top of page
All Blog Posts


Restore Habitat to Hear the Sweet Song of the Hermit Thrush
Every habitat element in my pocket wildlife sanctuary contributes to a more biodiverse ecosystem. Hermit thrushes for example rarely...
ljmarkson
Jan 7, 20243 min read


Be Part of the Habitat Warrior Community!
A year ago, I overcame a lifelong fear of public speaking so I could expand my efforts to help nature. My daughter the graphic designer...
ljmarkson
Jan 2, 20244 min read


Nature Focused Gift Ideas
Finding gifts for the habitat restoring warrior, wildlife obsessed backyard naturalist, or gardening nature lover in your life can be...
ljmarkson
Dec 11, 20238 min read


Be an Advocate for Nature By Sharing What You Know
I try to go out of my comfort zone and share information in online neighborhood groups where the focus is rarely on creating a wildlife...
ljmarkson
Oct 24, 20235 min read


Nature Loving Strangers are Kindred Spirits
I was recently looking through my lengthy list of ongoing blog ideas and catchy titles for articles yet to be written and came across...
ljmarkson
Oct 9, 20234 min read


The Future Needs More Violets and Fewer Lawns
I stopped to chat with an elderly neighbor who had just finished weeding her hosta beds. She showed me healthy violet patches growing in...
ljmarkson
Sep 23, 20234 min read


A Day Focused on Restoring Biodiversity in our Own Greenspaces
At the recent Georgia Audubon’s cleverly named Georgia Grows Native for Birds Round Robin: Transforming Your Greenspace, they partnered...
ljmarkson
Sep 11, 20233 min read


New Fall Habitat Yard Workshops in Atlanta!
By rewilding my urban Atlanta yard I'm hoping to restore nature in some small way where I live. So far, I’ve been focused on sharing my...
ljmarkson
Sep 4, 20235 min read


Ways to Add Water for Wildlife to Your Yard
I didn’t always have over a dozen water sources in my intown (Morningside) Atlanta yard. Back in 2019 when I went through the process to...
ljmarkson
Jul 30, 20237 min read


Fire the Pest Control Company and Hire Nature
We once bought into the idea that we needed a pest control service to spray the perimeter of our home so palmetto bugs (a nice Southern...
ljmarkson
Jul 9, 20233 min read


18 Edible Herb Flowers to Grow for People and Pollinators
I help take care of the two herb beds at my community garden with a goal make it more sustainable. When I took this on a couple years ago...
ljmarkson
Jun 30, 20237 min read


Native Pasture Thistle Drama
Last fall a thoughtful friend who somehow remembered my ongoing plant wish list brought me a native pasture/field thistle (Cirsium...
ljmarkson
Jun 18, 20234 min read


25 Dry Shade Tolerant Native Plants for a Southern Habitat Yard
Back in February I wrote about how having a section of sewer pipe replaced offered me an opportunity to replant a section of my rewilded...
ljmarkson
Jun 8, 20238 min read


Connecting Grey Treefrogs and Pokeweed to Sustainable Landscaping
A new game I like to play is drilling down on how even the smallest observation in my rewilded yard can connect back to the importance of...
ljmarkson
May 19, 20233 min read


Native Plants as Edging Plants
In the spring I’m often outside adding, moving, editing, and potting up plants until it’s so dark outside that I can’t see my hands. I’m...
ljmarkson
Apr 28, 20233 min read


Local Earth Day Activism Needs to be Every Day
The magical Earth Day event at Zonolite Park organized by hosts Steph Johnson and Josh Wayne raised awareness about protecting the...
ljmarkson
Apr 25, 20233 min read


Our Actions Have Amplified Cowbird's Impact
At the end of February, the when the red-winged blackbirds migrate North, their raucous noise is replaced by the gurgling murmur of a...
ljmarkson
Mar 18, 20232 min read


The Native Carolina Cherry Laurel Controversy
I recently watched a small flock of hungry cedar waxwings eat what berries (drupes) previous birds missed on my now blooming Carolina...
ljmarkson
Mar 14, 20234 min read


Children Care Deeply About Protecting Nature - Let's Nurture This
We pulled into our driveway from an outing and there was a mother with her 7-or 8-year-old daughter at our front door. The little girl...
ljmarkson
Mar 5, 20233 min read


Yard Restoration and the Battle to Remove Invasive and Non-native Plants
I often go outside to work in my yard with a plan of action yet end up doing something completely different. Recently, my idea was to...
ljmarkson
Feb 18, 20233 min read
bottom of page