Imagine taking an interest in all things lepidoptera to a whole new level—from curious naturalist to field guide author. That’s what my guest for this episode, Erin Gettler, did in 2017 with her book Bird Watcher’s Digest Butterflies Backyard Guide. In this episode from season 2, Erin and I chat about the work involved in creating a field guide from the research involved to the fascinating tidbits of information she learned while writing the book. There’s a lot packed into the episode—do check out the book if you’d like to delve more into the world of butterflies in your own backyard!

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I'm still learning the woods near the house we moved into two years ago. This spring I'm on a dogged ephemeral wildflower search, as I'm not quite tuned into the phenology (timing) and habitats around here. I'd almost given up hope of finding flowers this year until I found some symptoms of ephemerals nearby… a week or two will tell. Meanwhile, the woods here are chock full of glorious spicebush, shown here. When you bury your nose in the tiny green bouquets, they fill your breath with honey.

A post shared by Erin (@thefamiliarwilderness) on Apr 17, 2019 at 5:14pm PDT

Music: “New Day” by Lee Rosevere

Show Notes:
+The Familiar Wilderness: Erin’s website
+@thefamiliarwilderness on Instagram
+Episode 2-9: The original episode for this podcast.
+Episode 1-9: Erin’s first guest appearance on the podcast where we talk all things natural history!
+A Tribute to Bill Thompson III, a Birding Leader, Innovator, and Friend via Audubon