ljmarkson
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...
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All Blog Posts
ljmarkson
Mar 23, 202311 min read
Organizations are Not People - A Cautionary Tale
I’m sharing the following lengthy and raw personal journey post in the context of helping others who want to help repair our natural...
ljmarkson
Mar 20, 20235 min read
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...
ljmarkson
Mar 14, 20234 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
Feb 5, 20236 min read
S**t Happens - and Opens up Possibilities!
One of the main lessons in my daily guided meditation is how our suffering comes from not being able to align our inner expectations with...
ljmarkson
Feb 2, 20232 min read
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...
ljmarkson
Nov 30, 20225 min read
Reclaim Nature and Add Habitat with a Brush Pile
I’ve tried to maximize the edge areas of my small, semi-urban, rewilded yard by tucking away a few brush piles behind shrubs and trees to...
ljmarkson
Nov 22, 20224 min read
Grow a Native Buckeye Tree from Seed
Several of the multiple buckeye species that grow in North America are native to Georgia. Bottlebrush buckeye is native to Alabama,...
ljmarkson
Nov 18, 20223 min read
To Save Insects and Birds the Future is Now
It turned out to be a great idea for the Intown Atlanta Chapter of the Georgia native Plant Society to squeeze one more event into this...
ljmarkson
Nov 9, 20222 min read
Add Coreopsis Integrifolia to the Home Landscape
There are over two dozen coreopsis varieties in North American on BONAP and twenty grow in Georgia. Coreopsis integrifolia also known as...
ljmarkson
Sep 7, 20226 min read
Intown Atlanta GNPS Native Plant Swap & Share FAQ
I'm helping organize the Intown Atlanta GNPS Native Plants Swap & Share as part of the Annual Meeting. Since this is the first time we're...
ljmarkson
Aug 28, 20221 min read
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...
ljmarkson
Aug 13, 20224 min read
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...
ljmarkson
Aug 7, 20227 min read
FAQ for Intown Atlanta GNPS Pollinator Picnics
What is the Great Georgia Pollinator Census Count? The Great Georgia Pollinator Census count (GGPC) is a citizen science project...
ljmarkson
Jul 19, 20226 min read
Strategies for Identifying Agastache Species and Other Native Plants
I don’t usually get fussy or wonky about different native plant species but when I learned the range for the most common hyssop called...
ljmarkson
Jun 28, 20224 min read
Building a More Vibrant Intown Atlanta Native Plant Community
On a hot June Sunday afternoon a varied group of around 50 or so people interested in native plants came together for a panel discussion...
ljmarkson
Jun 22, 20223 min read
Fernbank Forest - An Example of Protecting Nature for Future Generations
I had no expectation when my friend Leslie of Pollinator Friendly Yards asked me if I wanted to meet her for a 2-hour guided walk in the...
ljmarkson
May 21, 20226 min read
How To Prevent Children From Having Nature Blindness
For most of my childhood I lived with my grandparents. Long before edible landscapes became fashionable, a large chunk of my...
ljmarkson
May 15, 20229 min read
Why We Need to Support Local Native Plant Retail Nurseries
Recently, I drove over an hour in traffic each way to visit North Georgia Native Plant Nursery to buy two one-gallon native mountain...
ljmarkson
Apr 20, 20229 min read
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...
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