Columbines School of Botanical Studies

14/05/2026

2026 Spring in Central Oregon Overnight
for Columbines Alumni
Wednesday-Thursday, May 20-21, 2026

This overnight field trip, with single day options, will be a more in depth look into the spring plants of Central Oregon with Howie Brounstein and Leah Kays.

We will tailor the curriculum according to class interest and alumni experience to include different plants and focus. Botany review, edible and medicinal plants, and wildcrafting are all possibilities.

This field class is an excellent refresher for the Columbines student of the past, as well as a moment away from daily life stresses.

Cost: $375 for the overnight, $100 non-refundable deposit included in price. Single day options are $200. Completion of the Columbines First Year Field Apprenticeship required. To register contact us at 541-687-7114 (no texts) or [email protected]

07/05/2026

Field Trip May 10!

This year, we are offering the Graduate Program: Further Botanical Studies (formerly the Alumni Series). This program works well as either a second- or third-year experience within the Columbines program, as well as an opportunity for Alumni to experience stand alone single field trips.

Our upcoming trip features a hike through low elevation coniferous woods, riparian, and seepy cliffs. Along the way, we’ll slow down and survey every plant we see, whether in flower, leaf, or even last year’s dead stems. By the end, we’ll have many flowers packed into our heads. This immersive bioblitz is exactly what many students are looking for when they begin learning with us.

This is an ideal spring refresher for alumni near Eugene, with minimal driving and maximum time in the field.

Hope to see you in the mountains!
Howie and Leah

Details
Sunday, May 10: Low Elevation West Side Bioblitz
Single Day Trip: $200 including a $50 non-refundable deposit
Prerequisites: Successful completion of the 1st Year Apprenticeship.
Instructors: Brounstein, Kays.

22/04/2026

“The trilliums are rather easily grown, and T. ovatum in particular is an excellent addition to the native garden in the partial shade of such shrubs as rhododendrons, but it is a shame to dig them, especially since they grow readily from seeds. It has been said that the gathering of the flowering stem results in death of the plant, which is scarcely true, but it does rob the rhizome of stored food needed for the growth of the succeeding year’s flowering stem, often resulting in failure to flower. If the admonition was invented to discourage picking of the flowers, the statement should be that the picker, not the picked, will die, but justice rarely is so obvious.”

-C. Leo Hitchcock
Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest

12/04/2026

Last Call for our Herbal Concepts and Northwest
Medicinal Plants Lectures Series
Starts this Thursday!

This class is both live on Zoom and In-person in Eugene, Oregon at the school; you can choose what works best for you. It’s taught by Howie Brounstein with a possible guest appearance of Steven Yeager.

This 56.5 hour lecture series will give the student knowledge of herbalism without the botany and fieldwork of our full Apprenticeship Program. This series illustrates herbal fundamental principles using northwestern medicinal plants.

These native herbs were intentionally selected to serve as an accessible medicine chest and an herbal basis for further learning. Herbal preparations and medicine making labs are included throughout term. No pre-requisite required.

Click here to view an old Herbal Concepts syllabus: http://botanicalstudies.net/education/1st-yr-syllabus/

We have added more classes and topics, but this will give you a rough idea of the class curriculum. Spring term runs from April 2026 to June 2026 on Thursdays and some Mondays 6:00-8:30 pm Pacific Time. The total cost for the spring term is $490.00 for 10 weekly evening lectures and 3 Herbal Preparation labs (32.5 hours). A $50.00 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your place.

Herbal Concepts Spring Term
Thursday 6:00 - 8:30 PM Pacific Time

April 16, 23, 30
May 7, 14, 21, 28
June 4, 11, 18

Herbal Preparations Lab (Included in Herbal Concepts)
One Monday per Month Pacific Time

6:00-8:30 PM
April 20
May 4
June 8

Summer term will run from mid-July 2026 to the last week in August 2026 and consists of 8 evening lectures (24 hours). The cost is $360.00. A $50.00 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your place. Completion of spring term required.

Click here to register for the Spring Herbal Concepts: https://csbs-shop.fourthwall.com/collections/herbal-concepts

For more information contact the Columbines School of Botanical Studies at 541-687-7114.

The official Herbal Concepts collection for Columbines School of Botanical Studies. Shop products like: 2026 Herbal Concepts: Full Tuition for Spring Term, 2026 Herbal Concepts: Deposit for Spring Term, and more.

22/03/2026

LAST CALL: Starts this weekend!

Field Notes: Botany, Herbalism, and Place at Oshala Farm
with Howie Brounstein & Steven Yeager Together Again

Saturday–Sunday, March 28–29, 2026
Oshala Farm | in the Applegate Valley of Oregon

Come join us for a spring weekend immersed in the world of botany and herbalism among the living plants at beautiful Oshala Farm.

A unique event with Howie Brounstein and Steven Yeager together again after decades of teaching side by side at the Columbines School of Botanical Studies.

Perfect as a refresher for Columbines Alumni and equally welcoming to newcomers.

