Welcome to The Backyard Naturalists, the award-winning podcast about anything and everything connected with nature, heard in 115 countries, 50 states, and all throughout the Carolinas. Honored with the Best of the Weeklies podcast award by the readers of the Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly, we bring you engaging and educational content each week.

In this episode, Laurie and Debbie delve into the fascinating and often troubling world of invasive species in part one of this series. Discover how these unintended travelers, such as the house finch, have been introduced to new areas, often unintentionally by human actions. The house finch, for instance, was illegally brought from the western U.S. to the East Coast to be sold as caged birds in the 1940s. After being released, they spread rapidly across the region.

Laurie and Debbie discuss the significant ecological consequences of such introductions and the urgent need for more effective treatments to control these problematic invaders. Learn about the impact of human activities on the spread of invasive species and the importance of preserving our native ecosystems.

If you have ideas for topics that you'd like us to pursue, send us a message either on our Facebook page or our website. We would really like to hear from you.

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Please visit and support our presenting sponsor, Backyard Birds at http://www.thebirdfoodstore.com/. A mecca for bird lovers and bird watchers, Backyard Birds is an independent family-owned business located in Matthews, NC (next to Dairy Queen), just southeast of Charlotte.

Thanks for listening to The Backyard Naturalists.  We hope you have a day filled with the wonders of nature. Get outside and take a walk on the wild side! Please don’t forget to leave a 5-star review for The Backyard Naturalists podcast.

Production services for The Backyard Naturalists podcast are provided by Downtown Podcasting. To start a conversation on how you can have a podcast, simply send an email to info@downtownpodcasting.com.

While recording the Backyard Naturalists podcast, Debbie and Laurie enjoy coffee provided by the Good Cup Coffee Company  in Matthews, North Carolina. Follow Good Cup Coffee on Instagram and look for them at the Matthews Community Farmer’s Market  this Saturday morning.