In this episode, Emily interviews LaDawna so our listeners can get to know her better as requested. You'll get to know what got her into pollinator gardening, her background, as well as her goals for this podcast.

LaDawna's Substack: https://substack.com/@donnalikesplants

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/beesandreveryradio

LaDawna and Emily continue their conversation about Monarchs and the Endangered Species Act in this episode, although this time, they are joined by a guest:

Rich Lund has been a Michigan public high school physics and chemistry teacher of 18 years and has been a monarch conservation enthusiast for 10+ years. His YouTube channel, MrLundScience has attempted to bring a voice and responsible remedy to the plight of the North American Monarch Butterfly migratory populations through his "Raising Monarchs" series.

Don't forget you can leave a public comment for the USFWS on the federal register or you can sign on to The Xerces Society's letter by March 12.

In this episode of Bees and Revery Radio, Emily and LaDawna discuss the recent proposal by the US Fish & Wildlife Service to list the Monarch Butterfly as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act, and how we got to this point. Emily will also share her experience attending one of the service's meetings on the proposal.

Linktree:

https://linktr.ee/beesandreveryradio

Monarch/Citizen Science Resources:

https://emilywayland.com/resources

BUYER BEWARE: Most wildflower mixes at big box store contain non-natives and invasives. Always check the label and consider buying from a native nursery like Prairie Moon Nursery (https://www.prairiemoon.com/).

Linktree:

https://linktr.ee/beesandreveryradio

In this news short, Emily discusses the final population numbers of Western Monarchs counted at the California overwintering sites by the Xerces Society and Western Monarch Count. The reported number is the second lowest recorded after 2020. So how did this happen and what can we do about it?

The eastern population count should be reported near the end of February according to Monarch Watch.

Our Linktree: https://linktr.ee/beesandreveryradio

Xerces Society Press Release: https://xerces.org/press/western-monarch-butterfly-population-declines-to-near-record-low

Xerces Society Letter: https://win.newmode.net/xerces-fws-monarch

USFWS Monarch Page: https://www.fws.gov/species/monarch-danaus-plexippus

Western Monarch Count: https://westernmonarchcount.org/

A few of our listeners have asked us to share a little more about ourselves: who we are, our backgrounds, why we care about this stuff so much, and our biggest hopes for this podcast. In this episode, LaDawna asks Emily some questions so we can learn more about Emily. 

MONARCH RESOURCES

https://emilywayland.com/resources

In this news short, LaDawna explains the potential effects of President Donald Trump's "Energy Emergency" Executive order and what that could mean for the Endangered Species Act, including for the beloved Monarch Butterfly that was recently proposed for ESA protections and is currently in the public comment period of the legal process.

Read the executive order: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/declaring-a-national-energy-emergency/

USFWS Monarch site: https://www.fws.gov/species/monarch-danaus-plexippus

Our linktree: https://linktr.ee/beesandreveryradio

In this episode LaDawna talks about why you may want to add common herbs to your pollinator garden, like chives or parsley, how some common cooking herbs can help pollinators, and some considerations before doing so.

In this episode, Emily and Donna discuss what it takes to create and manage your own pollinator habitat whether it is on a balcony in containers or in your own yard.

Resources

Recommendations

In this first episode of season one, Emily and Donna discuss why there’s so much new interest these days in native plants and pollinator gardens and the difference that they can make, acouple easy ways to get started, and some of the best free resources to find what plants are native where you live.

National Wildlife Foundation native plant finder online https://nativeplantfinder.nwf.org/

Audubon native plant finder online https://www.audubon.org/plantsforbirds

Homegrown National Park Keystone plant guides https://homegrownnationalpark.org/keystone-plant-guides/

www.BONAP.org