The WildStory: A Podcast of Poetry and Plants by The Native Plant Society of New Jersey

This episode of The WildStory is all about the southernmost point in New Jersey—beautiful Cape May, known to beachgoers as a summer destination. But for nature lovers, September is migration season and the very best time to head to Cape May. Which is exactly what many of us from the Native Plant Society of New Jersey will be doing, for a special trip to Cape May the weekend of September 27th through the 29th. The retreat sold out faster than we anticipated, but we wanted to share some of the wonders of the area with you in this episode, which includes an inspiring roster of guests from South Jersey. 

Our featured poet is Penny Harter (4:00), who has lived and written in May’s Landing for the past dozen years. Penny and Ann spoke about memory, grief, and the everyday creatures and objects that become the imagery that fills her poetry. Penny also offers a mini-lesson on haibun, a beloved Japanese form near to her heart, a form that allows ideas to ripple and expand, like rings upon a lake,

In Ask Randi, Dr. Randi Eckel (0:32:00), a native plant expert for NPSNJ and owner of Toadshade Wildflower Farm, talks about entering fall, when the many species of goldenrod come into their glory. She clears up the confusion between goldenrod and ragweed and shares why Seaside Goldenrod, which grows along the seashore, is one of her favorites. 

We then hear from naturalist Mark Garland (0:44:54) the Director Emeritus of the Cape May Monarch Monitoring Project. Mark has lived and worked in Cape May for more than 20 years and is the author of Watching Nature: A Mid-Atlantic Natural History. Mark talks with Kim about the Monarch butterfly and why its migration is unlike any other that we know of on this planet. 

In our final segment, Kim and Ann catch up with naturalist Pat Sutton (01:09:04), who has lived and worked in the Cape May area for over 40 years. Pat shares her knowledge of Cape May Island, one of the top spots in the world to see butterfly and bird migration. She points out her favorite places to visit and tells us about her film, "The UNFOLDING of Pat Sutton’s WILDLIFE GARDEN,” which features her 1/2 acre home wildlife habitat which encompasses 202 native plants, 61 trees, shrubs, and vines, 9 grasses, 5 ferns, 213 bird species, 79 butterfly species and 113 other pollinators. 

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Hosted by Ann E. Wallace, PhD

Poet Laureate of Jersey City

Co-host Kim Correro,

Rutgers Master Gardener and Director of State Programs

Special Contributor Dr. Randi Eckel

Entomologist and Vice President of Membership NPSNJ

This episode features an interview with best-selling author Barbara Kingsolver (0:04:34) from 2022. It was recorded for The WildStory’s predecessor, an Instagram series called Saturday Morning Poetry, hosted by the Hudson County Chapter of NPSNJ. Barbara Kingsolver is of course most widely known for her brilliant novels, but she is also a poet with two published collections. In this interview, recorded a week before the release of the internationally acclaimed novel Demon Copperhead, we talked about Barbara’s 2020 poetry collection How to Fly (in Ten Thousand Easy Lessons), leaning into poetry’s capacity for delight and whimsy with a conversation about trees as good people, followed by a more sobering discussion about climate change and the need to cherish and protect the natural places on this earth. We reprise this interview here on The WildStory with special permission from Barbara Kingsolver.

In Ask Randi, Dr. Randi Eckel (0:25:35), the native plant expert for NPSNJ and owner of Toadshade Wildflower Farm, talks about the impact ecologically damaging plants have on the environment, with a focus on the Butterfly Bush. Although eye-catching, hardy, and seemingly helpful to butterflies and other pollinators, Butterfly Bush is actually an invasive species that can impair the health of our local ecosystems.

We then hear from Katie Bliss (0:39:28), the Director of Horticulture for the Cape May Point Science Center, formerly known as St. Mary by the Sea retreat house. The Center is located in the middle of the Atlantic flyway and is the location for this year's NPSNJ retreat for membership in late September. Katie talks with Kim about the center's rich history and the pollinator garden she created with her husband, which is a recipient of a 2024 NPSNJ mini-grant. 

In our final segment, Kim and Ann chat with naturalist Nancy Lawson (0:58:27), author of The Humane Gardener, about her newest book, WildScape (Princeton Architectural Press 2023), which takes readers on an insightful and fascinating exploration of the secret lives of animals and native plants at her wildlife habitat. She shares memories of her father, who died suddenly but left her with curiosity, patience, and the ability to appreciate small details. Nancy also talks about the repercussions of chronic noise from gas-powered leaf blowers and the impacts of artificial feeders on plants and animals.

