ljmarkson
My Moth Week Miracle
There seems to be a special place in all secular and religious belief systems for the idea that things happen for a reason. A few days...
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All Blog Posts
ljmarkson
Jun 29, 20214 min
Pollinators Can't Resist Native Mountain Mint Flowers!
Clustered or short-toothed mountain mint (pycnanthemum muticum) is by far the most popular plant in my yard right now. All day long it is...
ljmarkson
Jun 20, 20214 min
Be Greedy About Supporting Wildlife in Your Yard!
OR How to optimize the habitat value of your yard. In his book Nature’s Best Hope Doug Tallamy explains how “greedy” he is when it...
ljmarkson
Jun 11, 20216 min
Coexisting With Snakes In Your Atlanta Yard
Despite making my yard welcoming for wildlife, I still can't control what happens outside the safety of my sanctuary. The long list of...
ljmarkson
May 9, 20213 min
Why I'm a Fan of Common Native Plants
The traditional gardening world often fetishizes exotic and rare plants. The latest trends trickle down to homeowners. Big box and...
ljmarkson
Apr 26, 20213 min
Add a Mini Nature Center to Your Wildlife Habitat Yard
OR How I created the Homestead Nature Center with a little help from my family As restorative as my naturescaped yard is for the...
ljmarkson
Apr 17, 20214 min
Nurturing Nature in the Herb Garden
If we consider every inch of our yard as potential wildlife habitat, we need to rethink how we can maximize what the herb garden offers....
ljmarkson
Apr 2, 20213 min
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
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
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
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
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
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
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...
ljmarkson
Feb 23, 20216 min
There's a Certification (or Sign) For Every Kind of Eco-Friendly Yard
Whether you consider your yard a pollinator habitat, native plant habitat, wildlife sanctuary, wildlife habitat, green landscape, native...
ljmarkson
Feb 17, 20213 min
Reasons to Certify Your Rewilded Yard
In the summer when everything is at their peak countless people walking by smile and warmly thank me for my magical and exuberant yard...
ljmarkson
Feb 11, 20213 min
The Prime Directive and the Owlet Looper Caterpillar Dilemma
OR Coexisting with nature is as complex as trying to follow Star Trek’s Prime Directive. In anticipation of the first hard freeze back at...
ljmarkson
Feb 5, 20213 min
Native Wild Strawberry Fields Forever
On the interactive National Wildlife Federation site you can punch in your zip code and learn the top butterfly and moth host plants in...
ljmarkson
Feb 1, 20213 min
Replace Non-native Shrubs With High Impact Native Shrubs
Rewilding a semi-urban yard to create an eco-friendly sanctuary is more emotional than I anticipated. Almost a year and a half ago after...
ljmarkson
Jan 27, 20212 min
In My Yard Hellebores are Pernicious Weeds!
OR Why I Anticipate HELLebores Will Eventually Earn a Spot on Georgia’s Exotic Invasive Species List Predicting which non-native plants...
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