The Backyard Naturalists

Welcome to The Backyard Naturalists, the show about anything and everything connected with nature.

In this celebratory episode of The Backyard Naturalist podcast, hosts Debbie, Laurie, and Chris share their excitement over winning the Best of the Weeklies podcast award from the readers of the Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly for the second consecutive year! With listeners tuning in from 125 countries, 50 states, and all throughout the Carolinas, the hosts discuss strategies for engaging non-nature lovers (NNLs) in outdoor activities and wildlife appreciation.

The episode offers practical tips for starting small, such as creating a flower bed with low-maintenance perennials, adding a bird feeder with no-waste food, and setting up a birdbath with a copper disc to prevent algae growth. The hosts also recommend installing a birdhouse tailored to a favorite bird species and gradually expanding these efforts over time.

Listeners are encouraged to get their yards certified as wildlife habitats and to use tools like binoculars, bird feeder cameras, and bird identification apps to increase engagement. The hosts highlight the importance of patience and persistence, noting that these strategies can be applied in various settings, including homes, communities, HOAs, retirement homes, and nursing facilities.

Tune in to discover how to make nature a part of everyday life and celebrate special occasions with nature-related gifts to enhance the shared environment.

If you have ideas for topics that you'd like us to pursue, send us a message either on our Facebook page or our website. We would really like to hear from you.

Connect with the Backyard Naturalists on the Web, Facebook and Instagram.

Please visit and support our presenting sponsor, Backyard Birds at http://www.thebirdfoodstore.com/. A mecca for bird lovers and bird watchers, Backyard Birds is an independent family-owned business located in Matthews, NC (next to Dairy Queen), just southeast of Charlotte.

Thanks for listening to The Backyard Naturalists.  We hope you have a day filled with the wonders of nature. Get outside and take a walk on the wild side! Please don’t forget to leave a 5-star review for The Backyard Naturalists podcast.

Production services for The Backyard Naturalists podcast are provided by Downtown Podcasting. To start a conversation on how you can have a podcast, simply send an email to [email protected].

While recording the Backyard Naturalists podcast, Debbie and Laurie enjoy coffee provided by the Good Cup Coffee Company  in Matthews, North Carolina. Follow Good Cup Coffee on Instagram and look for them at the Matthews Community Farmer’s Market  this Saturday morning. 

Welcome to The Backyard Naturalists, the show about anything and everything connected with nature.

In this fall-themed episode of “The Backyard Naturalists,” hosts Debbie and Laurie, based near Charlotte, delve into the wonders of the autumn season. They discuss the changeable weather and share their favorite aspects of fall. The episode is packed with practical advice for nature enthusiasts, including: 

• Installing owl boxes: Now is the perfect time to set up owl boxes before these nocturnal birds start searching for nesting sites.
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• Avoiding excessive fall cleanup: Embrace the natural messiness of fall, as wildlife relies on natural debris for habitat and food.
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• Planting native perennials, trees, and shrubs: Learn the best practices for timing and watering to ensure successful planting.
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• Participating in “Lights Out” campaigns: Help protect migrating birds from building collisions by turning off unnecessary lights at night.

Debbie and Laurie also caution against using fake spider web decorations for Halloween, highlighting the dangers they pose to wildlife. They emphasize the importance of leaving seed heads and stems in gardens to support wildlife, especially goldfinches still feeding their young.

Listeners are encouraged to try at least one of these fall activities and share their experiences. The hosts also suggest reaching out to local Audubon societies to get involved in “Lights Out” programs. Tune in for an informative and inspiring episode that celebrates the beauty and importance of fall in the natural world.

If you have ideas for topics that you'd like us to pursue, send us a message either on our Facebook page or our website. We would really like to hear from you.

Connect with the Backyard Naturalists on the Web, Facebook and Instagram.

Please visit and support our presenting sponsor, Backyard Birds at http://www.thebirdfoodstore.com/. A mecca for bird lovers and bird watchers, Backyard Birds is an independent family-owned business located in Matthews, NC (next to Dairy Queen), just southeast of Charlotte.

