Meet Leslie Miller

Leslie Ann Miller was born and raised in Stillwater, Oklahoma, where she still resides. The daughter of two zoology professors, she spent summers trekking from one wildlife refuge to another. She grew up watching birds, handling snakes and saving turtles from certain death on the surrounding small roads and highways.

The passion for gardening occurred later in life, and rather unexpectedly. As a child, she did not share her grandmother's enthusiasm for planting flowers, and as a teenager she recalls a summer spent in England wishing her parents would take her to castles instead of “famous” gardens. But eventually as an adult the gardening bug stuck. Leslie’s initial efforts were with flowers in pots but over time that progressed to flowers in beds. Learning about gardening came in bits and pieces, but mostly through trial and much error.

Living on 3.5 acres in a rural neighborhood Leslie is slowly transforming her yard; removing red cedars and introducing plants that benefit local wildlife. She shares her property with a variety of wildlife including birds, butterflies, deer, fox, rabbits, raccoons, possums, skunks, armadillos, gophers, moles, lizards, tree frogs, snakes, and toads. As you might expect, that can get to be a crowded community. While Leslie tries to get along with all of them, other members of the community sometimes act naturally and prefer to eat each other. Yikes!

Gardening combines many of Leslie's interests, wildlife, xeriscaping, native plants, gardening with disabilities, photography, and writing. Leslie serves on the Board of the Payne County Audubon Society, and she is a Payne County Master Gardener. Leslie is an editor for Fire Protection Publications – her day-job – where she writes and edits training materials for firefighters.