River Prairie Apothecary

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Master Herbalist Kerri Kiernan of River Prairie Apothecary offers a deep connection with the natural world through herbal consultations, custom handmade herbal remedies and education.

08/02/2026

Had my coffee with a cluster of monarch visitors this morning šŸ˜ I counted five at one point!

Itā€™s so wild because Iā€™ve been growing this pink swamp milkweed for a few years and itā€™s been flowering for at least a month alreadyā€¦ but I havenā€™t really noticed the monarchs eating from it at all yet this seasonā€¦.Until this morning!

Itā€™s so interesting how dynamic the relationships are between all the plants and creatures ā€¦ and those relationships shift in subtle ways through the seasonā€¦ they remind me how much I really donā€™t know about the Wild Green world.

Iā€™m gonna take a wild guess and assume that the monarchs are very intentional about eating from these plants right nowā€¦ That thereā€™s something about these plants exactly as they are right now thatā€™s perfectly beneficial to them. (Something that is apparently different from a month ago?)

Nature is wildly resilient, itā€™s also incredibly dependent on systems that have evolved over a very, very long time to be exactly as they are.

We all know that our seasons are a bit more manic in the Midwest these daysā€¦ And when you become more connected to nature, you become aware of this, and itā€™s sort of in the background noise of your life and you canā€™t necessarily turn it off. Yes it can feel a little stressful if youā€™re a sensitive creature tuning in to your natural surroundings regularly...

Connecting more deeply with nature will give you more of an awareness about whatā€™s happening around youā€¦ And youā€™ll be rooting for rain, even when you have outdoor plansā€¦ Because you care deeply for good health and survival of all the living beings around you.

My Herbal garden is a tiny slice of all the wild things going about their lives in mysterious ways, and I love being able to witness all the happenings right in my yard.

I hope I get to live a long time and I canā€™t wait to be that even crazier old plant lady who knows all the niche things about the local plants and their partnerships with the creatures!

I love being an herbalist, even if Iā€™m not making anything - I no longer think that itā€™s only about ā€œ what can this plant do for me?ā€

I think the practice of herbalism is actually a much deeper desire, an existential longing, to weave oneself back into community beyond the narrow scope of the material human world.

I'll be in Madison again next month to share the skill of herbal oil infusions and salve making! Join me August 15th at ...
07/20/2026

I'll be in Madison again next month to share the skill of herbal oil infusions and salve making!

Join me August 15th at the Olbrich Botanical Gardens to turn common medicinal plants into infused oils and salves. Learn to make remedies from scratch, leave with a handmade salve, a jar of herbs + oil (to infuse at home!) and build the skills to create beautiful herbal remedies to use and share.

I'd love to meet some more fellow plant lovers there! šŸŒæ

07/20/2026

Im looking for about 15 babyfood jarsā€¦ if you have any I would love to take them off your hands šŸ™Œ

Iā€™m making salve next month with a group and I donā€™t wanna order tins off of Amazon (ever) again ā€¦

(I let my membership go over a year ago and just finally made it to the end of my stash of tinsā€¦ even though itā€™s more work and will take coordination -I am happy to divert some glass from the waste/recycling cycle instead!)

Can u help a resourceful earth-luvin gal out? šŸ˜˜

Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend another Herbalistā€™s event and it filled my heart to be in such a circle with w...
07/17/2026

Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend another Herbalistā€™s event and it filled my heart to be in such a circle with women- it was a celebration of a creative project that she has been in process with for several years.

The event came together through much collaboration and Iā€™m so grateful I got to witness and play a tiny role in yesterdayā€™s gathering ā€¦ (I brought the mugwort!).

The attendees, These beautiful women all ļæ¼helped with decorating, finding a last-minute location (because of the wildfire, smoke and rain), they brought ļæ¼food, music, flowers, and so many other parts of the event that came together beautifully.ļæ¼ļæ¼..

Most importantly, they bought presence and the gift of witnessingā€¦

Witnessing a project, not yet in a state of total completion - was a wonderful reason to get together ā€¦ to be inspired, to raise funds for future publishing, and to keep the creative momentum going for the artists themselvesā€¦
ļæ¼
It was truly inspiring to see how one woman could show up so authentically - with such an open invite - that it rippled out so that everyone felt like they could be their authentic selves too, seen as they are, without needing to explain themselves nor fit into a box or be perfectly completeļæ¼. ļæ¼

Personally, my heart was filled with what ļæ¼felt like permission - to do the things my heart is yearning to do, to share the gifts that want to be sharedā€¦

And most importantly-

That I donā€™t have to do it alone and it absolutely does not need to be 100% perfect!ļæ¼

That itā€™s OK to not know exactly how somethingā€™s going to turn out, and that it will most likely be even better than I can imagine if Iā€™m willing to journey with it through the flowā€¦

That so much more can be accomplished when things are done together.