To close the episode, we leave you with a short reading by Nancy from WildScape (1:27:30) about the awe and childhood memories awakened within her by a yellow-billed cuckoo on a rainy day as her father was dying, grief and love sitting side by side, together in this passage. For more information about Nancy Lawson, visit her website at humanegardener.com

Hosted by Ann E. Wallace, PhD

Poet Laureate of Jersey City

Co-host Kim Correro,

Rutgers Master Gardener and Director of State Programs

Special Contributor Dr. Randi Eckel

Entomologist and Vice President of Membership NPSNJ

In episode 14, Kai Coggin, Poet Laureate of Hot Springs, Arkansas, and host of Wednesday Night Poetry (0:02:56), talks with Ann Wallace about her new book Mother of Other Kingdoms, published in April 2024 by Harbor Editions. Kai speaks about the many ways in which the tender act of mothering living things, whether wild or human, has enriched her life and provides sustaining lessons on finding joy and wonder through difficult times.

In Ask Randi, Dr. Randi Eckel, the native plant expert for NPSNJ and owner of Toadshade Wildflower Farm⁠ (0:35:34), explains why native Jewelweed is hard to find for sale. She then answers a listener question from Maude about how we define local when purchasing native plants. Randi also makes a special announcement about the September trip to Cape May for NPSNJ members.

Kim Correro then speaks with Rebecca McMackin (0:45:41) about the power of ecological horticulture in creating a more just and equitable world. Rebecca discusses the emotional and physical benefits of living in a thriving ecosystem and suggests that access to beauty should be a human right. She wraps up by sharing tips on the importance of knowing how to water your plants and why fall is the ideal planting season. We encourage you to sign up for Rebecca's free NEWSLETTER, which is filled with valuable information for gardeners. Don't forget to check out her TED Talk "Let Your Garden Grow Wild" with almost one million views!

To close out the episode, Kim and Ann talk with Jared Rosenbaum, botanist and co-owner of Wild Ridge Plants in New Jersey (1:09:24). We speak about cultural ecology and Jared’s YouTube series ROOTED. Each episode features one wild plant species, sparking stories about place, history, and future prospects. In the upcoming season, they span the state of New Jersey to feature Prickly Pear Cactus, Purple Milkweed, and more. Rooted is a recipient of a 2024 NPSNJ Mini-Grant. 

In episode 13, Camille T. Dungy (0:03:00), a renowned poet, essayist, and memoirist, joins Ann Wallace in conversation about her book Soil: The Story of a Black Mother’s Garden, published by Simon and Schuster in 2023 and now out in paperback. Soil is a book that invites us into Camille’s native plant prairie project at her home in Colorado, but it is also about much more than that, taking us back to the year 2020 and making record not only of the story of a garden but of the context—familial, national, historical, ecological, social—from which it sprang. 

In Ask Randi, Dr. Randi Eckel (0:35:00) makes a special announcement about the 2024 NPSNJ mini-grant program. She then answers a question from Tom in Connecticut, who is on a tight budget and needs help choosing colorful native plants that will bloom throughout the seasons.

Ann then speaks with Susan Darwin (0:46:48), New Jersey artist and member of the Native Plant Society, who discovered us through the annual conference while working on her New Jersey 2023 series of paintings. Susan is nearly halfway through her 10-year location series, in which she artistically explores a different place each year. Her New Jersey 2023 exhibit, featuring 20 paintings from across the state, is currently on display at Reeves-Reed Arboretum in Summit and all are invited to attend the artist reception on the afternoon of Saturday, June 29.

To close out the episode, Kim and Ann talk with Claudia West (1:03:31), a seasoned professional in her field. Claudia is a landscape designer, grower, installer, and land manager. She is also co-owner of Phyto Studio and co-author of the highly acclaimed book Planting in a Post-Wild World, which has been a valuable resource for many gardeners.

In episode 12, we reflect on the nature that is close at hand, in our backyards, neighborhoods, and nearby wild places—as our featured guests invite us into the habitats they explore, celebrate, and help preserve—and share the joy those spaces spark.

