Deer Again

As I get to know our new space, I am using this winter to think about how I want to deal with deer this time. As I wrote earlier, getting to know your new place before jumping into changes is a good idea, and planning for deer will hopefully save me from sacrificing new plant decisions to their salad bowl.

I have written about dealing with deer before; my most recent post was in 2023 and it gives some plant suggestions. It also links back to an earlier post in 2011. I will certainly apply all that I’ve learned into my choices.

Those of us who live with deer get understandably frustrated, and some people wonder how native plants should be part of our landscaping decisions when deer are present. Since deer evolved here with native plants, are they more prone to eat them? Would exotic plants be more resistant to their browsing? It helps to realize that ornamental landscapes – the plants that we scatter around our homes – are artificial constructs compared to the natural world.

If we were to walk in this area even just 300 years ago, we’d see plants growing in colonies, or mixing with others, with some populations growing in vast abundance; some areas might be dense like a thicket. I imagine that nibbling would not have been as noticeable and plants would likely be able sustain such damage. In addition, predators would likely have pruned the deer population in turn or driven them to new areas. 

Nowhere was there a small woman wringing her hands over the damage to that one shrub next to her front door. We’re always going to notice damage to our carefully constructed landscapes.

In my original post in 2011, I talked about learning what they like and don’t like, considering placement of plants, and using fences and deterrents to protect plants. We do know that they will browse on both native and non-native plants (know anyone with hostas or blue hydrangeas – both non-native and quite popular with deer), so don’t bother using exotics in the hope that the deer will ignore them.

The solution for me will be a combination of smart plant choices and some deterrence (there will always be things that I want – like native azaleas and oakleaf hydrangea – that need protection). At my old house we had a fence around some of the backyard (because we had a pool), so I am considering some partial fencing around the house, leaving the rest open to nature (and smart plant choices).

Deer rub – destructive autumn behavior by male deer – is another hazard that affects any kind of sapling. Young trees and large shrubs can suffer serious damage; I've had some snapped in half while others were only scraped and able to recover. To protect saplings, install cages around the trunk.

Wish me luck and I'll report back in a year or so.

November 2025 Moment in Nature

Plants can have beauty in all seasons and the formation of seeds in the fall is one of my favorite phases. After a cold night earlier this week, several plants got the hint that the growing season is done. 

This cluster of seedheads belongs to Brickellia cordifolia, a late summer perennial. I love the colors and the structure of the seedheads and the scattered collection of fallen tree leaves below provides a nice echo of the colors.

As winter approaches, keep a look out for special moments of the season: changing colors, interesting seeds, frost-encrusted plant parts, and other aspects (like bark) that we may not notice in the fullness of the growing seasons. Find your #momentinnature and savor the ever-changing landscape before you.

What Have We Got Here?

Exploring a new space is exciting. I wrote earlier about tackling our new space in Jackson County and I detailed some of the invasive plants that I'll be dealing with. Since it is fall, my inventory of native plants has focused on the trees and shrubs, and I've found a good mix of good Piedmont species.

The photo above is a collage of some of the interesting bark on our plants. Top row, left to right: Hophornbeam (Ostraya virginiana); Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana); Hickory (Carya tomentosa); American beech (Fagus grandifolia). Bottom row, left to right: Black cherry (Prunus serotina); Musclewood (Carpinus caroliniana); Red oak (Quercus rubra); Rusty black-haw (Viburnum rufidulum).

The property sits below the street and resides on a long, gentle slope towards a creek that feeds into Mulberry River. On our side of the creek is a wide floodplain which certainly influences the plant species that call this area home. Here is what I've found so far:

Vines: Bignonia capreolata (Crossvine), Hydrangea barbara (Climbing hydrangea), Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia Creeper), Vitis rotundifolia (Muscadine), Matelea (Milkvine), Toxicodendron radicans (Poison ivy), Nephroia carolina (Carolina snailseed).

Trees: We have a variety of oaks based on sight and acorns/leaves on ground (Quercus alba, Quercus nigra, Quercus rubra, Quercus falcata, Quercus velutina). One of the most abundant trees is Hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana) and that is true for the wider area; I see these everywhere while driving around. Also present are American beech (Fagus grandifolia), Red maple (Acer rubrum), Black cherry (Prunus serotina), Musclewood (Carpinus caroliniana), Silverbell (Halesia), Redbud (Cercis canadensis), Flowering dogwood (Benthamidia florida), Mockernut hickory (Carya tomentosa, perhaps other species), Black walnut (Juglans nigra), Southern hackberry (Celtis laevigata), Boxelder (Acer negundo), Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis), and American holly (Ilex opaca). And of course,  Tulip-tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) and Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda). And one Japanese maple (Acer palmatum), obviously planted and not native. :)

Shrubs: Buckeye (likely Aesculus sylvatica), Dwarf pawpaw (Asimina parviflora), Rusty black-haw (Viburnum rufidulum), American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana), and Hearts a bustin’ (Euonymus americanus).

