I take a lot of pictures throughout the year and not all of them make it into a blog post. At the end of the calendar year, it’s a good time to reflect on the beauty of nature as well as share some of the extra pictures. I believe that each day is an opportunity to find and appreciate something beautiful in the native plants and creatures of Georgia.
In January, we had a bit of cold weather and the seedheads on the native Clematis virginiana in my yard turned into exquisite ice sculptures. February was strangely quiet for me plant-wise, but I found this photo that I snapped in or near the elevator at Kennestone Hospital. My best friend had fallen and broken her ankle and arm; I was there to visit. I found this natural treatment (it looks just like you'd stepped into a Piedmont woodland) quite soothing and thought what a good idea it was to do this in an otherwise stressful environment.
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| Clematis virginiana |
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| Fake window at hospital |
Seeing a favorite flower return is always special. In March, my twinleaf (Jeffersonia diphylla) bloomed and delighted me just as much as the first time it did. [Honestly, I'm always glad the moles/voles missed it.] This spray of parsley hawthorn (Crataegus marshallii) flowers was just perfect at my friend's house in April.
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| Twinleaf |
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| Parsley hawthorn |
We were in Europe in May and I snapped several dozen photos of wild common daisy (Bellis perennis); it is their most beautiful "weed" and I hope they appreciate how adaptable it is (it looks great in lawns there and loves masonry cracks). Come June, I was admiring the Great Laurel (Rhododendron maximum) blooming in my side yard. I didn't know then it would be our last spring together.
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| Common daisy, Amsterdam |
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| Rhododendron maximum |
July was a glorious bloom event for my devil's walking stick (
Aralia spinosa). It had between 14 and 18 flowers this year. August is always a time to appreciate the Joe Pye Weed (
Eutrochium fistulosum). Those flowers are much beloved by Eastern tiger swallowtails and bumble bees; I always use it for the
Pollinator Census counting to illustrate how attractive native plants are for pollinators.
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| Aralia spinosa |
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| Eutrochium fistulosum |
By September I was getting ready to put our house on the market. As I worked in the yard, I was excited to see the
Florida fern caterpillar (Callopistria floridensis). Speaking of Florida, we take more trips to Florida now to visit our granddaughter and in October I begged my husband to stop on the side of the road to admire the late-blooming
Helianthus (no worries, he always says yes).
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| Fern caterpillar |
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| Helianthus angustifolius |
As I was walking around the yard with the new owner of our house in November, we found something I had not seen before: a Joro spider laying eggs in the curve of a deciduous leaf (Hydrangea barbara). And finally in December, we stopped by Fort Yargo State Park (just 15 minutes from our new house) for an exploratory visit. I look forward to visiting it and other nearby natural areas in 2026!
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| Another 100 spiders? |
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| Fort Yargo State Park |
Wishing you a good year in 2026 and more native plants and critters in your daily life.
Thank you for another year on your posts, Ellen. They are always inspiring and always bring me memories of my own garden six years ago AND my tiny native garden today. A pair of bluebirds showed up today, urging me to put up the mealworm feeder, and checking out their nesting box I cleaned last fall in preparation for this day. I’m so grateful that our dear friend is sowing seeds and gardening again. Happy New Year.
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