Rhonda Fleming Hayes is the author of Pollinator Friendly Gardening: Gardening for Bees, Butterflies, and Other Pollinators and an award- winning writer and photographer applying her passion to all things plant-related. Combining  a lifetime of gardening experience with wit and solid research-based advice, her stories can be found in the Minnesota Star Tribune, Northern Gardener, and Mpls/StPaul Magazine. She has also been published in Southern Living, Midwest Living, Savannah Magazine, and numerous online sites. She's a popular speaker for garden clubs and other groups with presentations covering pollinators, butterfly gardening, native plants, and the art of kitchen gardening, to name a few. Rhonda is a native Californian with Southern roots living in Minnesota. Nowadays she and her husband spend winters in New Orleans, where she delights in growing her own lemons. She has also lived and gardened in Tennessee, Kansas (twice), Illinois (twice), Iowa, and even England. Regardless of location, she has learned to bloom where she's planted. 

Rhonda gardens in Minneapolis in an urban neighborhood surrounded by woods and water. The abundant plot is home to many bees, butterflies, birds, and beneficial insects. She loves to share the fruits (and veggies) of her garden with friends, family, and wildlife. She has volunteered as an Extension Master Gardener since 2000. She is a member of GardenComm, the Minnesota State Horticultural Society, the Herb Society of America, and is a past trustee of the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.