Where the Wild Things Grow, So Do We
Have you ever noticed the beautiful garden on the front lawn of The Red Shoes?
Filled with native plants, the garden is more than a beautiful landscape. It is a living ecosystem, offering food and shelter to pollinators and wildlife while supporting the unique ecology of South Louisiana. And, like so much of what happens at The Red Shoes, it invites us to slow down, pay attention, and consider our relationship with the world around us.
That relationship is at the heart of our upcoming Rewilding Talk: Healing the Earth, Healing Ourselves, led by Erin Staub of the Louisiana Wild Society, on Tuesday, October 20.
Erin has her own special connection to The Red Shoes, and her work with the earth is deeply intertwined with her spiritual path. For Erin, reverence for the natural world isn't simply about conservation or gardening. It is a way of understanding our place in the world—and a practice of connection, responsibility, hope, and belonging.
In the video below, we invite you to meet Erin and hear, in her own words, about her work, her connection to The Red Shoes, and the spiritual path that has grown from her love for the earth.
Erin's perspective offers a compelling question: What if caring for the earth could also be a way of caring for ourselves? Rewilding gives us a tangible place to begin. Planting something native. Welcoming butterflies and birds back into our yards. Paying attention to the changing seasons. Creating habitat where there was once only lawn. Learning the names of the plants, insects, and creatures with whom we share this place. These may seem like small acts, but small acts of restoration can become practices of hope.
On October 20, during this engaging and reflective evening, Erin will introduce the practical side of rewilding with native plants and explore how they support the unique ecology of South Louisiana. But we'll also go deeper—considering how becoming more rooted in place can cultivate joy, belonging, purpose, and a renewed relationship with the natural world.
You don't need to be an experienced gardener. You don't need acres of land or a perfectly planned landscape. You simply need curiosity and a willingness to begin where you are, with what you have.
And the next time you visit The Red Shoes, take a moment before you come inside. Notice the garden. Look closely at what's growing, buzzing, fluttering, and changing. It might just be showing us something about what becomes possible when we choose to live with greater reverence for the earth—and for our own place within it.
We hope you join us!
Tuesday, October 20
5:30–7:00 PM
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