2023 in Pictures

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.

Red-shouldered hawk

We have at least two species of hawks in the area and in January I was able to get a good look at this red-shouldered one in our backyard. This photo also represents the change we've seen here: construction in the neighborhood behind us finally reached our boundary and we now have this big white house in our view. I wish they had at least painted it brown! 

The tiny flowers of American hazelnut (Corylus americana) bloomed in February. I rescued this plant several years ago in Dawson County. This shows the red female flower and the male catkin.

Corylus americana

I was able to capture another special flower in March. Florida maple (Acer floridanum) is found throughout my neighborhood (and my yard) but this one near the front of the neighborhood is the biggest and gets enough sun to flower. Strangely, this is the first year I have managed to catch it in bloom! 

Acer floridanum flowers

I spotted this tiny moth in April on my equally small butterweed (Packera glabella) flowers. This is the Southern longhorn moth, Adela caeruleella. There are so many tiny things to notice in the native garden! 

Southern longhorn moth

Vaccinium arboreum

 

In May, I stopped by Nearly Native Nursery in Fayetteville after speaking to a garden club in the area. This sparkleberry (Vaccinium arboreum) in their garden was at peak bloom. This shrub needs to be better used; the foliage is gorgeous and the birds feast on the tiny fruit in late fall.

Malaxis unifolia

Ipomoea pes-caprae

I was leading a plant rescue in June when I found this green adder's mouth orchid (Malaxis unifolia); it is not a rare orchid but it seems uncommon (perhaps because it is so small that it gets overlooked). 

In July we went to visit my mom in Florida and I found a new-to-me morning glory with a bunch of common names: Goat-foot Morning Glory (which matches the translation of the Latin name, Ipomoea pes-caprae), Bayhops, and Beach Morning Glory. This species is also found in south Georgia.

Ostrya virginiana

Juglans sp.

A hike in August found a population of Eastern hop-hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana) with spectacular displays of fruit. You can see why people thought it looks like hops. On a road that I travel every week, the lush cover of walnut foliage caught my attention in September. This picture doesn't quite capture the magic, but I had to stop and try.

Aster (front) and Turtlehead (back)

Deer in front

It was a good year in the garden for the turtlehead (Chelone glabra) inside my fence. It bloomed for weeks and was still looking good when this aster (Symphyotrichum puniceum) started blooming. Both of them love the damp conditions in this low spot. 

In November, I spotted this buck sitting on my lawn outside my front windows. He had gotten up by the time I got back with my camera.

I was cleaning seeds from calico aster (Symphyotrichum lateriflorum) for our chapter's December seed swap when I was struck by how much the empty seedheads look like flowers themselves. I made an impromptu bouquet of them.

Symphyotrichum lateriflorum seedheads

Wishing you a good year in 2024 and more native plants and critters in your daily life. This year's numeral photo was hand drawn at my request by our grandson Max who is 5 1/2 now.

A Few of My Favorite Things

“What’s your favorite blog post that you did?” is actually a question I get fairly often. At almost 700 entries and 13 years in, it can be hard to remember them all, much less pick a favorite. Yet, I tried this month to pick some of the ones that I feel turned out pretty well or that I particularly enjoyed doing. Browse through them as you wait out the winter (and for this song to get out of your head).

The order in which I list these does not imply that the first is my favorite, but I was pretty happy with the post that included the Landscape pyramid – a visual for considering the magnitude of different plant categories. There are a number of posts that feature an assist from my husband with a graphic design that helps to illustrate my point and this was probably the first one.

Cues of Care – this is a post inspired by an article that I read by a wonderful Georgia conservation champion and I wanted to amplify and preserve the concept.

Cottage Garden – I helped with a friend’s project and created suggestions for others that want this look.

The Pollinator Gardening series is a collection of 3: post one, post two (with downloadable plant charts), and post three). As you can imagine, I put a lot into this 3-part series.

I Can’t Believe It’s Not the Native – this post highlights confusing similar plants that are exotic, featuring another great graphic by James.

Plants for Native Bees (plus this one) features a chart by James that is a counter to a graphic circulating on social media about plants for bees (their chart had mostly non-native plants to support honey bees).

Native Fruits – for those looking to have native fruit-bearing plants (at 45K views, this is my most-viewed post of all time, in case you wondered) plus a follow up post in 2023.

Native Plants in Containers – I like to encourage people with small yards to use native plants in containers.

Easing Into Using Native Plants – I try to include plenty of beginner topics to make the concept less intimidating; this is a post with ideas for getting starting with native plants in the landscape.

And the seasonally appropriate Christmas in Dixie.

I'm sure I forgot some really great ones; I've enjoyed hearing from some of you over the years when a particular post really spoke to you. If I ever do a compilation in book form, it's going to be really hard to choose just a few.