Thanks for listening to The Backyard Naturalists.  We hope you have a day filled with the wonders of nature. Get outside and take a walk on the wild side! Please don’t forget to leave a 5-star review for The Backyard Naturalists podcast.

Welcome to The Backyard Naturalists, the show about anything and everything connected with nature.

 In this episode of The Backyard Naturalists, hosts Debbie and Laurie sit down with Angie Gotta, the passionate owner of Barn and Bee Botanicals. Angie shares her inspiring journey from struggling with health issues to discovering the healing power of natural ingredients, which led her to create her own line of skincare and body care products. Using ingredients sourced from her farm in rural North Carolina, including goat’s milk, tallow, and various herbs, Angie crafts everything from soothing soaps to effective insect repellents.

You’ll learn about the medicinal properties of common “weeds” and the benefits of using natural ingredients in personal care products. Angie’s enthusiasm for sustainable living shines through as she talks about her farm, which is home to Nigerian dwarf goats, chickens, ducks, and a thriving garden. Debbie and Laurie also share their personal experiences using Angie’s products, highlighting their effectiveness.

Be sure to tune in for details on how to purchase these products and learn about an upcoming event where you can meet Angie and her goats in person at Laurie's store, Backyard Birds. This episode is packed with valuable insights for anyone interested in natural wellness and sustainable living.

If you have ideas for topics that you'd like us to pursue, send us a message either on our Facebook page or our website. We would really like to hear from you.

Connect with the Backyard Naturalists on the Web, Facebook and Instagram.

Please visit and support our presenting sponsor, Backyard Birds at http://www.thebirdfoodstore.com/. A mecca for bird lovers and bird watchers, Backyard Birds is an independent family-owned business located in Matthews, NC (next to Dairy Queen), just southeast of Charlotte.

Thanks for listening to The Backyard Naturalists.  We hope you have a day filled with the wonders of nature. Get outside and take a walk on the wild side! Please don’t forget to leave a 5-star review for The Backyard Naturalists podcast.

Production services for The Backyard Naturalists podcast are provided by Downtown Podcasting. To start a conversation on how you can have a podcast, simply send an email to [email protected].

While recording the Backyard Naturalists podcast, Debbie and Laurie enjoy coffee provided by the Good Cup Coffee Company  in Matthews, North Carolina. Follow Good Cup Coffee on Instagram and look for them at the Matthews Community Farmer’s Market  this Saturday morning. 

Thanks for listening to The Backyard Naturalists, the podcast about anything and everything connected with nature. We love to engage with our listeners and have a few fabulous prizes we’d love to share with you. As a part of helping us grow our social media and online presence, we’re giving you an opportunity to score a few of them we talk about in this week’s show.

This week, Debbie and Laurie share a few neat little items designed to make your natural life, just a little easier. These are products to help deter mosquitoes, feed hummingbirds, clean your bird bath and keep you bird food fresh. All of these items are available from our presenting sponsor, Backyard Birds.

Connect with the Backyard Naturalists on the Web, Facebook and Instagram.

Please visit and support our presenting sponsor, Backyard Birds at http://www.thebirdfoodstore.com/. A mecca for bird lovers and bird watchers, Backyard Birds is an independent family-owned business located in Matthews, NC (next to Dairy Queen), just southeast of Charlotte.

Thanks for listening to The Backyard Naturalists.  We hope you have a day filled with the wonders of nature. Get outside and take a walk on the wild side! Please don’t forget to leave a 5-star review for The Backyard Naturalists podcast.

Production services for The Backyard Naturalists podcast are provided by Downtown Podcasting. To start a conversation on how you can have a podcast, simply send an email to [email protected].

Welcome to The Backyard Naturalists, the show about anything and everything connected with nature.

One of the questions folks have for the team at Backyard Birds is how to keep those pesky squirrels away from their bird feeders. In this week’s episode, Debbie and Laurie off a few affordable solutions and ideas to keeps our little bushy-tailed friends away from your bird food.

