August 2025 Moment in Nature

A break in the awful early summer heat allowed me to do a bit of work in the garden this week. I noticed that my Rome hawthorn was looking a bit ragged and decided to prune it up; as I was making a few early cuts, I heard a light buzzing and realized that paper wasps were making a nest in the bare branches.

I was delighted to see these wasps doing their thing "in the wild" (normally we see them attached to our structures like windows and eaves). I have left them alone except to visit occasionally to see how the construction is going. It's been interesting to see the different colors of the paper as they chew on different materials.

You can read more about these native pollinators in a book published by Heather Holm in 2021. I reviewed that book in an earlier post.

These #momentinnature posts are meant to inspire others to take time to appreciate the little things around us. In addition to the pollination services they provide, wasps also help with pest management as they prey on other insects for their offspring.

It’s Been a Journey

 

We’re moving! After 22 years – the very heart of my native plant journey – we are downsizing and moving to a smaller house (but not a smaller yard). This may be our third house, but the landscape will be familiar because we’ll still be in the Piedmont ecoregion.

A photo from 2008 when my friend Sheri made a planter
out of native perennials for my turn on the GNPS garden tour

Of course I’ll take some plants, as I did 22 years ago. I still have things in pots so they’ll find their forever home there instead of here. I will also pot up a few of my favorite perennials and hope they don’t mind being uprooted during this very hot time. So far I've dug up over 60 baby ferns out of the lawn (the new place has very few ferns so these will be a good starter set). [To the person who might buy this place, plenty more will come back; fern spores seem to do well in our lightly-maintained lawn.]

I hope I have ferns in the lawn at the new place too

The trees and shrubs that I’ve planted over the years will remain: bigleaf magnolias that shade the swimming pool; thick and lush mountain laurel at the front of the house; fragrant native azaleas; graceful snowbells; tasty blueberries and pawpaws; thorny hawthorns; red and bottlebrush buckeyes; and that amazing devil’s walking stick.

It’s been a journey here, and while I’m done in Cherokee County, it’s a journey that I will happily continue in Jackson County. During the transition I may not have time to post on the blog every week – something I’ve done weekly since late 2010 – but I’ll post when I can. 

If you’re looking for a house in the woods (2 acres!) with native plants, the listing for this property should be available in early to mid-September. Here is what it looked like in 2016, but of course some things have changed. If you are looking for native plant friendly homes in Florida & Georgia, there is a Facebook group for that.

July 2025 Moment in Nature

A thriving plant, blooming its head(s) off, is this month's #momentinnature because it just makes me smile every time I see it! This is devil's walkingstick (Aralia spinosa).

This shows about 4 of the flowers

I wrote about this exact plant in 2014 when it bloomed for the first time. Shortly thereafter it broke in a thunderstorm. Thunderstorms have broken branches 1-2 more times since then, but each time the remaining branches got stronger and now I have 15-18 of these giant flowers.

The photo below more accurately reflects the pale cream color of the blooms. The tiny individual florets are opening and equally tiny insects are visiting it. It will eventually bring in even larger butterflies and in general be a joy to watch from the deck where I have a birds-eye view.

Aralia spinosa as viewed from the deck above it.

Not many people are willing to have this thorny plant in their landscape. Most often you see it on the side of road where it is free to be as thorny as it wants. But I enjoy having it and will definitely take a sprout of it whenever I move.

This photo from 2020 shows 3 butterflies enjoying it

Feel Good Stories

 

As you drive around, you probably see what many of us see: new construction sites showing Georgia red clay where trees once stood, new plantings of ornamental exotic plants, and prolific stands of invasive plants choking our roadsides. It can be depressing and so I offer a selection of fairly recent stories to help spotlight some good in this area.

Remember that we can also do our part to help improve the plant landscape in Georgia: educate your friends and neighbors; talk to your community (HOA, city, county, schools, churches, garden clubs) about the benefits of native plants and the harm of invasive ones; at all levels, vote for people who support conservation of land and environmental protections; and donate to organizations that educate about these issues, fight for these issues, and that help to conserve habitat.

