Episode 29 | Why You Should Be Planting A Caterpillar Cafe

Episode 30 | Looking in All the Wrong Places

This week’s episode begins with a bird I could hear everywhere but could barely photograph. What followed became an afternoon of dodging raindrops through Sandy Hook, New Jersey beneath gray skies. It's strange the way nature sometimes redirects our attention when we stop searching so hard. Along the shoreline, I came across a tiny threatened shorebird I never expected to encounter, and the story slowly unfolded from there. This episode is about the quiet moments that somehow find us. This story will continue to unfold in my Sunday essay. So be sure to subscribe to my free Substack so you don't miss the continuation! You can also find me over at Flutter By Meadows on Substack [https://flutterbymeadows.substack.com/p/start-here] for weekly essays and reflections inspired by the natural world. I am also on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/flutterbymeadows] too. If you want to learn more about protecting piping plovers and other nesting shorebirds in New Jersey, visit the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey [http://conservewildlifenj.org] Additionally, please visit NJ Fish & Wildlife [https://dep.nj.gov/njfw/conservation/beach-nesting-birds/] for more information. In this episode, I mention Episode 12. You can find it here [https://flutterbymeadows.substack.com/p/episode-12-goal-setting-theater-vs?r=6lvr62]. Common Yellowthroat Sound Recording provided by: CitationWilliam Whitehead, XC720362. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/720362. [https://xeno-canto.org/720362] LicenseCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/] Sound by Pixabay Get full access to Flutter By Meadows at flutterbymeadows.substack.com/subscribe [https://flutterbymeadows.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Episode 29 | Why You Should Be Planting A Caterpillar Cafe

Why You Should Be Planting A Caterpillar Cafe: Is Your Butterfly Garden Doing the Right Thing? This episode explores the importance of planting both nectar sources and host plants, revealing the overlooked stages of these incredible insects and what they truly need to thrive.In this episode I talk specifically about the monarch butterfly. So next time you’re planting a garden, ask yourself: am I supporting the entire life cycle of the butterfly? And did I plant a caterpillar cafe, or just a butterfly garden? New to milkweed? Start here. [http://flutterbymeadows.com/what-is-milkweed/] Want to dig in a little more to caterpillar gardening? You can find This Tree Grows Caterpillars here [https://flutterbymeadows.substack.com/p/this-tree-grows-caterpillars]. Come find me at Flutter By Meadows on Substack [https://flutterbymeadows.substack.com/about] — there's a Sunday essay waiting for you there too, rooted in the same moments we talk about here. There's an essay for this episode that goes along with this. Don't miss it! You can also find me on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/flutterbymeadows] too. Get full access to Flutter By Meadows at flutterbymeadows.substack.com/subscribe [https://flutterbymeadows.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Episode 28 | The Secretive Garden: A Hidden Nest Told Me Everything (Almost)

The Secretive Garden Clues Tell Us Part of The Story But The Trick Is, To Never Stop Looking Explore the magic of nature and the surprises in your own garden, from rainbows to hummingbirds, and learn how paying attention to small details can reveal that some kinds of magic only reveal themselves to people who keep showing up. I think the reason I share so many stories from my garden is because it keeps secrets from me. And maybe, that’s why I love my imperfect little garden so much, because it still knows how to surprise me. But when I am surprised, I don’t run to a bolt hole. I run to my laptop and start writing about what I saw. Today's episode was inspired by a bunny. The Feather Story [https://flutterbymeadows.substack.com/p/i-made-a-promise-in-march-a-tree?r=6lvr62] Episode 20 [https://flutterbymeadows.substack.com/p/episode-20-it-landed-on-a-roof-but?r=6lvr62] Find me on Instagram too! [https://www.instagram.com/flutterbymeadows] Get full access to Flutter By Meadows at flutterbymeadows.substack.com/subscribe [https://flutterbymeadows.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Episode 27 | The Bloom Gap

It's May. You planted for pollinators. You went to the plant sales. You did everything right. So why does your garden look like nothing but green? What you're experiencing has a name: the bloom gap. That in-between stretch after the spring ephemerals finish and before the summer perennials take over. It's not failure. It's a pause. And nature has been doing it on purpose for thousands of years. In this episode: a yellow sign on a train platform, an Eastern Towhee 60 miles apart on consecutive days, a wood thrush singing from the canopy for the first time this year, and why the Eastern red columbine blooms exactly when it does. For someone very specific who just got back from Central America. Your garden knows what it's doing. This episode will help you trust it. Audio recordings of the wood thrush provided by xeno-canto.org: CitationPaul Driver, XC771930. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/771930. License Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/] Get full access to Flutter By Meadows at flutterbymeadows.substack.com/subscribe [https://flutterbymeadows.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Episode 26 | Site Fidelity: An Old Farm Field and a Date in April

Episode 26 | Site Fidelity: An Old Farm Field and a Date in April Slow down, pay close attention to the small, quiet signs around us. Growth isn’t usually dramatic. It’s the little changes that tell the real story. Imagine taking a photo of the same spot each year and watching it evolve. That’s real progress—slow, steady, undeniable. It's a reminder that transformation is ongoing, even when we don’t see it immediately. Birds can navigate an entire continent, survive a winter somewhere else, including evading predators, and habitat loss along the way. And then return. How? In this episode, I intertwine the two: a yearly photo I take in my yard, and a warbler that keeps showing up in the same farm field three years in a row. Every spring, I witness the return of familiar faces: hummingbirds, Baltimore orioles, and the masked common yellowthroat, arriving precisely on schedule. They embody nature's reliability, contrasting sharply with our human tendency to forget or arrive late. In today’s episode I talk in particular about a tiny warbler that weighs less than the change in your pocket. Resources & Mentions: Read the Story: For the full article on this bird, Loss vs Gain – Measured in Grams click here: https://wildbirdresearch.org/loss-vs-gain-measured-in-grams/ [https://wildbirdresearch.org/loss-vs-gain-measured-in-grams/]. Volunteer Spotlight: Learn more about The Wild Bird Research Group, where my husband and I volunteer. https://wildbirdresearch.org/ [https://wildbirdresearch.org/] Join the Community: Subscribe to my Weekly Newsletter [https://flutterbymeadows.substack.com/p/start-here]for more nature stories. Common Yellowthroat recording by William Whitehead (XC720362) via xeno-canto.org [http://xeno-canto.org]. Get full access to Flutter By Meadows at flutterbymeadows.substack.com/subscribe [https://flutterbymeadows.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]