Life With Ferris: Super Star Ann Brown

We all have our heroes, folks who inspire us and who we admire. I’m fortunate to know one of mine up-close and personal, and I can call her anytime with questions about a subject we are both interested in, or just call her repeatedly with any niggling comments or concerts. Point being, Ann Brown always answers my calls, which is so cool because she is a total super star.

Was I surprised to learn this little dynamo recently received an honorable mention in the North American Butterfly Association’s Lane Edwards Butterfly Contest? Not at all.

This former librarian is a self-described pollinator advocate who developed a deep love for nature and respect for wildlife as a child growing up on the east coast of Texas in a family that loved the outdoors. “We enjoyed traveling, hiking, fishing, horseback riding, gardening, and raising chickens and dogs,” Ann said.

When she and her husband, poet Howard Brown, retired to Lookout Mountain in 2009, she decided to create an organic garden to bring wildlife to her yard. And that garden is beyond impressive.

“To learn more about wildlife needs, I joined several conservation groups, including the Tennessee Valley chapter of Wild Ones, the Xerces Society, the Tennessee Ornithological Society, the North American Butterfly Association, Journey North, and Bee City USA,” Ann said. And then she started planting, careful with how she conditioned her soil and chose hard-working native pollinators.

A year later, she earned her Master Gardener certification and began volunteering at the Chattanooga Food Bank, the Tennessee Aquarium (specifically in the butterfly garden), and Reflection Riding’s native plant nursery. These experiences were invaluable in deepening her understanding of how native plants contribute to healthy ecosystems for both people and wildlife. Over the years, Ann has continued to develop her certified butterfly garden and create other wildlife habitats, including a National Wildlife Federation Wildlife Habitat, a RainSmart Yard, and a Tennessee Smart Yard. Each year, her yard attracts 27 different species of butterflies!

“The development of my gardens and yard has been inspired by the lectures and books of Dr. Doug Tallamy (another rock star), particularly “Bringing Nature Home” and “Nature’s Best Hope.” Additionally, Rita Venable’s book, “Butterflies of Tennessee,” has been instrumental in helping me understand the host plants required for butterflies to complete their life cycles,” Ann said.

For years, Ann has been instrumental in spreading information about the Bee City USA initiative and the Homegrown National Park movement. Both of these initiatives emphasize the importance of our yards’ abilities to save wildlife and encourage us to extend national parks into our communities by removing invasive species and restoring native species. Basically, even if you only have a front stoop to call a yard, plant native plants in it instead of nonnatives; that’s a simple step everyone can easily do.

"For me, gardening is a dynamic and ever-evolving practice that requires continuous learning. Since gardening plays a significant role in environmental conservation, I always want to be open to new studies and discoveries that will enhance my gardening techniques. This daily connection to nature has brought me joy and provides a sense of purpose and well-being,” Ann says. Spoken like a true hero.

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Ferris Robinson is the author of three children’s books, “The Queen Who Banished Bugs,” “The Queen Who Accidentally Banished Birds,” and “Call Me Arthropod” in her pollinator series “If Bugs Are Banished.” “Making Arrangements” is her first novel and is available in paperback and on Kindle. “Dogs and Love - Stories of Fidelity” is a collection of true tales about man’s best friend. She is the editor of The Lookout Mountain Mirror and The Signal Mountain Mirror.