Okefenokee view: saw palmetto and longleaf pines

In Georgia, Okefenokee land purchase: “Thanks to the incredible work of The Conservation Fund, the site of a proposed mine on the doorstep of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is permanently protected. The Conservation Fund announced the purchase of Twin Pines Minerals’ mine site near the border of the refuge. In addition to the land, the group is also acquiring the underlying mineral rights.” Read the linked article for background and details on why this is such a great achievement. Donations to land conservation organizations make achievements like this possible.

In North Carolina, there is a new promotion effort by the NC Department of Agriculture for native plants. It is part of the support for the NC Native Plants Act. They created point of sale kits that contain a four-foot banner, a yard sign with support, and 50 North Carolina Native Plant plastic plant labels with logo and area for plant name.

Point of sale kit (Photo from link above)

In Alabama, a popular native plant influencer got national recognition for his work. “Kyle Lybarger built a loyal following online by talking about native plants and why biodiversity matters.” The article shares the story of what changed him and some of the other ways he has been able to make a difference, including land conservation.

In Virginia, invasive plants will get the label they deserve. “Gov. Glenn Youngkin has signed a bill to require many invasive plant species to be labeled in stores. […] The law will go into effect in 2027.” Gardeners deserve to know what they’re getting into: “The list of plants included in the legislation does not include every invasive species found in Virginia. It does include 39 of the worst offenders and species that can be commonly found in stores like English ivy, Bradford pear trees and periwinkle. Oftentimes, gardeners purchase these plants without knowing the damage they cause to the environment as a whole or the extent of their impact on their property and neighborhood.”

And in West Virginia, there is hopeful news about cleaning waterways polluted by years of coal mining. “Mine reclamation has also historically been more focused on land: moving mountains back into place after surface mining or filling in hollowed-out spaces underground to prevent collapse. Water and biodiversity concerns often went unaddressed, even though acidic runoff can corrode pipes and threaten drinking water for many residents of rural West Virginia who rely on backyard wells.” In addition, some of the efforts allow them to extract some rare earth minerals that can be reused.

Should I Water My Native Garden?

 

Yes! – how much and how often depends on circumstances (read on for what you should consider). Here we are – just barely into summer – and brutal temps are already upon us. Frankly, it feels like most of spring was summer, but that’s another topic. 

As we hide indoors, sipping on cool drinks and running the fans, how are our plants faring and should we do anything for them (after all, they are native plants, right?).

Should we water them? Let’s explore some of several reasons why that answer should be “Yes.”

1.       Are they newly planted? I’ll extend that definition to something you planted this year and within the last 12 months. Plants that grew in pots, tenderly watered until you bought them, may not have had time to establish extensive enough roots to withstand temperatures like 96 degrees. Mulching helps but if they are drooping or crisping up, they need water.

2.       Gardens are man-made constructs and plants don’t always have the support system they might have in the wild – mycorrhizal and fungal networks that help roots function more efficiently – so recognize that our gardens might still need human assistance during hard times.

3.       Plants in pots dry out faster than plants in the ground.

4.       Patterns of rain don’t always reach plants in areas near structures. Evaluate if your foundation area plants are getting enough water even when we get afternoon thunderstorms.

 

This is an afternoon picture; this jewelweed usually perks up by morning.

When to check? Check any time of day, but know that they absolutely need water if they are droopy in the morning. Plants can recover overnight so if they are wilted in the morning then they don’t have enough resources to recover. To ensure that visibly stressed plants get water, I take the time to hand water them rather than chance that the spray from the hose or sprinkler gets there.

