This month’s featured poet is Holli Carrell, whose debut collection Apostasies was recently published by Perugia Press. Holli speaks about her personal process of reflection and discovery—including an intentional turn toward the natural world—after leaving the Mormon church of her upbringing. 

In Ask Randi, Dr. Randi Eckel, Owner of ToadShade Wildflower Farm, tackles a listener’s question about Oleander aphids and explains why buying ladybugs isn’t the best approach to eliminating them. 

In Five Questions, President of the Native Plant Society of NJ, Kazys Varnelis, shares the lineup for Weird NJ, this fall’s virtual conference, happening Saturday, November 1. From parasitic plants to carnivorous, aquatic, and fungal species, discover how these fascinating natives play vital roles in our ecosystems.

And to close out the episode, we speak with Mary Anne Borge, editor of Butterfly Gardener Magazine, a publication of the North American Butterfly Association (NABA), and a naturalist at Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve. Mary Anne talks with us about how we can each make a difference for butterflies, the connection between the Sleepy Orange butterfly and Wild Senna, and why ants deserve a spot on every gardener’s “thank you” list.