While recording the Backyard Naturalists podcast, Debbie and Laurie enjoy coffee provided by the Good Cup Coffee Company in Matthews, North Carolina.  Follow Good Cup Coffee on Instagram and look for them at the Matthews Community Farmer’s Market this Saturday morning.

Connect with the Backyard Naturalists on the Web, Facebook and Instagram.

Please visit and support our presenting sponsor, Backyard Birds at http://www.thebirdfoodstore.com/. A mecca for bird lovers and bird watchers, Backyard Birds is an independent family-owned business located in Matthews, NC (next to Dairy Queen), just southeast of Charlotte.

Thanks for listening to The Backyard Naturalists.  We hope you have a day filled with the wonders of nature. Get outside and take a walk on the wild side! Please don’t forget to leave a 5-star review for The Backyard Naturalists podcast.

Production services for The Backyard Naturalists podcast are provided by Downtown Podcasting. To start a conversation on how you can have a podcast, simply send an email to [email protected].

Thanks for listening to The Backyard Naturalists, the podcast about anything and everything connected with nature. We love to engage with our listeners and have a few fabulous prizes we’d love to share with you. As a part of helping us grow our social media and online presence, we’re giving you an opportunity to score a few of them we talk about in this week’s show.

Monica Macoubrie makes a return trip to our podcast this week to discuss a few of the many mental and physical benefits from being outdoors, in nature. Monica works with Nebraska Wildlife Education to allow their “diverse constituents to have an appreciation and understanding of our state’s natural resources and participate in the conservation of these resources”.

Connect with the Backyard Naturalists on the Web, Facebook and Instagram.

Please visit and support our presenting sponsor, Backyard Birds at http://www.thebirdfoodstore.com/. A mecca for bird lovers and bird watchers, Backyard Birds is an independent family-owned business located in Matthews, NC (next to Dairy Queen), just southeast of Charlotte.

Thanks for listening to The Backyard Naturalists.  We hope you have a day filled with the wonders of nature. Get outside and take a walk on the wild side! Please don’t forget to leave a 5-star review for The Backyard Naturalists podcast.

Production services for The Backyard Naturalists podcast are provided by Downtown Podcasting. To start a conversation on how you can have a podcast, simply send an email to [email protected].

Welcome to a special episode of The Backyard Naturalists podcast! We are thrilled to share that our podcast has been recognized by the readers of The Matthews Mint Hill Weekly as their favorite, earning us the honor of being an award-winning podcast. We are incredibly grateful for the support of our listeners, as we now reach audiences in all 50 states and over 100 countries worldwide.

In this week's episode, your hosts Debbie and Laurie are joined by a special guest, Nick Lund, also known as "The Birdist". Nick, with his extensive background as the Advocacy and Outreach Coordinator for Maine Audubon, brings a wealth of knowledge to the discussion on state birds. As an author and nature writer, Nick's insights add depth to the conversation.

Tune in as Debbie, Laurie, and Nick explore the fascinating process of choosing state birds, uncovering the reasons behind the Northern Cardinal's immense popularity and prevalence among state selections. The conversation takes a thoughtful turn, offering recommended substitutes and better choices for state birds, offering valuable perspectives on the symbolism and representation of these avian ambassadors.

Join us for an enriching and engaging episode as we unravel the captivating world of state birds with "The Birdist" himself. Discover the intricate thought processes and significance behind these feathered representatives, and gain a deeper appreciation for the remarkable diversity and beauty of the avian world.

If you have ideas for topics that you'd like us to pursue, send us a message either on our Facebook page or our website. We would really like to hear from you.

Connect with the Backyard Naturalists on the Web, Facebook and Instagram.

Please visit and support our presenting sponsor, Backyard Birds at http://www.thebirdfoodstore.com/. A mecca for bird lovers and bird watchers, Backyard Birds is an independent family-owned business located in Matthews, NC (next to Dairy Queen), just southeast of Charlotte.