When to water? Most people know that watering in the heat of the day is not productive. The water evaporates too quickly and you’ll have a false sense of how much the plants got. Watering in the morning is ideal when soil might be a little softer and able to soak it in; watering in the evening is second best and there is some risk of causing fungal issues due to overnight damp foliage (but if that is the only time you can do it, then just be aware of that and go ahead and water).

And while you’re watering your plants, consider leaving out sources of water for birds and other critters. I recently put my hummingbird feeder back up and was happy to see one young female taking long and refreshing sips at it. Refresh these every other day if you can (I read that sugar water spoils quickly in temperatures over 90 degrees and the spoiled syrup can be harmful).

 

Eastern Monarchs – Two Paths through Georgia

Monarchs continue to be an iconic butterfly, and their large size and bright colors make them a favorite of children and nature lovers. The message of planting milkweed for their survival is still so strong that seasonal plant sales almost can’t stock enough of it. Those of us who give pollinator presentations try hard to convince people that a bunch of other native butterflies also need their host plants.

Spring migration monarch 

Fall migration monarch

Last year I represented the Georgia Native Plant Society in a collaboration with Monarchs Across Georgia and the State Botanical Garden of Georgia to update a brochure about using milkweed in Georgia. The goal was to make the brochure easier to use for average gardeners, ensure that it represented all of Georgia’s native species, and to give caution about milkweeds that we should avoid in Georgia. We also added more text about the support that adult monarch butterflies need: 

“A good rule of thumb is that, for every milkweed, you should provide 8-10 nectar plants. Excellent choices for early spring (April-May) include several native species of coreopsis, phlox, salvia, bluestar and butterweed. Plants producing nectar in September and October are critical to fueling the monarchs’ migration to Mexico! These include native asters, goldenrods, ironweeds, bonesets and blue mistflowers.”

If you haven’t seen the brochure or you’d like a digital copy for yourself, you can find it on the GNPS website as part of the Society’s educational resources.

I recently found a single tiny monarch caterpillar on my poke milkweed (Asclepias exaltata); actually I was showing the milkweed to a visitor and she noticed the caterpillar first. I’m sure that the adult must have laid other eggs – there was evidence of light nibbling on foliage – but this was the only one left.

Source

Georgia is fortunate to be a part of both the spring and fall migrations of Eastern monarchs. This map by The Xerces Society illustrates that my area (metro Atlanta) supports the butterflies that come up from Mexico but you’ll notice there is also a Coastal path in Georgia from the presumed Florida resident population (a path that is still being confirmed – report your sightings to help with documenting this population).

We don't have to grow this but we should leave it for them

We’ve got to continue to get the message out about providing nectar plants for butterflies (a message that benefits more than just monarchs) as well as conserving natural habitat and roadside flowers (yes, those huge stands of goldenrod are supporting them!). We’ve also got to get the message out that pesticide use (I’m looking at you, mosquito sprayers) is contributing to the decline of pollinators, including butterflies.

One of the best things we can do in addition to our yard, is to educate others. From the Xerces link: “Help other people learn about monarchs and how they can get involved! Talk to your friends, neighbors, and online communities. Every little bit of awareness and habitat helps, and for monarchs to really recover, they will need a lot of us to pitch in.”

June 2025 Moment in Nature

A few moments of extra special this week: an owlet appeared in the driveway out of the blue. This Barred Owl is familiar in this area - we hear the adults calling often and the neighborhood's abundance of large trees in woodland areas is perfect for them.

We spent several hours observing it. It changed its location once so it seems as if it wasn't hurt. A thunderstorm came through while it was next to a bench so my husband rigged up an umbrella. After the rain, it got active again and ran through the puddles to another area. About that time, one of the parents appeared in a tall pine overlooking the driveway and we took that as a hopeful sign.

Barred owl in location #2 by the bench 

Later in the day, I tried to guide it with a stick back to the woods and it fell down, revealing a bloody wound under the wing. It was too late to take him to a care facility so we put it in a box with a mesh top for overnight safety but he didn't live through the night. This was quite the sad #momentinnature for June.