Perennials: Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides), Ebony spleenwort (Asplenium platyneuron), Wild comfrey (Andersonglossum virginianum), Partridgeberry (Mitchella repens), various sedges (Carex), Obedient plant (Physostegia virginiana) – this was likely planted by the owner/neighbors, Yellow crownbeard (Verbesina occidentalis) – I mentioned this one in an earlier post, Woodoats (Chasmanthium sessiliflorum), Heartleaf ginger (Hexastylis arifolia), Rivercane (Arundinaria), and in the lawn we have Carolina ponyfoot (Dichondra carolinensis) and something called perennial greenhead sedge (Cyperus brevifolius).

Fruits of Rusty black-haw viburnum

There is deer pressure here - it is evident in the nipped foliage, the piles of scat, and frankly in the paucity of plants at ground level (the heartleaf ginger only sports one leaf when I find it). Luckily I am familiar with deer and will be applying what I know to what I do here.

October 2025 Moment in Nature

It has been a delight to discover that our new property has a population of common walkingsticks, an herbivore insect that has been uncommon for me to find. I never saw one at our previous house.

Juvenile walkingstick

I first found a large male but we have since seen several juveniles, including this two-inch one that I found this week. According to this link, "Females drop eggs singly on to the forest floor. Eggs overwinter in leaf litter [and] hatch in the spring. Nymphs become adults during the summer and fall." All the more reason to gently rake my leaves this fall.

Adult male walkingstick

The adults feed on the foliage of deciduous plants, including oaks (which we have in abundance, including white oak which they apparently prefer). The juveniles also feed on foliage, but it can be different plants, including black cherry (Prunus serotina) which we also have.

Get out there and discover your #momentinnature. Nature is diverse and amazing when we look around.

Tackling a New Space

 

Hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana)

I am enjoying our new place and take delight in discovering what is here. Hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana) is one of the most abundant trees here; it's something that I never had at my old place. 

I already have some ideas about what to add to this woodland property, but I'm careful not to move too fast before I properly understand what I have and what is possible.

Now that I am the one with a new space, I’m trying hard to follow the advice that I give to others in this situation. Here are the guidelines I’m trying to follow:

• Remove fruiting invasive plants as quickly as you can. For me, that means weed-whacking and pulling out all the stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum) before it has a chance to flower and set seed. Since the property slopes to a creek, I am starting upslope first and working my way down towards the creek (although I first whacked one good path to the creek so I could explore more).
• Take an inventory of what you have. I find that pulling the weeds by hand helps me slow down and be more observant and I do that a lot. I also use my battery-powered weed whacker to tackle large areas of stiltgrass in particular.
• Determine your sun and moisture levels, particularly identifying extremes like standing wet areas, excessively dry areas, deep shade, and harsh afternoon sun spaces. Observe the light from morning to night and know that it may change a little from summer to winter because the length of the day changes.
• Identify your pest conditions. For example we have deer here and I’m carefully testing out some pots of perennials to see how much deer pressure we might have so that I can avoid planting too much deer candy (or at least make efforts to protect them).
• Take time to get to know your new space. We arrived here in August so some things may be dormant. I do know from visiting it in early July that we have a whole lot of wild comfrey (Andersonglossum virginianum) and now some of the dried stalks are still visible.

The edge of the driveway shows how much I have cleared plus the faint path
to the creek

Invasive plants identified include (in order of magnitude): Stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum), Mahonia bealei, Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense), Beefsteak plant (Perilla frustescens), Wintercreeper (Euonymus fortunei), English ivy (Helix hedera), Periwinkle (Vinca major), and one each of Nandina domestica and Autumn fern (Dryopteris erythrosora).

The area that I've cleared has rich soil and huge earthworms. It's a very rocky slope to the creek with surprisingly few ferns. I've seen frogs, toads, crickets, and one single small snake - its bright red-orange underside indicates it is a red-bellied snake. I think we have a great place here and I'm excited about working on it.

Small red-bellied snake

September 2025 Moment in Nature

Yellow crownbeard (Verbesina occidentalis) is having a moment! Since my last post in August we have moved to Jackson County, and I've been eagerly studying the roadsides to see what my new plant community is like. Yellow crownbeard, also called Southern crownbeard, is a perennial native found on roadsides and in moist areas where it can make huge colonies.  

In addition to this perennial, there is blooming goldenrod (Solidago altissima) and golden camphorweed (Heterotheca subaxillaris) so I'm seeing yellow, yellow, yellow!

More blogs to come as I get to know our new property and explore the natural areas around us. I'm already finding some familiar things while I work on removing invasive plants like Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum) and Mahonia bealei. I'll also have some observations of the Jorō spider since I am now living in what is considered ground zero for its arrival in Georgia.

Be sure to get out there and find your #momentinnature.

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.