ljmarkson
Reframing Cues to Care for a Rewilded Yard
A service person recently showed up for a non-essential task that would involve a significant disruption to my rewilded yard. He put his...
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All Blog Posts
ljmarkson
Sep 305 min read
Supporting Wildlife Habitat Where we Live is Not a New Idea
When decluttering a closet recently, I found a time capsule in the form of a garden journal I made in the early 90s. The last entry was...
ljmarkson
Aug 224 min read
Nurture Native Nature Fall 2024 Events!
We still have plenty of hot days ahead, but all the hummingbird action and our tired rewilded yards are telling us summer is winding...
ljmarkson
Jul 234 min read
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...
ljmarkson
Feb 223 min read
Fig Ivy Doesn't Belong in a Habitat Yard!
(Or How Every Yard is an Opportunity to Restore Habitat) When we moved to Atlanta 20 years ago, we thought the fig ivy growing on our 75...
ljmarkson
Feb 83 min read
A Habitat Yard Workshop Offers Actionable Change
Last fall I hosted three free habitat yard workshops. My goal was to share actionable ways create a more ecologically sustainably...
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
Apr 7, 20223 min read
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...
ljmarkson
Feb 20, 20222 min read
Winter Sowing Native Liatris Spicata for a Mini Nature Center
My friend Rita from Botany Yards generously gave me native plant seeds to put in my mini-nature center. I wondered how to ensure success...
ljmarkson
Jan 11, 20222 min read
If Nature Was Predictable, It Wouldn't Be So Fascinating
My tiny, semi-urban, rewilded yard surprises me. Every. Single. Day. This past Sunday it was deathly quiet in both the front and...
ljmarkson
Dec 17, 20214 min read
The Future is Dependent on Connecting Children to Nature Every Day
"Today’s children, growing up on lawns and pavements, will not even have nostalgia to guide them, and soon the animals will be not only...
ljmarkson
Nov 3, 20213 min read
Reclaiming My Leaves and Restoring Nature
My advocacy for nature puts me outside my conflict comfort zone. I find myself consistently protecting my rewilded yard from neighboring...
ljmarkson
Sep 19, 20212 min read
White Snakeroot - a Dangerously Pretty Native Plant!
Native plant pick #6 for September is white snakeroot (ageratina altissima - previously eupatorium rugosum). The name comes from Native...
ljmarkson
Apr 2, 20213 min read
Add Purple-Hued Spring Native Plants to Your Naturescape
Getting people to slow down and appreciate the often nuanced and diminutive delightfulness of native plant flowers, particularly in...
ljmarkson
Mar 26, 20214 min read
Dear Neighbor: Your Mosquito Control is Environmentally Hostile
Spring in Atlanta means the return of the war on insects. If I combined everyone in my area into one person, this is the snarky letter...
ljmarkson
Mar 22, 20212 min read
You Can Only Have a Native Violet Bouquet if You Grow It
Non-native roses are widely admired. Native violet’s value is underestimated. But if you grow violets in your yard. Nature will be...
ljmarkson
Mar 16, 20213 min read
We Can Teach Our Children How to Interact with Nature One Squirrel, Earthworm and Ladybug at a Time
OR Teaching Our Children How to Appreciate Nature Using the Peter Parker Principle. I was in earshot of hearing a neighbor’s young child...
ljmarkson
Mar 11, 20213 min read
Squirrels: Ambassadors for Coexisting with Nature in Our Yards
Our house is our human nest but once we step outside, we share space with wildlife. Just because we’ve destroyed habitats to build our...
ljmarkson
Mar 7, 20213 min read
The Daffodil Dilemma in My Wildlife Sanctuary
In early spring my yard becomes a carpet of naturalized daffodils thanks to the hundreds of bulbs I strategically planted years ago. So...
ljmarkson
Mar 1, 20214 min read
Clean Bird Feeders = Healthy Birds
I don’t want to be the reason a bird gets sick or even dies so I’m diligent about keeping my bird feeders clean. A dirty feeder can host...
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