Desert Moon Botanicals

I’ve got two plant walks coming up this week—one in the early evening and one in the morning.

Even with the warmer weather, these are still really beautiful times to be out with the plants. We’ll move at a relaxed pace, take breaks, and spend time getting to know the medicinal plants growing right here in the desert.

🌿 Thursday (4–6 pm) – Riparian Preserve, Gilbert
🌿 Saturday (9–11 am) – Fountain Hills Botanical Garden, Fountain Hills

If you’ve been wanting to join a walk, this is a perfect chance before full summer heat sets in.

Spots are limited and I do need a minimum number of registrations for each walk. I’ll be making the final go/no-go call soon, so if you’re thinking about it, now’s the time to sign up.

Sign up at: https://desertmoonbotanicals.com/plant-walks (link in bio)

I’m back on the trail—and you can be too.

After a quiet season of personal healing, Desert Moon Botanicals medicinal plant walks return on February 10, beginning with a small-group walk at Fountain Hills Botanical Garden.

These guided walks focus on medicinal and edible plants of the Sonoran Desert, with hands-on learning rooted in observation, seasonal growth, and traditional use.

Upcoming walks include returning locations like the Superstition Mountains and the Gilbert Riparian Preserve, along with new locations at the McDowell Sonoran Preserve and Veterans Oasis Park.

First walk: Fountain Hills Botanical Garden
Date: February 10
Early registration: $40 through February 3

Details and registration 👉 https://desertmoonbotanicals.com/plant-walks
Full newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/ab53d18d1737/back-on-the-trail-desert-plant-walks

I hope to walk with you soon.

Winter Solstice

The shortest day.
The longest night.
The quiet hinge of the year.

Today marks the low point of light, and the moment it begins its return. In many earth-based traditions, this night belongs to the dark—not as something to push through, but as something with its own purpose.

This year drew Desert Moon inward.
Aligned with loss, transition, and time spent away, it asked for slowing rather than building. For listening instead of shaping. For work that didn’t need to be visible.

In herbal practice, winter works this way. Roots hold fast. Energy turns inward. What matters most is happening below the surface.

As the year turns, the light will return slowly. With it will come a new look, new products, and new offerings shaped by this period of honest, inward work.

Thank you for being here through this season—for your patience, your trust, and your continued presence.

The light returns gradually.
We’ll move with it.

— Jennifer, Desert Moon Botanicals

Small Business Saturday means a lot to me, because when you support a small business, you’re supporting a real person, real work, and real passion — not a corporation or an algorithm.

Every order placed with a small maker keeps skills alive, strengthens local communities, and allows people like me to continue creating meaningful, handcrafted products. None of this happens on Amazon or inside a warehouse. It happens at a table, in small batches, with intention and care.

To everyone who has supported Desert Moon Botanicals — whether through a purchase, a class, a plant walk, or simply sharing my work — thank you. It truly matters.

This weekend, enjoy 15% off all handcrafted herbal goods, plus free shipping on orders of $75+ with code HOLIDAY15.

Thank you for choosing small, choosing local, and choosing makers whose work is done by hand and from the heart.

Shop at desertmoonbotanicals.com.

Herbalist Abroad: Wattle Wisdom from Down Under

Walking among the golden Wattles of Australia, I was struck by just how familiar they felt. These beautiful Acacias are related to the Catclaw, Whitethorn, and Shoestring Acacias that grow across the Sonoran Desert back home in Arizona.

But it’s more than just resemblance—both the wattles of Australia and the Acacias of the Southwest have long histories of use as medicine, food, and spiritual allies in Indigenous traditions. Today, many of those uses continue to guide herbalists and plant lovers like us.

✨ In my latest blog post, I dive into the cultural and medicinal stories of Wattle (aka Acacia), from Aboriginal bush medicine to Native American traditions of the Southwest. It’s a journey through plant connection, healing, and deep respect for the wisdom held in the land.

👉 Read it here: https://desertmoonbotanicals.com/blog/f/herbalist-abroad-wattle-wisdom-from-down-under or click link in bio for Instagram.