Topics May Include
• Botanical Terminology
• Plant Identification
• Plant Walks
• Western Herbal Concepts
• Wildcrafting Checklist
• Herbal Preparations

About the Instructors
Howie Brounstein and Steven Yeager are longtime botanical educators who both have been teaching for decades at the Columbines School of Botanical Studies, with extensive experience in plant identification, herbal medicine, and field botany. Known for their clarity, depth, and humor, they blend precision with playfulness to make complex concepts accessible.

About Oshala Farm
Nestled in the rolling hills of southern Oregon’s Applegate Valley, Oshala Farm is a certified organic herb farm known for its premier high-quality medicinal plants and breathtaking setting. Spring brings fresh growth, open skies, and a landscape perfectly suited for learning directly from the plants themselves.

Lodging:
Camp onsite at Oshala Farm or stay at one of the many nearby local accommodations in the Applegate Valley or Grant’s Pass.

Tuition:
• $400
• $350 if paid by March 14, 2026

Reserve your spot today and join us for a weekend of laughter and hands-on learning at Oshala Farm!

Register here: https://csbs-shop.fourthwall.com/products/field-notes-botany-herbalism-and-place-at-oshala-farm

11/03/2026

Last Day for Early Bird Discount is March 14!

Field Notes: Botany, Herbalism, and Place at Oshala Farm
with Howie Brounstein & Steven Yeager Together Again

Saturday–Sunday, March 28–29, 2026
Oshala Farm | in the Applegate Valley of Oregon

Come join us for a spring weekend immersed in the world of botany and herbalism among the living plants at beautiful Oshala Farm.

A unique event with Howie Brounstein and Steven Yeager together again after decades of teaching side by side at the Columbines School of Botanical Studies.

Perfect as a refresher for Columbines Alumni and equally welcoming to newcomers.

Topics May Include
• Botanical Terminology
• Plant Identification
• Plant Walks
• Western Herbal Concepts
• Wildcrafting Checklist
• Herbal Preparations

About the Instructors
Howie Brounstein and Steven Yeager are longtime botanical educators who both have been teaching for decades at the Columbines School of Botanical Studies, with extensive experience in plant identification, herbal medicine, and field botany. Known for their clarity, depth, and humor, they blend precision with playfulness to make complex concepts accessible.

About Oshala Farm
Nestled in the rolling hills of southern Oregon’s Applegate Valley, Oshala Farm is a certified organic herb farm known for its premier high-quality medicinal plants and breathtaking setting. Spring brings fresh growth, open skies, and a landscape perfectly suited for learning directly from the plants themselves.

Lodging:
Camp onsite at Oshala Farm or stay at one of the many nearby local accommodations in the Applegate Valley or Grant’s Pass.

Tuition:
• $400
• $350 if paid by March 14, 2026

Reserve your spot today and join us for a weekend of laughter and hands-on learning at Oshala Farm!

Register here: https://csbs-shop.fourthwall.com/products/field-notes-botany-herbalism-and-place-at-oshala-farm

08/03/2026

Beavers, Castor canadensis, have finally made a major dam in a sedge wetland next to mature Douglas Fir - Western Hemlock Forest. Sedges appear to have been placed on the top of the dam, which will cover the construction leading to what will appear to be a solid sedge berm.

I am showing beaver activity to Nova Robbins-Waldstein, Beaver Coexistence Ecologist, at https://www.savethebeavers.com/

From personal observation of the rapid expansion of the shrub layers surrounding these meadows, it is apparent that many wet meadow complexes in the Western Oregon Cascades are drying out at a rate not witnessed since early in the last century.

I have been monitoring this meadow since the 1980s and watched the beaver activity. They have reached a turning point and the whole upper end of the meadow is becoming a shallow lake again due to these beavers’ new dams from the past few years.

I consider this an exceptionally good sign.

Video recorded on November 17, 2025, at 3595’ on the traditional lands of the Molalla, Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla in the Cascade Crest Montane Forest Ecoregion.

07/03/2026

Beavers, Castor canadensis, were recently logging as we walked through the woody wetlands between the mature Douglas Fir -Western Hemlock forest and the boggy meadow.

From personal observation of the rapid expansion of the shrub layers surrounding these meadows, it is apparent that many wet meadow complexes in the Western Oregon Cascades are drying out at a rate not witnessed since early in the last century.

The beavers will use logs like these to dam the waterways and re-flood the meadows. The whole upper end of the meadow near this tree is becoming a shallow lake again due to these beavers’ new dams from the past few years.

07/03/2026

This is flowering Lysichiton americanus, Western Skunk Cabbage, in the Araceae or Arum family. You can see the thick stalk in the center with a bunch of tiny flowers on it (the spadix) surrounded by a yellow showy bract (spathe). This is a field characteristic for most plants in the family.

You may recognize the spadix in a spathe from other plants, like the Calla Lily, which isn’t a lily in the lily family at all. It’s in the Araceae. Lilies sell better. Who wants to buy a Calla Skunk Cabbage for their sweetie?

Lysichiton americanus contains calcium oxalate crystals called raphides that tear and burn your membranes if you eat it without extensive processing.

Photo taken March 20, 2020, at 2683' on traditional land of the Tenino, Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla in the Ponderosa Pine - Bitterbrush Woodland ecoregion in a medium aged Ponderosa Pine forest on a wet eddy of a river.