That the success of Art and Connection is often just about showing up, committing to return to what youā€™re passionate about, always making space for rest and play or whatever you need.

And the spaciousness, yes, the spaciousnessā€¦

Iā€™m a smiling fairy in this photo because I was mid-conversation, connecting with a friend I havenā€™t seen in a long time. There was lots of space to connect with each other. To make new friends. To be inspired... to be ourselves.

And that is what was asked of us. To go forth with what inspires us. To share it with others. And to hold space to celebrate each otherā€™s creativity and the way we all show up uniquely in the world. To bless the creative project she shared with us. ļæ¼

This was exactly the healing balm I needed to remedy some recent feelings of isolation - some misunderstandings that I need to do it all alone and be perfect before stepping out into the light.

Thereā€™s a difference between honoring your rest and withholding what you donā€™t think is good enough yet to share with othersā€¦

Thank you sweet Abigail of Rhythmic Renewal for your creative and inspiring sharing, your gathering of whimsical friends and your authentic support of others. Many blessings on all your healing projects and the collective magic they inspire!

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Yesterday, I tried to force productivity. Big launch energy. Grind mode.And life, very clearly, said: No, girlā€¦ not toda...
07/11/2026

Yesterday, I tried to force productivity. Big launch energy. Grind mode.

And life, very clearly, said: No, girlā€¦ not today. Slow down. Remember.

Thank goodness I listened.

I jumped in the river. Soaked up the sun. Let myself just be part of nature instead of trying to manage it. Then I headed to Acoustic CafĆ© to hear my friend Julie Lepp playā€”and honestly, it was almost trance-inducing. I'm so glad I brought my notebook, because a flood of inspiring ideas came through to weave together some loose ends Iā€™ve been ponderingā€¦

Later, I walked my dog through the dark neighborhood, just watching the fireflies do their thing.

Today, I did the same in my garden. I stopped weeding. Stopped planning. I just looked. Really looked. I noticed the echinacea flowersā€”the way their centers spiral into that impossible Fibonacci perfection. The flower of life, right there in my backyard.

And I realized this is also a pattern that happens when I get lost in the grind: I forget to notice what's right in front of me. And dang, what is perpetually right in front of us is so beautiful. So nourishing. It makes me feel so good.

I've been an artist my whole life. Art taught me to see patternsā€”both inside my own head and out in the world. It taught me to create meaning, to connect dots that don't always seem connected.

So it's no surprise my plant path took me on the same adventure.

What started as "what's this good for?" has slowly become: "What is life? How does it work? Where do I fit in the big picture?"

And those questions are infinite. Rabbit hole material, for sure.

But here's the grace I keep finding: every time I spiral too deep into existential pondering, the plants pull me right back to the basics. An echinacea flower blooming in my yard. The pollinators doing their work. The simplest, most miraculous, beautiful stuffā€¦.

It's all connected. We get to be part of it. But staying present with that beauty? That's a practice that can all too easily be overlooked when the grind feels extra grindy.

So here's what I'm embracing: I want to go deep. I want to be creative with people. I want to do beautiful, weird, wonderful things in natureā€”in the garden, together.

Because honestly, I've been noticing a pattern: with AI taking over the information game, I don't think my value is in handouts and data anymore.

(I knowā€”that sounds scary. But hear me out.)

I offered free presentations and handouts I spent so many hours researching and writing ā€¦ to over 40 people this past month. Only one person followed up. And you know what? That's totally fine. Because it frees me up to focus on what actually matters: experiences, connection, real-time, in-person, hands-in-the-plants magic.

You can look up anything now. AI is here to stay (and I hope it gets more accurate). But it cannot sit in a garden with you. It cannot watch a spiral unfurl or feel the sun on your neck while a bee hums past your ear.

That's the part I'm leaning into this summer.

Creating beauty. Creating meaning. Remembering who we areā€”and how deeply we belong to all of this. (And yes, we will also be making herbal oils and tinctures and picking herbs for tea and all the good thingsā€¦ the herbal fundamentals will still be there because they are lovely, healing and grounding for all parts of our Beings). ļæ¼

I'll always be an herb nerd at heart, and I will always share my wisdom with you. But we're gonna do this in a little bit of a different way, OK?

Long story short: I have to make a few last shifts before finally launching my one-to-one garden programming for this summer in my home gardens.

