Wintry weather happens. When we're prepared, it's nice to have a seasonal sprinkling to remind us what winter is all about. So far, that seems to be what's happened this time, similar to what happened last January.
Now, all this is really just a collection of tiny ice pellets, but it looks like snow and makes for a very seasonal #momentinnature. This particular photo is from my porch and is as close as I want to get because all paths to get closer are sheets of ice. Be safe out there!
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 |
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| Aralia spinosa |
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| Eutrochium fistulosum |
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| Fern caterpillar |
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| Helianthus angustifolius |
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| Another 100 spiders? |
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| Fort Yargo State Park |
We all love flowers in the growing season, but there is beauty to be found in the dormant season. As I was walking through my woods, I spied this flower-like structure. It is the spent seed pod for tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera), an important native tree of both new and old forests.
It seemed like a wooden flower, and its tan color fit in well with the other shades of brown around it. Everything in this picture is in a state of decay, and their fading parts will nourish the forest for another year or more. This area has very rich soil and earthworms are abundant. The previous owner told me that he always blew the leaves into these woods; 30 years of decay has brought richness.
Enjoy and appreciate the dormant season. It has a role to play as well. And look for your #momentinnature.
The environment is under more stress than ever – both from
natural causes and human-inflicted wounds. The choices that each of us make –
millions of us! – can make a difference and we can apply that to choosing
gifts. I’ve written about holiday gifts before and
you can read those posts here for more ideas. But funding for many environmental
causes is at risk or diminished. A choice to support them can make an impact.
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| Clematis at Black's Bluff Preserve (The Nature Conservancy property) |
This year I’d like to suggest that putting our money where our mouth is would be a great way to make our gifts count. Of course these recommendations should be considered in light of the recipient, but you’d be surprised how many people are tired of gifts that only satisfy the moment. This is especially true for older folks who often say “Give me something I can consume or use up.”
Gift ideas include donations in honor of someone. “Hey Nana,
I donated to The Nature Conservancy
in your honor and in celebration of all the hiking we loved to do. They’ll help
preserve more wild spaces for future hikers.” Or “I got my love of nature from
you and I want to help you support environmental issues so I donated to the Southern Environmental Law Center in your
honor.”
Give them a membership in a like-minded organization. “Dad,
I know you love native plants so I’ve gifted you a membership in the Georgia Native Plant
Society. They are championing native plants and their habitats right here
in Georgia plus this way we can attend some rescues together.” “The Georgia Botanical Society is an active
organization that supports learning about native plants and has a great annual
journal; I got you a membership for 2026 so you can get to know them.”
Give them a plant or gift certificate to a native
plant nursery and then plan a time when you can plant it with them. For
some people, just the offer of help in the garden is a very meaningful gift. “Let’s
go in March and get something for that shady spot you’ve had trouble with. I’ve
got some ideas.”
Or inspire a budding naturalist with a subscription to PBS “So you can
watch all the nature shows you want!” Or donate to GPB (Georgia Public Broadcasting) to support media without bias (NPR).
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We don’t have to stress ourselves to find just the right tchotchkes. Give the gift of nature and hope by sharing your love of the natural world. No tariffs, no plastic, and all the money goes towards good things. By the way, many of these suggestions can be executed even at the last minute by using their websites. Print the confirmation and slip it into a card or send via email.
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.
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.
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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).
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| Fruits of Rusty black-haw viburnum |
