Little Muddy Fingers

11/04/2025

It’s not a stick…. It’s a wand!

10/29/2025

🦋 You thought you were cleaning up.
But you threw me away before I could fly. 💔

MY STORY:
I was a caterpillar in August.
Found the perfect dry stem in October.
Cocooned myself for the winter.
Dreamed of wings in spring.
Then you came with your pruning shears.

WHAT YOU DIDN’T KNOW:

Butterfly chrysalises overwinter inside dry plant stems

Autumn gardening = generations wiped out

Every cut plant = a potential chrysalis destroyed

Compost piles = mass graves for overwintering insects

NOVEMBER = MONTH OF DEATH FOR US:
💔 You cut back all the perennials
💔 You discard the “dead” stems (we live inside them!)
💔 You turn the compost (we’re pupating there!)
💔 A “tidy” garden = zero butterflies next year

WHAT DIED INSIDE ME:
Not just me.
My wings that never flew.
The flowers I never pollinated.
The joy you never saw.

THE TRAGIC IRONY:
You plant “bee-friendly” flowers in spring—
but kill the butterflies in autumn.

WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN INSTEAD:
✓ Leave perennials standing until April
✓ Dry stems = winter hotels for life
✓ Let compost rest from October to March
✓ “Messiness” = survival

ALL I NEEDED WAS ONE WINTER:
A single dry stem.
Three months of peace.
Then I would’ve flown in May.

You saw garden waste.
I was a butterfly waiting for my wings. 🦋💔

10/29/2025

When your 3 year old proclaims, “look at this cool leaf! I want to keep it!” and hands it to you… Your intuition tells you to find out what that blob stuff is first. Turns out it’s gall midge, AKA a species of fly larvae that is developing inside. 😳. Wow, that would have been a fun surprise come spring! 🥴

10/28/2025

When the ocean snatches your pink shovel before you even get to play with it, it can be hard to move on and embrace the beach. But once you do, it is SO worth it!

10/23/2025

A new series of classes begins soon! We will be re-exploring some of our favorite lessons from 2025. All of our activities feature the Tinkergarten curriculum and are suitable for kids ages 1.5-9 (and their grownups! Grownups need to play too)!
Visit here for more info and registration:
https://linktr.ee/littlemuddyfingers

10/17/2025

The tiniest pinecone you ever did see…

10/14/2025

Halloween shirts, pumpkin spice forest putty, jumping in leaf piles, and homemade thankful trees… this explorer is loving fall!

10/09/2025