In addition to the herbal remedy fundamentals, we're also taking intentional time to space out in the gardenā€”to take photos, to write, to draw, to meditate, to create art, to be intentionally present. And in this time of information saturation and disconnection, I know how healing this will be.

(Much gratitude to you spontaneous, nature-loving, creative weirdos who will join me!)

I'm glad I delayed, because this feels so much more in alignment with what's speaking to me, where I'm seeing needs arise, and how I can best connect my plant allies with my community. I want to be a beautiful, playful, creative fairy in the gardenā€”and I want to do that with you.

I've been yearning to bring more creativity and art back into my life. Look at the way that nature offers us such incredible beautyā€¦ How would it not be practical for us to offer some back? ļæ¼

So if you've been waiting for me to launch this thing, thank you for your patience and trust. I've got a really beautiful program very nearly coming to full fruition.

šŸ˜˜ Message me if you don't wanna wait for the official marketing starting next weekā€”just let me know if you're curious šŸ’•

06/27/2026

(Why do I always find mushrooms when I bring nothing to harvest with?)

But my shirt will do, cuz Im just trying my best to contain these golden oysters as to not spread their spores all over the place in one of my favorite placesā€¦

šŸ’•these are my love languages with Nature todayā€¦
Acts of service and gifts received.

I almost always find some garlic mustard seeds to remove from the forest (which I will feed to my firepit)

What about you in Nature-
How do you like to give?
How do you like to receive?

just like between humans,
these interactions with nature are both important in rebuilding relationship and also imperfectā€¦

Sometimes I receive a gift I didnā€™t necessarily ask forā€¦ (Like a tick), and I can only give so much when it comes to acts of service, especially when it comes to invasive plants.

But this isnā€™t an all or nothing exchangeā€¦
I think of the gift I like to give as an act of harm reduction.

Every garlic mustard seed I remove from the forest is protecting a little more space for my native plant allies, and all of the other critters who depend on them.

06/26/2026

Liiiiiiiindeeeeeeeeennnnnnnnn

After an hour of Linden flower picking, I was so Zenā€™d out.
It reminds me of my days as an intern at Herb Pharm | High-Quality Liquid Herbal Extracts in Fall of 2014ā€¦

We would spend all day in a field of one type of medicinal plant, and by the end of the day we could be sensing the effects, without ever ingesting it.

This somatic experience at Herb Pharm was the meat n potatoes of my early Herbal education, and Iā€™m so grateful for that.

šŸ™ And thank you kind neighbors who let me harvest from your trees šŸ’•

Itā€™s a win-win because I try and prioritize the areas directly over the sidewalk (Not that getting hit in the face with Linden flowers on your walk is a bad thing)

modeIā€™ve been working on the final touches of an upcoming class presentation, and I needed a palate cleanserā€¦So, I som...
06/25/2026

mode

Iā€™ve been working on the final touches of an upcoming class presentation, and I needed a palate cleanserā€¦

So, I somewhat spontaneously created this in honor of our wonderful native plants (after spending so much time thinking about, writing about and visiting the local invasive onesā€¦)

This is a draft guide I put together for encouraging you to plant midwest native plant species, including a lil information about their medicinal qualities and uses (extra motivation to grow them and rely less on imported and non-native herbs).

I referenced Huron Smithā€™s work as well as Xerces plant lists.ļæ¼

You donā€™t have to convert your whole yard or anything, but consider trying a few of them if you have any space to grow...

(I rarely teach on native plants because I donā€™t necessarily want to create a desire for plants that are not very abundant. I normally teach on more abundant weeds and naturalized plants.)

Important - Please be careful and use this guide wisely, use your common sense, reach out to a professional if you need help with using herbs to support your health. Be careful if you are taking medications. This is just an educational guide and not meant to replace your medical care.ļæ¼ļæ¼

Our native plants (and pollinators and all the critters) ļæ¼need all the help they can get, please be mindful if you are Wildcrafting plants, as I didnā€™t necessarily make this guide for that intent... but I trust that youā€™re in connection with the land and are harvesting mindfully.

My dream is to be working with only abundant plants and to get away from growing annualsā€¦ but itā€™s just so hard to stop, I love starting seeds and growing them.

I think next year, I will try to do better with starting more native seeds. Realistically, I will have to start those this fall as many need a winter stratification. Winter sowing methods also work.

Heck yeah letā€™s grow these plants!

Address

1813 Brackett Avenue, Suite B (enter The Front Door)
Eau Claire, WI
54701

Opening Hours

Tuesday 11am - 6pm
Wednesday 11am - 6pm
Thursday 11am - 6pm

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