Ten-year-old Lanie loves science and nature, but she has a problem: she's an "outside" girl with an "inside" family. She longs get out and go camping, but they all want to stay home. It wouldn't be so bad if her best friend was around, but she's halfway around the world, living out their dream of studying wildlife. Lanie feels she never gets to have any adventures-anywhere. But when her favorite aunt comes to stay, Lanie discovers that the wonders of nature are everywhere-even in her own backyard.

Ten-year-old Lanie's wildflower garden is thriving and attracting butterflies to her Cambridge, Massachusetts, backyard, but a neighbor not only objects to her growing "weeds," she also uses harmful chemicals on her own plants.