Thanks for listening to The Backyard Naturalists.  We hope you have a day filled with the wonders of nature. Get outside and take a walk on the wild side! Please don’t forget to leave a 5-star review for The Backyard Naturalists podcast.

Production services for The Backyard Naturalists podcast are provided by Downtown Podcasting. To start a conversation on how you can have a podcast, simply send an email to [email protected].

While recording the Backyard Naturalists podcast, Debbie and Laurie enjoy coffee provided by the Good Cup Coffee Company  in Matthews, North Carolina. Follow Good Cup Coffee on Instagram and look for them at the Matthews Community Farmer’s Market  this Saturday morning. 

Welcome to The Backyard Naturalists, the show about anything and everything connected with nature.

In this encore episode of The Backyard Naturalist podcast, Debbie and Lori dive into the world of mosquitoes and share practical tips for controlling these pesky insects. Did you know that mosquitoes are more attracted to people with type O blood, high metabolism, and those wearing dark colors? Tune in to learn more fascinating facts about mosquito attraction and the risks they pose to pets and wildlife, such as heartworm in dogs and West Nile virus in birds.

Discover effective methods to reduce mosquito populations in your yard, from eliminating standing water to attracting natural predators like bluebirds and dragonflies. Debbie and Lori also highlight the benefits of using native plants and caution against commercial mosquito sprays, which can harm beneficial insects and disrupt the food supply for birds.

The episode's highlight is the introduction of the innovative "bucket of doom" method by Doug Tallamy. This environmentally-friendly approach involves creating a mosquito breeding habitat using a bucket of water with organic matter and mosquito dunks containing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), a naturally occurring bacteria that targets mosquito larvae without harming other insects or wildlife.

Debbie and Lori encourage listeners to try this method and share their feedback. Join us in exploring ways to control mosquitoes responsibly, ensuring a balanced ecosystem while keeping your backyard enjoyable for everyone.

If you have ideas for topics that you'd like us to pursue, send us a message either on our Facebook page or our website. We would really like to hear from you.

Connect with the Backyard Naturalists on the Web, Facebook and Instagram.

Please visit and support our presenting sponsor, Backyard Birds at http://www.thebirdfoodstore.com/. A mecca for bird lovers and bird watchers, Backyard Birds is an independent family-owned business located in Matthews, NC (next to Dairy Queen), just southeast of Charlotte.

Thanks for listening to The Backyard Naturalists.  We hope you have a day filled with the wonders of nature. Get outside and take a walk on the wild side! Please don’t forget to leave a 5-star review for The Backyard Naturalists podcast.

Production services for The Backyard Naturalists podcast are provided by Downtown Podcasting. To start a conversation on how you can have a podcast, simply send an email to [email protected].

While recording the Backyard Naturalists podcast, Debbie and Laurie enjoy coffee provided by the Good Cup Coffee Company  in Matthews, North Carolina. Follow Good Cup Coffee on Instagram and look for them at the Matthews Community Farmer’s Market  this Saturday morning. 

Welcome to The Backyard Naturalists, the award-winning podcast about anything and everything connected with nature, heard in 115 countries, 50 states, and all throughout the Carolinas. Honored with the Best of the Weeklies podcast award by the readers of the Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly, we bring you engaging and educational content each week.

In this episode, hosts Lori and Debbie are joined by Christopher Page for an enlightening discussion about light pollution and its impacts. Christopher reminisces about his childhood in North Carolina when the night sky was filled with stars, but laments the increasing light pollution and the light domes over cities at night. The hosts share their own memories of seeing the Milky Way with less light pollution.

Christopher introduces the Bortle scale, which measures light pollution from 1 to 9, rating Charlotte as an 8 or 9 and Matthews as a 7. They discuss an Audubon initiative aimed at reducing city lights during bird migration.

Christopher also shares his experiences photographing the northern lights in Virginia and the Milky Way on the coast, noting the challenges of capturing faint nebulae and star clusters. The conversation touches on how light pollution affects animals like sea turtles, migratory birds, and dung beetles, which use stars for navigation.

