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Butterflies for the Win!

August 7, 2015 By Talya Tate Boerner

attracting butterflies to your gardenSince moving to Fayetteville, I’ve been working to attract butterflies to my garden. I’m happy to report, my game plan is working. I have lots of little white cabbage butterflies, and earlier in the spring I noticed a giant swallowtail caterpillar. The swallowtail recently made her appearance. swallowtail butterfly

Here’s another beauty. Butterflies are fast, and my camera is not.

fast swallowtail!

I saw our first monarch, too!Continue Reading

Dear August,

August 3, 2015 By Talya Tate Boerner

Dear August,

Dear August,

You were in my dream last night. We were hiking along the shore together at sunrise. Above the treeline, the sky flushed pink like champagne.

August, you’re here already? I asked. That was quick!

You answered only in the humid breeze.Continue Reading

During the dog days of summer, my garden is the boss of me.

July 20, 2015 By Talya Tate Boerner

during the dog days of summer, my garden is the boss of me.

Right now, this time of year, my garden is the boss of me. It’s a fact. I plan my day around watering and deadheading and weeding and watering again. The dog days of summer are tough ones on new plants that aren’t well established. Babysitting. That’s what I’m doing.

Webster defines the dog days of summer as: 1) the period between early July and early September when hot sultry summer weather occurs in the northern hemisphere; and 2) a period of stagnation or inactivity. Check and check! The origin of the phrase (first known use in 1538) came from their being reckoned from the heliacal rising of the Dog Star (Sirius).Continue Reading

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Hi! I'm Talya Tate Boerner. Writer, Reader, Arkansas Master Naturalist / Master Gardener, Author of:

THE ACCIDENTAL SALVATION OF GRACIE LEE (2016)

GENE, EVERYWHERE: a life-changing visit from my father-in-law (2020)

BERNICE RUNS AWAY (2022)

THE THIRD ACT OF THEO GRUENE (2025)

Recent Ramblings:

  • Sunday Letter: September 6, 2026
  • Why a Rainy Day Is the Best Time to Visit a Botanical Garden
  • Happy Birthday, Theo Gruene!
  • Sunday Letter~ 05.17.26
  • Sunday Letter: 03.29.26

Novels:

Coloring Books:

Fiction-Themed Coloring Books

Backyard Phenology:

Children’s Nature Book:

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