First, J. Drew Lanham (02:49)—poet, ecologist, and ornithologist—speaks with Ann about his new book Joy is the Justice We Give Ourselves, and the lessons he learned from his grandmother about seeking out joy in whatever places we might find it, as a way of living and of being. For Drew, that joy is often found in nature, in communion with birds, trees, and other wildlife whose histories and journeys inspire curiosity and connection.

Then Randi Eckel tackles an Ask Randi (0:37:47) question from Maureen in North Jersey: How can we peacefully coexist with squirrels and bunnies in our native plant gardens? Good news! There are native plants that will help.

Kim talks with Marni Fylling (0:45:15) about her book Fylling's Illustrated Guide to Nature In Your Neighborhood. It is a delightful guide to help you identify and understand the flora and fauna you may encounter right outside your door. Marni reminisces about her days exploring nature along the "100 Steps" stairway, which connects Jersey City Heights and Hoboken, NJ. 

We are then joined by Marielle Anzelone, an urban ecologist and founder of NYC Wildflower Week. Marielle, a double graduate of Rutgers University, has lived among the plants of the New Jersey-New York metro area nearly all her life. She discusses her time at Rutgers and the two professors who helped guide her career. She then offers important insights and reminders of the critical role native plants play in the ecology of the Big Apple.

Hosted by Ann E. Wallace, PhD

Poet Laureate of Jersey City

Co-host Kim Correro,

Rutgers Master Gardener

Special Contributor Dr. Randi Eckel

Entomologist and Vice President of Membership of NPSNJ

Do you have a question about native plants for Randi?

Email: [email protected]

In this episode, we reflect on the passage of time – as we hear from two authors who each created books that span the course of a single year, leading us into joy and sorrow, community and collaboration, nature and plentitude. 

First, poet and essayist Ross Gay (03:43) discusses The Book of (More) Delights. We reflect on the need for delight, and the ways in which we can stand in its light—as well as the human need to be in community, and to create abundance out of beauty. Ross also shares a pair of poems, written in collaboration with his friend and fellow poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil, from their collection Lace and Pyrite: Letters from Two Gardens, first published in 2014, a project in which they commune through poetry and nature over the span of a year.

In Ask Randi, Dr. Randi Eckel (38:38) answers a question from Kathy in North Bergen about native trees and the importance of paying attention to species native to our county and eco-region. 

We hear from Kazys Varnelis (46:15), the new President of NPSNJ, about his woodland native garden in Montclair, NJ, his blog the highland florilegium, and the new mini-grant program currently being offered to volunteer organizations, schools, individuals, and groups working to create pollinator gardens and wildlife habitats in open community gardens and public green spaces in NJ. He shares how to apply. 

Special guests Margaret Renkl and Billy Renkl (1:04:22) discuss their collaboration as sister and brother on The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year, a book of weekly observations written by Margaret. Billy created 52 pieces of art, one for each week of the year, to accompany the text. We are invited into the rhythms of the changing seasons, as witnessed through the wildlife in Margaret’s yard, and of the passing years, through the writer’s keen eye, devotional gratitude, and reflective voice.

To close out the episode, we celebrate the publication of The WildStory’s co-host Ann E. Wallace (1:36:23) new poetry collection, Days of Grace and Silence: A Chronicle of COVID’s Long Haul–which in keeping with our unexpected theme for this episode—tracks time through poems, each one dated and presented in chronological order, through the early years of her prolonged illness and of the pandemic.

In this episode, Lauren Camp, (02.38) Poet Laureate of New Mexico, speaks with Ann Wallace about her recent collection Worn Smooth Between Devourings (NYQ Books, 2023), as well as In Old Sky, forthcoming in April from Grand Canyon Conservancy. We discuss the intensification of attention required for writing the desert landscape, the limits and opportunities offered by language, and the ways that a place can transform us.

We then hear from Dr. Randi Eckel (32.33) who answers a listener's question about fragrant native plants for the garden in a new installment of Ask Randi. And Kim Correro speaks with Hailey Brock, (41.41) owner of The Nature of Reading Bookshop in Madison, NJ, discusses her store’s unique environmental focus on nature writing, climate change, and seasonal reading, as well as a new book club. Hailey is one of NPSNJ’s partners in Leaning Toward Light: A Celebration of Poetry and Native Plants, to be held at the Museum of Early Trades and Crafts in Madison on April 10.

Then Uli Lorimer, (50.22) Director of Horticulture at the Native Plant Trust and author of The Northeast Native Plant Primer (Timber Press), speaks with us about working with native plants at Garden in the Woods, the importance of straight species, and efforts to increase the availability of genetically diverse and source-identified native plant seeds in the northeast.