To help reduce light pollution, Christopher offers practical tips such as using motion sensors, shielding lights, and opting for warmer colored lights. The hosts and Christopher emphasize the importance of preserving dark skies and share fond memories of clearer night skies from their childhoods.

Christopher also provides information on how to access his astrophotography online and offers astronomy resources. Before concluding, he extends his photography services to listeners.

Tune in to learn more about the significance of dark skies and how we can all contribute to reducing light pollution.

If you have ideas for topics that you'd like us to pursue, send us a message either on our Facebook page or our website. We would really like to hear from you.

Connect with the Backyard Naturalists on the Web, Facebook and Instagram.

Please visit and support our presenting sponsor, Backyard Birds at http://www.thebirdfoodstore.com/. A mecca for bird lovers and bird watchers, Backyard Birds is an independent family-owned business located in Matthews, NC (next to Dairy Queen), just southeast of Charlotte.

Thanks for listening to The Backyard Naturalists.  We hope you have a day filled with the wonders of nature. Get outside and take a walk on the wild side! Please don’t forget to leave a 5-star review for The Backyard Naturalists podcast.

Production services for The Backyard Naturalists podcast are provided by Downtown Podcasting. To start a conversation on how you can have a podcast, simply send an email to [email protected].

While recording the Backyard Naturalists podcast, Debbie and Laurie enjoy coffee provided by the Good Cup Coffee Company  in Matthews, North Carolina. Follow Good Cup Coffee on Instagram and look for them at the Matthews Community Farmer’s Market  this Saturday morning. 

Welcome to The Backyard Naturalists, the award-winning podcast about anything and everything connected with nature, heard in 115 countries, 50 states, and all throughout the Carolinas. Honored with the Best of the Weeklies podcast award by the readers of the Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly, we bring you engaging and educational content each week.

In this episode, your hosts, Debbie and Laurie delve into the crucial topic of ticks and tick-borne illnesses. Beginning with personal observations from their own backyards, such as baby bluebirds in a birdbath, they transition to explaining that the idea for this episode came from a listener in Florida.

Ticks, parasitic arachnids related to spiders and mites, thrive in humid, warm climates and wooded areas. They use body heat, breath, motion, and scent to locate hosts to bite and drink blood from. With tick-borne illnesses on the rise, including potentially life-threatening diseases like Lyme disease, awareness is more important than ever.

Debbie and Laurie discuss common ticks found in the US, such as the deer tick and lone star tick, and the illnesses they can transmit. They provide essential tips for protecting yourself: wearing light clothing, using repellent carefully, tucking pants into socks, showering after being outdoors, putting clothes in the dryer to kill ticks, and performing thorough tick checks. Proper tick removal with tweezers and saving the tick in case of later illness is also highlighted. Seeking medical care promptly if symptoms develop is crucial.

Overall, this episode provides an overview of ticks as a public health issue, prevention strategies, and steps to take if you find a tick, aiming to educate and protect listeners.

If you have ideas for topics that you'd like us to pursue, send us a message either on our Facebook page or our website. We would really like to hear from you.

Connect with the Backyard Naturalists on the Web, Facebook and Instagram.

Please visit and support our presenting sponsor, Backyard Birds at http://www.thebirdfoodstore.com/. A mecca for bird lovers and bird watchers, Backyard Birds is an independent family-owned business located in Matthews, NC (next to Dairy Queen), just southeast of Charlotte.

Thanks for listening to The Backyard Naturalists.  We hope you have a day filled with the wonders of nature. Get outside and take a walk on the wild side! Please don’t forget to leave a 5-star review for The Backyard Naturalists podcast.

Production services for The Backyard Naturalists podcast are provided by Downtown Podcasting. To start a conversation on how you can have a podcast, simply send an email to [email protected].

While recording the Backyard Naturalists podcast, Debbie and Laurie enjoy coffee provided by the Good Cup Coffee Company  in Matthews, North Carolina. Follow Good Cup Coffee on Instagram and look for them at the Matthews Community Farmer’s Market  this Saturday morning.