In our backyard, the milkweed patch has become a little gathering place. Our daughter loves searching it for caterpillars, and when a monarch appears, she proudly announces the discovery. It isn't just my kids anymore, even friends and family who visit know to make a pilgrimage to the milkweed and see who they can find. The more I pay attention, the more our garden feels like its own tiny ecosystem, full of characters: caterpillars munching away, bees moving from flower to flower, spiders quietly waiting in their webs, and birds keeping watch from the oaks. I’m learning that you don't have to go very far to find something extraordinary. Sometimes you just have to know where to look. That curiosity has inspired me to learn more about California native plants and how we can create little pockets of habitat for the creatures that share our world. I'm very much learning as I grow, but the more I learn, the more I want to help protect it. I’m getting back into running after becoming a mom to two little ones, and I’ve decided to take on a new adventure: training for a 2027 Triathlon. So why not turn the quest into something bigger? I’m hoping to swim, bike and run my way to the finish line while raising money for western monarch conservation through Xerces. Sometimes you just need to notice something worth protecting, and decide to show up for it.