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.
