My latest blog: Fall is golden for gardens

Hummingbirds, monarchs, queen bumblebees and native bees are all fueling up right now — and your garden can be their lifeline. Discover five essential native nectar plants, curated by the State Botanical Garden of Georgia, that will make your fall garden a pollinator powerhouse.

Blooming now in my garden: Goldenrod

Goldenrods are a top-performing resource for caterpillars that birds need to feed their young, as well as one that specialist bees rely on for their pollen, according to the State Botanical Garden of Georgia. It's also one of five native plants the botanical garden recommends planting in fall gardens in the Southeast. Pardon the double tease to the same blog on the Home page, but fall gardens are doubly important to pollinators preparing for winter.

In progress: A children's picture book

I have written a children's picture book about the epic migration of the monarch butterfly. When I was developing the idea for the book, one of the most respected voices in pollinator science in the Southeast told me I would need a new angle. I found one.

The book is built around new tracking technology that allows children — in a classroom setting or at home — to follow tagged monarchs in real time via a smartphone app, turning the reading experience into a living, interactive journey. The classroom application in particular suggests strong potential for school system adoption. This technology angle makes it meaningfully different from previously published children's picture books about monarchs. I am seeking representation for a single book, but the real goal is a trilogy covering the full migration.

The manuscript — scientifically accurate and narrative-driven — has received a very positive review from the director and an acquisitions editor at a major academic press, an editor with a children's book background who offered specific suggestions to strengthen it. All have been incorporated. I am now seeking literary representation. (Photo: Susan Meyers, Monarchs Across Georgia)