After a rainy weekend, a sun-filled one felt amazing. We headed out for a walk through the woods beneath blue skies and birdsong. The trail was familiar, the pace was slow, and the forest seemed eager to reveal its seasonal surprises.

What happened next was completely unexpected.

Standing quietly beneath the trees, I found myself face-to-face with a moment I had hoped for days earlier and failed to come across.

There was just one problem…

In this week’s episode, I share a story about timing, attention, and the strange way nature seems to deliver exactly what we’re looking for when we’re least prepared for it.

Thanks for listening to The Flutter By Effect. Come find more like this at Substack.

This week’s episode begins with a bird I could hear everywhere but could barely photograph. What followed became an afternoon of dodging raindrops through Sandy Hook, New Jersey beneath gray skies. It's strange the way nature sometimes redirects our attention when we stop searching so hard.

Along the shoreline, I came across a tiny threatened shorebird I never expected to encounter, and the story slowly unfolded from there. This episode is about the quiet moments that somehow find us. This story will continue to unfold in my Sunday essay. So be sure to subscribe to my free Substack so you don't miss the continuation!

You can also find me over at Flutter By Meadows on Substack for weekly essays and reflections inspired by the natural world.

I am also on Instagram too.

If you want to learn more about protecting piping plovers and other nesting shorebirds in New Jersey, visit the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey

Additionally, please visit NJ Fish & Wildlife for more information.

In this episode, I mention Episode 12. You can find it here.

Common Yellowthroat Sound Recording provided by:

CitationWilliam Whitehead, XC720362. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/720362.

LicenseCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0

Sound by Pixabay

Why You Should Be Planting A Caterpillar Cafe: Is Your Butterfly Garden Doing the Right Thing?

This episode explores the importance of planting both nectar sources and host plants, revealing the overlooked stages of these incredible insects and what they truly need to thrive.In this episode I talk specifically about the monarch butterfly.

So next time you’re planting a garden, ask yourself: am I supporting the entire life cycle of the butterfly? And did I plant a caterpillar cafe, or just a butterfly garden?

New to milkweed? Start here.

Want to dig in a little more to caterpillar gardening? You can find This Tree Grows Caterpillars here.

Come find me at Flutter By Meadows on Substack — there's a Sunday essay waiting for you there too, rooted in the same moments we talk about here. There's an essay for this episode that goes along with this. Don't miss it!

You can also find me on Instagram too.