Native Butterfly & Moth Host Plants

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Connecting the Dots: Southern Pink Moths, Native Lyreleaf Sage, and Pesticides

ljmarkson

Sep 35 min read

Connecting the Dots: Southern Pink Moths, Native Lyreleaf Sage, and Pesticides

When we create a safe and welcoming wildlife habitat, we are also supporting the natural cycles and systems we may not even be aware...

Native Partridge Pea and Invasive Chamberbitter Look Similar yet are Worlds Apart

ljmarkson

Jul 234 min read

Ecological landscaping

Native Partridge Pea and Invasive Chamberbitter Look Similar yet are Worlds Apart

(and how to tell the difference...) Partridge Pea is native to most of the Eastern half of the United States and supports habitat in a...

Native Evening Primrose as a Habitat Support Plant

ljmarkson

Jul 146 min read

Native Plants

Native Evening Primrose as a Habitat Support Plant

In an ecologically focused landscape, common evening primrose (Oenothera biennis) is an example of a native plant that offers habitat...

25 Dry Shade Tolerant Native Plants for a Southern Habitat Yard

ljmarkson

Jun 8, 20238 min read

Native Plants

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...

The Value of Edible Native Plants in Public Spaces

ljmarkson

Mar 20, 20235 min read

Local Conservation and Education

The Value of Edible Native Plants in Public Spaces

The woodland restoration efforts at Zonolite Park can be summed up in four words - remove invasives, plant natives. Many native edibles...

The Native Carolina Cherry Laurel Controversy

ljmarkson

Mar 14, 20234 min read

Native Plants

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

Feb 2, 20232 min read

Native Flowering Vines

Native Crossvine is a Habitat Plant

I thought crossvine (Bignonia capreolata) was indestructible. It climbs by tendrils then attaches to trees with even more with roots to...

Counting Pollinators and Making Connections at Pollinator Picnics

ljmarkson

Aug 28, 20221 min read

Local Conservation and Education

Counting Pollinators and Making Connections at Pollinator Picnics

On August 20 people of all ages counted pollinators and helped highlight the importance of native plants as a host, habitat and nectar...

Intown Atlanta GNPS Pollinator Picnics are Family Friendly!

ljmarkson

Aug 13, 20224 min read

Local Conservation and Education

Intown Atlanta GNPS Pollinator Picnics are Family Friendly!

This year the Intown Atlanta Georgia Native Plant Society is making it easy for Atlanta families to participate in the Great Georgia...

20 Easy Shade-Tolerant Native Southern Groundcovers

ljmarkson

Apr 20, 20229 min read

Groundcover

20 Easy Shade-Tolerant Native Southern Groundcovers

Finding native groundcovers for shady areas seems to be one of the most common scenarios in Atlanta where we still have more tree canopy...

Native Plant Habitat Tour Offers Insights for Backyard Habitat Restoration

ljmarkson

Apr 7, 20223 min read

Landscaping for Nature

Native Plant Habitat Tour Offers Insights for Backyard Habitat Restoration

Bill and Carol Pardue's yard, one of the six properties at the first GNPS Intown Atlanta Native Plant Habitat Tour. is proof that a small...

Atlanta Area Spring 2022 Native Plant Sales and Nurseries

ljmarkson

Mar 16, 20226 min read

Native Plant Sales

Atlanta Area Spring 2022 Native Plant Sales and Nurseries

Spring native plant buying season is here! It’s exciting to see most of the native plant sales and nurseries are once again in person...

Native Plants to Winter Sow for Summer Blooms This Year

ljmarkson

Jan 23, 20227 min read

Native Flowers

Native Plants to Winter Sow for Summer Blooms This Year

I thought I was done winter sowing in the first week of January when I planted 100 different native plant seeds and put the trays outside...

ljmarkson

Oct 13, 20213 min read

Native Flowering Vines

Rehoming Gulf Fritillary Caterpillars

Last year I posted about not being the only nature lover I know who moves gulf fritillary caterpillars from native passionflower vines...

Native Georgia Aster is a Rare Southern Belle

ljmarkson

Oct 6, 20214 min read

Native Butterfly & Moth Host Plants

Native Georgia Aster is a Rare Southern Belle

October is aster time so I’m starting off my list of ten October native plants with the stunning Georgia aster (symphyotrichum...

Don't Overlook Bidens Alba as an Essential Georgia Native Pollinator Plant

ljmarkson

Sep 30, 20213 min read

Native Butterfly & Moth Host Plants

Don't Overlook Bidens Alba as an Essential Georgia Native Pollinator Plant

The idea to profile 30 native plants growing in my yard in September may have been a bit too ambitious. The more realistic number is 10...

Enjoy Native Spotted Beebalm's Whimsical Complexity

ljmarkson

Sep 23, 20212 min read

Native Butterfly & Moth Host Plants

Enjoy Native Spotted Beebalm's Whimsical Complexity

My September blooming native plant #9 is spotted beebalm or horsemint (monarda punctata), a fragrant herb in the mint family with a...

White Turtlehead Spreads Slowly But Steadily

ljmarkson

Sep 22, 20213 min read

Native Butterfly & Moth Host Plants

White Turtlehead Spreads Slowly But Steadily

My Georgia native plant pick #8 for September is called white turtlehead (chelone glabra) although I haven’t ever seen white flowers...

Native Aquatic Milkweed Is a Pretty and Petite Monarch Host Plant for Damp Areas

ljmarkson

Sep 17, 20212 min read

Native Butterfly & Moth Host Plants

Native Aquatic Milkweed Is a Pretty and Petite Monarch Host Plant for Damp Areas

My September native plant pick #5 is white swamp milkweed or aquatic milkweed (asclepias perennis), one of many native milkweeds in...

Atlanta Area Fall 2021 Native Plant Sales and Nurseries

ljmarkson

Sep 15, 20217 min read

Native Plant Sales

Atlanta Area Fall 2021 Native Plant Sales and Nurseries

Even though September is Georgia Grows Native for Birds month, I try not to plant until October. Fall plant sales have me itching to add...

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