As the founder of We of Earth, Mikayla Bishop, is a huge nature nerd. She grew up romping around her backyard and the woods, scrambling up rocks, hunting for bugs, brewing up mud potions, carving sticks, and playing lots of make-believe. Nature keeps her grounded, and Mikayla knew she wanted to encourage and guide others to experience the magic of the Earth. Using her education degree, she shifted from classroom teaching to nature education. Her “life’s purpose” is not related to a career at all. Nature educator doesn’t feel like a job—it’s a passion that she feels blessed to share with people everyday through her company. We of Earth offers a variety of ways to deepen our connection with nature through: social media content, workshops for all ages, public community events, private events, corporate team engagement programs, and customized curriculum or program development for schools and educational institutions, parks & recreation departments, companies, or anyone looking to engage with nature in a unique and playful way! Find out more here: https://www.weofearth.co/

Stuff we mentioned:
https://www.lucemass.org/
Sibley Tree Flashcards
Fat Bear Week

Stuff we mentioned:
Milkweed Clothing Company
Plant Magic Custom Design Request Link
Soy Much Brighter Events

Where you can find us:
Instagram: @gardeningforhotpeople
YouTube: @GardeningforHotPeople
Sign up for newsletter at gardeningforhotpeople.com
Email: gardeningforhotpeople@gmail.com
Credits: Willow Mckenna music

Click here to view the episode transcript.

Guest Bio: Molly Janicki grew up surrounded by the forests of Vermont, which instilled in her a deep appreciation for nature. She has been privileged to build her career working in beautiful gardens throughout New England. When the links between traditional landscaping and climate change became impossible to ignore, Molly founded her own company to provide thoughtful horticultural solutions that reduce the energy and resources typically required of our landscapes. Find out more here: https://www.mollyjanicki.com/

Stuff we mentioned:
Plant Magic Gardens FREE Native Plant Designs - https://www.plantmagic.shop/free-native-plant-garden-designs
UMass Pollinator Steward Course - https://www.umass.edu/agriculture-food-environment/resources/pollinators/pollinator-steward-certification-program
Turtle Rescue League - https://turtlerescueleague.org/ 

Katie Banks Hone (AKA The Monarch Gardener) has been gardening for her entire adult life. She was a 2012 recipient of the US Fish and Wildlife Service's Slow the Flow grant. This helped her transform her family's Ipswich River-front property from the traditional foundation plantings they inherited from the former owners into a haven for wildlife.

In the spring and summer Katie runs a native plant nursery in Topsfield, MA. And year round she brings her knowledge and wonder of the monarch butterfly to community groups in the form of lectures and classes. Find out more at themonarchgardener.com


Stuff we mentioned:
- Indian Skipper: https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Hesperia-sassacus
- Monarch weigh station: https://monarchwatch.org/waystations/
- Piping Plover bird: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piping_plover
- Monarch Watch: https://monarchwatch.org/
- Monarch Joint Venture: https://monarchjointventure.org/
- Grow Native Massachusetts: https://grownativemass.org/
- NOFA/Mass: https://www.nofamass.org/
- Native Plant Trust: https://www.nativeplanttrust.org/
- Monarch Gardener website: http://www.themonarchgardener.com/
- The Monarch Gardener Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1A9sysqGwA/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- The Monarch Gardener opens MAY 9TH 2025
OPEN 10-3 FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS:
MAY 9-JULY 26 AND SEPTEMBER 5-20 
AT 180 IPSWICH ROAD, TOPSFIELD MA​​

Rosemary Malfi (she/her) serves as the director of conservation policy at the Xerces Society, a science-driven non-profit dedicated to protecting invertebrates and the habitats they rely on. At Xerces, she supports and advocates for policy solutions that promote the health of pollinators and other beneficial invertebrates. Rosemary holds a Ph.D. in environmental sciences from the University of Virginia (2015) and completed postdoctoral research positions in entomology at UC Davis and biology at UMass Amherst. Before coming to Xerces, Rosemary worked for the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA/Mass), where she spent two years coordinating a grassroots network of community groups dedicated to pollinator protection and pesticide reform in Massachusetts. She lives with her family in Salem, MA where she does her best to implement Cheryl's excellent gardening advice!

Show Notes
- It's actually 280 MILLION ACRES of forest in danger. NOT JUST 280 :(
- Extinct butterfly mentioned by Rosemary: https://www.xerces.org/about-xerces 
- Donate to the Xerces Society here: https://www.xerces.org/donate 
- Honey Bee vs. Native Bees Pictures: https://www.xerces.org/blog/want-to-save-bees-focus-on-habitat-not-honey-bees 
- Brown-belted Bumble Bee (Rosemary's Fave): https://bugguide.net/node/view/3538 
- Long-Horned Bee: https://bugguide.net/node/view/8019 
- Colony Collapse Disorder: https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/blog/silence-bees-mystery-missing-bees-covered-retroreport/ 
- Xerces Society Native Plant Lists: https://xerces.org/pollinator-conservation/pollinator-friendly-plant-lists 
- Plant Magic Gardens Native Plant Design Packets: https://www.plantmagicgardens.com
 
Xerces sign-on letter for public to support listing the monarch butterfly as a threatened species under the endangered species list:
https://win.newmode.net/xerces-fws-monarch

Studies folks may want to check out:
- Koh et al. 2016, PNAS. Examines wild bee abundance loss across the US. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1517685113
- Van Deynze et al. 2024, PLoS One. Links pesticides to butterfly declines across the Midwest.  https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?
- Wood & Goulson 2017, Environment Science and Pollution Research. Summary of research on impacts of neonicotinoids: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28593544/id=10.1371/journal.pone.0304319
- Conserving Bumble Bees is an older Xerces publication that discusses the importance of bumble bees as pollinators, the challenges they face, and what we can do to conserve them. A sobering fact is that nearly a third of North American bumble bee species are in decline - some severely so.
- Also, from Rosemary: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/03/06/climate/us-butterfly-population.html?unlocked_article_code=1.104.2eFj.CsBM2syZ1Pgt&smid=url-share

Stuff we mentioned:
 - Akibia vine is actually native to Asia NOT AFRICA (sorry)
 - Books mentioned:  Northeast Foraging - Leda Meredith
 - The Black Forager - https://www.youtube.com/c/BlackForager