COMING TO OUR SENSES, "WILDSCAPE," with NANCY LAWSON (BEST OF)
- Jennifer Jewell
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
The garden in summer is at its fullest sensory delight and overwhelm – the peak of sunlight, growing hours, heat, and growth, ripening and even rotting. This week we revisit a BEST OF conversation which embraces this sublime sensuality from a variety of perspectives, in conversation with master naturalist Nancy Lawson.
Nancy is perhaps best known as the The Humane Gardener, the title of her first book for which we spoke with her a few years back, and her online signature. And a humane gardener she is. Nancy is a habitat consultant, and founder of The Humane Gardener, LLC. She observes, researches, and pioneers creative wildlife-friendly landscaping methods in her own home habitat and for others.
In other words – and in all senses of the phrase – Nancy puts her gardening where her words are and words and action come together beautifully in her newest book, "Wildscape, Trilling Chipmunks, Beckoning Blooms, Salty Butterflies, and other Sensory wonders of Nature". Together this week, we delve into her newest research and reporting on the complexity and richness of the sensory life of other than human lives: from the botanical to the birds, bugs, mammals, amphibians other wildlife all around us.
Wildscape is eye, ear, nose and heart opening! Listen in!
All photos courtesy of Nancy Lawson, author photo by Jennifer Heffner. All rights reserved.
You can follow Nancy Lawson online at:
and on Instagram:
HERE IS THIS EPISODE'S TRANSCRIPT by Doulos Transcription Service:
IF YOU LIKE THIS PROGAM,
you might also enjoy these Best of CP programs in our archive:
JOIN US again next week, when we continue with our summer break reprisals, reminding us of the importance of the great outdoors and the care and cultivation of them revisiting Ecological plantsman Benjamin Vogt’s great work Prairie Up! That’s next week – listen in.
Cultivating Place is made possible in part by listeners like you and by generous support from
supporting initiatives that empower women and help preserve the planet through the intersection of environmental advocacy, social justice, and creativity.
Thinking out loud this week:
Hey, it's Jennifer—
Circling back to something that Linda Vater said in our conversation a year or so back, about "raising a garden." This vision stuck with me: how we raise gardens like we raise children, how our gardens help to raise us into the next iterations of who we will be - might be - could be? Does this ring true for you? I think of the garden I partner with right now - for going on 10 years. This is one of the longest garden partnerships I have ever had due to moves - and this garden has held me through so much - grown me through so many growing pains, but also successes, accomplishments. In her - my garden - I can see my own growth chart as sure as it was marked in a penciled dash across the top of my head on the hall doorjamb.
And both this idea and this conversation with Nancy leave with this reminder about a perennial truth - certainly one of the truths gifted to us by the garden on a regular basis - sometimes in delight and sometimes as tough love: we never know it all; we always have more to learn.
Sitting still and listening is never a bad option.
WAYS TO SUPPORT CULTIVATING PLACE
Cultivating Place is a co-production of North State Public Radio, a service of Cap Radio, licensed to Chico State Enterprises. Cultivating place is made possible in part listeners just like you through the support button at the top right-hand corner of every page at Cultivating Place.com.
The CP team includes producer and engineer Matt Fidler, with weekly tech and web support from Angel Huracha, and this summer we're joined by communications intern Sheila Stern. We’re based on the traditional and present homelands of the Mechoopda Indian Tribe of the Chico Rancheria. Original theme music is by Ma Muse, accompanied by Joe Craven and Sam Bevan.
SHARE the podcast with friends: If you enjoy these conversations about these things we love and which connect us, please share them forward with others. Thank you in advance!
RATE the podcast on iTunes: Or wherever you get your podcast feed: Please submit a ranking and a review of the program on Itunes! To do so follow this link: iTunes Review and Rate (once there, click View In Itunes and go to Ratings and Reviews)
DONATE: Cultivating Place is a listener-supported co-production of North State Public Radio. To make your listener contribution – please click the donate button below. Thank you in advance for your help making these valuable conversations grow.
Or, make checks payable to:
Cultivating Place Foundation
PO Box 37
Durham, CA 95938