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All Blog Posts
ljmarkson
Dec 25, 20243 min read
American Mistletoe Supports Nature Throughout the Year
The abundant mistletoe growing around my Atlanta neighborhood is most likely American mistletoe (Phoradendron leucarpum). A friend told...
ljmarkson
Dec 8, 20248 min read
Nature Doesn't Create Trash
When we moved to our home 20 years ago our yard looked like all the other yards in my upscale neighborhood centered by a lawn and...
ljmarkson
Oct 13, 20249 min read
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...
ljmarkson
Sep 30, 20245 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
Sep 3, 20245 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...
ljmarkson
Jul 23, 20244 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
Jul 14, 20246 min read
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...
ljmarkson
Jun 23, 20246 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 10, 20241 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 21, 20246 min read
Native Plants are Not Yard Ornaments
The transition from ornamental gardening (plants as ornaments) to ecological gardening (native plants as a functional part of an...
ljmarkson
Mar 30, 20248 min read
Make Your Yard a Safe Hummingbird Habitat!
Like everyone else who eagerly anticipates their arrival, I’m checking out my yard every day looking for my first “hummer” of the...
ljmarkson
Mar 19, 20243 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
Jan 7, 20243 min read
Restore Habitat to Hear the Sweet Song of the Hermit Thrush
Every habitat element in my pocket wildlife sanctuary contributes to a more biodiverse ecosystem. Hermit thrushes for example rarely...
ljmarkson
Nov 21, 20233 min read
Attend a Native Plant Seed Swap!
Native plants are a cornerstone of creating a habitat-friendly, sustainable yard for wildlife. They offer food, shelter, coverage,...
ljmarkson
Oct 9, 20234 min read
Nature Loving Strangers are Kindred Spirits
I was recently looking through my lengthy list of ongoing blog ideas and catchy titles for articles yet to be written and came across...
ljmarkson
Sep 23, 20234 min read
The Future Needs More Violets and Fewer Lawns
I stopped to chat with an elderly neighbor who had just finished weeding her hosta beds. She showed me healthy violet patches growing in...
ljmarkson
Sep 11, 20233 min read
A Day Focused on Restoring Biodiversity in our Own Greenspaces
At the recent Georgia Audubon’s cleverly named Georgia Grows Native for Birds Round Robin: Transforming Your Greenspace, they partnered...
ljmarkson
Jul 2, 20234 min read
Container Gardening for Biodiversity and Habitat
Using native plants in container gardens is a low maintenance and sustainable way to add biodiversity and create habitat in small spaces...
ljmarkson
Jun 18, 20234 min read
Native Pasture Thistle Drama
Last fall a thoughtful friend who somehow remembered my ongoing plant wish list brought me a native pasture/field thistle (Cirsium...
ljmarkson
Jun 8, 20238 min read
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...
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