“I still don’t understand,” she said, scanning the five acres in front of us. “I get hummingbirds all the time near the house. Why not out here yet?” It was a fair question. Her traditional garden beds, tucked close to the house, buzzed with life. But the prairie reconstruction — now in its early years — felt quieter by comparison. Not empty. Just… young. “And the meadowlarks,” she continued. “They’re known to nest within five miles. You’d think at least one would check this place out.”