ljmarkson
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...
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All Blog Posts
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
Aug 175 min read
Gardening with Nature at the Garden Club
This week I spoke to my first ladies garden club. I was a bit worried about how receptive they would be to my presentation called...
ljmarkson
Jun 236 min read
Why Dyed Mulch is Ecologically Problematic
It’s not your imagination that dyed mulch is covering your neighborhood. It's been around for 60 years, but the dyed mulch market has...
ljmarkson
May 101 min read
Free Atlanta Event Alert for June 1 - Essential Habitat Elements in a Rewilded Yard Hosted by North Metro GNPS
I’m honored and excited to have the North Metro Atlanta Georgia Native Plant Society host me on Saturday, June 1 from 10:30-12:30 to...
ljmarkson
Apr 82 min read
Event Alert for Saturday April 13! Your Yard is Nature's Best Hope: 10 Ways to Help Pollinators and Birds with Leslie Inman and Vicki Mann
If you live in Atlanta set aside THIS Saturday, April 13 from 11:00am-1:00pm for a Free eye-opening presentation at Lost Corner Nature...
ljmarkson
Mar 193 min read
Nurture Native Nature - Spring Habitat Yard Events!
I'm sharing spring events Nurture Native Nature is hosting or cohosting in the next few months in Atlanta. At some point I need to figure...
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 18, 20232 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
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
Jan 30, 20232 min read
Influencers Focus on the Positive to Help Protect Nature
January is a great month for reflection and learning. This past weekend I pushed my attention span a bit and spent a looong but...
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
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 30, 20227 min read
Why and How to Coexist With Carpenter Bees, Our Pollinating Superstars
The responses to a recent post on a neighborhood forum about carpenter bees was horrifying. One person gleefully suggested torturing the...
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 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 12, 20223 min read
Why My Family Doesn't Bring Me Flowers Anymore
My family shows how much they love me by not giving me cut flowers. They know I don’t want flowers covered in pesticides that are grown...
ljmarkson
Jan 9, 20225 min read
Red-Winged Blackbirds are Special
Years ago, when I had a lawn with a sad, lonely bird feeder in the middle of it, I would senselessly chase away flocks of Red-winged...
ljmarkson
Dec 26, 20214 min read
A December Butterfly Brings Hope
In the middle of the brown landscape of winter a flash or orange and silver movement caught my eye. It startled me and when I looked a...
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