In this episode, poet and herbalist Adrie Rose speaks with Ann Wallace (02:22) about her new chapbook Rupture, published last month by Gold Line Press. They discuss the pain Adrie experienced following a life-threatening ruptured ectopic pregnancy, along with other losses, and how poetry, nature, and native plants together allow space for the cycles of grief and healing. 

Dr. Randi Eckel (34:51) provides information on the upcoming Spring Annual Meeting & Conference on March 2nd and answers Cara's question about ways to use the overabundance of fallen leaves in her garden for a new installment of Ask Randi. 

Co-host Kim Correro—master gardener and director of state programs for the Native Plant Society of NJ—speaks with Michele Bakacs (43:40) on her work as a Rutgers Environmental Stewards Program (RES) coordinator. Michele reminds us to pay attention to our language and be culturally sensitive when discussing the invasive species mentioned in this episode. 

To close, John and Susan Landau (52:57), members of the Friends of Foote’s Pond Wood in Morristown, NJ, talk with Ann and Kim about the vital role of land stewards. They describe how restoring the natural ecosystems of Foote’s Pond Wood is only possible with the hard work and commitment of a wonderful volunteer community and guidance from Rutgers experts Jean Epiphan, with a special shout out to Michele Bakacs and Amy Rowe.

Poet Tess Taylor (2:10) speaks with Ann Wallace about her new anthology Leaning Toward Light: Poems for Gardens and the Hands That Tend Them (Storey Publishing, 2023) and the ability of poems to carry us through the seasons of planting, tending, grieving, harvesting, sharing in a world filled with both joy and crisis. We reflect on the deliberate cultivation of happiness as a discipline, and at the end of our conversation, we spend some time with Tess’s most recent solo collection, Rift Zone, published in 2020 by Red Hen Press. We then hear from Dr. Randi Eckel (36:24) who shares information about NPSNJ's newest native plant guide created for schools by our Essex Chapter. She then answers a question from Sucharita about poison ivy in the latest installment of Ask Randi. And Kim Correro joins Ann to talk with native plant advocate Janet Crouch (44:48) from Howard County, Maryland who fought a protracted legal battle with her Homeowners’ Association over her native plant garden—and won! And to close out the episode, Rachel Mackow (1:07:08), writer and co-owner of Wild Ridge Plants, joins us. “Winter Thaw” is one of the winners of the Seed Challenge that we ran earlier this fall, sponsored by Jennifer Jewell and Timber Press. Rachel and two other winners each received a copy of Jennifer’s book What We Sow: On the Personal, Ecological, and Cultural Significance of Seeds.

Thank you also to Storey Publishing for offering a 20% discount on Tess Taylor’s anthology Leaning Toward Light to members of The Native Plant Society of NJ. You can purchase the collection—which would make a beautiful holiday gift—at NPSNJ.org.

Poet Emily Hockaday (2:07) speaks with Ann Wallace about her new poetry collection, In a Body, published in October 2023 by Harbor Editions. Emily discusses the layered ways in which new motherhood, the death of her father, a diagnosis of fibromyalgia—as well as science and ecology—have shaped Emily’s work, much of which she composed while walking with her child on the trails of Forest Park in Queens, New York. We then hear from Dr. Randi Eckel (32:52) about the new NPSNJ programs that members can look forward to in 2024. Also, in this episode, Randi answers a question from Gail about using cardboard as a mulch to suppress invasive weeds in a new installment of Ask Randi. And Kim Correro joins the conversation to talk with sustainable landscape designer and naturalist Elaine Silverstein (40:32) about rethinking the lawn. Elaine is the Vice President of Chapters for NPSNJ and the Co-leader of the Bergen Passaic Chapter. She will further share her expertise in “Choosing, Planting, and Caring for Native Plants,” a four-week workshop for The Native Plant Society of New Jersey, to be offered in January. Registration opens on December 4th at NPSNJ.org. And to close out the episode, poet Theta Pavis (1:05:16) shares “Growing Avocadoes in East Orange,” winner of the Seed Challenge that The WildStory ran earlier this fall, sponsored by Jennifer Jewell and Timber Press. Theta and two other winners each received a copy of Jennifer’s book What We Sow: On the Personal, Ecological, and Cultural Significance of Seeds.