Blue Wind School of Botanical Studies -

Linda Stormes

My husband and I joined Tellur on the edible & medicinal plants Herb Walk outside of Boise near Idaho City on August 13. It was a wonderful experience, and we learned a ton. Tellur is a great teacher, and the class surpassed all of my expectations. The class is much more than just showing and identifying specific plants. He teaches how to narrow down plant identifications and a ton of plant family knowledge. I've since signed up for some of his online classes and am watching for registration to open for other in-person classes in my area. They fill up fast so don't miss out!

Kristin Meuser

These classes are the greatest!!! Last year I took two workshops with Tellur in the Mojave Desert near Las Vegas. One day he introduced us to several desert plants, and the next day we made salves from medicinal plants. This weekend I took two workshops in Los Angeles County studying edible and medicinal plants ... The first day we explored coastal plants in the Santa Monica Mountains and the next day we traveled to the San Gabriel Mountains to study plants in the chaparral. Both of these destinations were in a transverse mountain range that runs east to west in Los Angeles County. He is a walking talking encyclopedia and very entertaining! I really appreciated how he kept us on target learning the family, genus and species of each plant and quizzed us along the way so we had a chance to get real life experience using those terms. I teach watercolor nature journaling classes in the Sierras and I know I am a better teacher for taking Tellur's workshops. I'm looking forward to the next one.

Isabella MacIsaac

Wonderfully informative, well-rounded and rich with fascinating info for beginners and advanced students alike! I’ve had the pleasure of attending several Blue Wind field courses over the years and always find them worthwhile and inspiring. So far have enjoyed plant walks in San Diego and LA counties, a medicine making workshop (one of my favorite experiences ever!), and followed out to the AZ Sonoran desert for a chance to learn more.

Tellur is an excellent teacher, extremely knowledgeable and engaging using credible scientific resources as well as decades of lived experience. He has a way of making dense material accessible and fun to learn and his teaching style literally immerses you in the environment. He truly walks the walk and doesn’t gloss over the overabundance of misconceptions & misinformation out there, acknowledging current and historical ethnobotanical connections as well, and crediting those who’ve kept certain traditions alive for thousands of years. I appreciate the intersection of traditional ecological knowledge and thorough scientific research and analysis.

I highly recommend signing up and taking the initiative to learn something new about these incredible environments! Hands-on learning in the glory of this beautiful earth, there’s nothing better

Emily T

I easily had a 5-star experience on Blue Wind’s ‘Edible & Medicinal Plants of the PNW’ herb walk this July and would recommend it! It was near Seattle just about 20 minutes away from Bellevue and very accessible. I learned SO much about the nature around me and really enjoyed getting to sample some of the wild berries and plants from the tour, while also learning about their properties and what to avoid. Tellur is an extremely competent and fun teacher who is not only was knowledgeable, but also really engaging and facilitated the group well. I was extremely impressed by the logistics of the adventure. The class was a great deal for such a unique experience and I’m already interested in what Blue Wind has to offer next summer in the Puget lowland area.

Erica Rhodes

I attended the herb walk in the Jemez Mountains and Albuquerque, NM. Both classes were wonderful, but the hike/plant selection in the Jemez Mountains was my favorite! Tellur Fenner is an extremely experienced and brilliant teacher. The education he provides is top-notch! He gives you a great foundation and many resources to turn to for plant identification. Tellur definitely makes the learning experience of these plant walks very fun and exciting!

John Smith

I can't recommend these classes enough.

Originally I just wanted to identify what I was seeing on my many hikes in the Southwest. How many different plants can there be? Right? Well it turns out a lot.

The information was a bit overwhelming for me at first. But the classes are geared for all levels of interests. And frankly very entertaining. I now hike with a greater understanding and knowledge of the uses, history and botany of the plants I'm seeing along my hikes.

I look forward every year for the classes given here in the Phoenix area. You do need to plan ahead as the classes fill up.

Laura Ofstad

Repeat Blue Wind student here! I’ve been taking classes based in Reno as well as online for the past four years, including plant walks, a medicine making workshop, and the new camping classes. Highly recommend this instructor. He’s extremely knowledgeable and packs in tons of information — you’re getting way more than you pay for. These classes are ideal for people who can appreciate a sensory and science-based approach to plants. Also for those who enjoy an engaging teacher with a sense of humor. He makes the material fun and memorable. I’ve studied with a variety of teachers but Blue Wind courses have really helped ground my understanding of local native plants — edible, medicinal, and toxic — as well as how to study botany more effectively on my own. Don’t sleep on these! And sign up early because they tend to sell out.

Nolan Rhodes

Extremely valuable class in the Jemez Mountains and Bosque/Albuquerque New Mexico. I'm a complete beginner, and I got so much knowledge and value out of it and had a lot of fun learning.

Tellur is extremely knowledgeable and his teaching is all about laying the critical foundations and skills needed and then building upon it. The knowledge you take from the course isn't just a bunch of memorization and regurgitation, you learn by actually applying useful skills for identifying plants, and practicing it in a diverse wildlife environment.

Even when I finished the class I felt completely equipped with everything I needed to expand upon my own studies going into the future. I will definitely return next year!