There are definitely some categories of blog entries over the years. I have done many individual plant profiles (like my very first one about mapleleaf viburnum) but there are also some plant groups (like evergreens). I have also done categories like these listed below (these links go to search results, read more about searching this blog here):

Native plants and birds

Native plants and pollinators

Native plants and fall color

Native Shrubs

Georgia State Parks

Book reviews

Posts on identification like winter twigs and leaves and how vines work (just to name a few)

Special Plants, Special Places

Landscape Spotlight

Gift Ideas for Naturalists

Appreciating Native Plants on Roadsides

Failure to Thrive

As we approach winter – a time of cold, short days with dormant plants – this is certainly a gloomy topic. Still it is one that needs to be explored and understood, especially for those just starting to use native plants. Using native plants is not a panacea for the garden: they don’t magically thrive when we plop them into the ground.

I have learned from some of what has happened to me and share that in the hopes that you might have better expectations and ideas of how to get more success out of your efforts. 

In my experience there are 3 main categories of plant failure: critters, suboptimal growing conditions, and lack of follow up. To help mitigate the first two issues, monitoring your new plants can rectify some mistakes.

Critter Defense

Squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, moles, voles, and deer don’t magically leave native plants alone. On the flip side of that statement, they also don’t automatically gravitate towards native plants either. Their behavior is strictly driven by how they live: looking for food, living their life, trying to get the fuzz off their new antlers … don’t take it personally. Your best defense is a good offense!

Strategies for protecting our plants include:

• Physical deterrents to tunneling critters like sharp rocks in the planting holes. I like to use an expanded slate product call Permatill. Place a handful (or more) at the base of each planting hole for perennials and bulbs to protect the roots. Other small rocks like pea gravel may also work. I lost six native lilies over the last two years because of voles.
• When planting perennials that might be disturbed by squirrels, I stick a utility flag through the rootball (careful if this is a bulb!) for a few weeks/months to help anchor the plant against light disturbance. Seeing the flag when I’m outside also helps remind me to check on it.
• Physical deterrents to browsing include fencing (the only reliable defense against antler rubs on small trees) and smelly sprays and granules. I use Liquid Fence, but there are many products out there.
• Fences and electric wire are more expensive options for deer (but do not protect against small critters).

 

You can buy blank flags in many colors to help mark plants

Smart Planting

Gardeners are obligated to do the work of determining where new plants should be placed. Mother Nature drops seeds and beguiles critters and birds into helping to disperse her bounty. If seeds end up in ideal conditions, they grow and thrive; if they land in poor conditions then they die. Gardeners take grown plants and place them into chosen spots. If we pick the wrong spot, our plants will not thrive. You must do your homework for native plants just as we would have done for any exotic plant.

•  Light and Moisture - I explain in detail how to evaluate the light and moisture in your yard in this post. Match the plant to your conditions. Consider moving plants when conditions change (a tree falls down and brings more sun or trees fill out and cause more shade).
• Regionally Appropriate - choose plants that you know are native to your area whether it is the Piedmont region or the Coastal Plain or the Mountain eco-systems. These plants evolved with the insects in your area and, in the case of butterflies in search of larval hosts, will likely support what’s flying around. For example, gardeners in the Piedmont aren’t expecting to have the deep south-based Palamedes swallowtail butterfly visit so would not plan to include red bay (Persea borbonia) as one of their host plants.

Monitoring New Plants

Gardeners are obligated to care for newly installed plants: water them, put them back after the squirrel dug them up looking for an acorn, and evaluate how they are growing. Here are some care tips:

• Follow up – plants grown in nursery conditions with perfect soil, plentiful water, and nutrients need help adapting to their new home whether they are native or not. Sticking them in the ground and thinking that they’ll instantly adapt because they are native may lead to failure. You should monitor any newly installed plants for a full year (more in the beginning, less towards the end); did you get the light and moisture right?
• Water them as needed in the absence of natural rain. If you have sprinklers, make sure they are in the spray zone.
• Address damage from critters or humans (did a delivery truck run over your new perennial bed?).
• Move them if appropriate.
• Replant them if they were dug up.
• Cage or spray them if they are being eaten. Cage them if there is antler damage on woody saplings; take heart, rubbing is not always a fatal injury.

Understand that growing takes time! This article talks about the sleep, creep, and leap phases of plant growth. While the article focuses on perennials, this absolutely applies to woody plants as well.

December 2023 Moment in Nature

The last of the leaves are poignant reminders of what we used to have as we transition into a stark and bare landscape. As I looked out into the woods this week, I noticed that a few of my highbush blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum) were still sporting these gorgeous red leaves against a backdrop of bare twigs and an acre of fallen foliage.

This bright vignette is my #momentinnature for this month but one that comes my way every fall if I'll look for it.

Note: These gorgeous native shrubs rival any imported plant for beauty and provide way more support to the local ecosystem because of insect herbivores. According to research, native blueberries support 288 different species of moths and butterflies in their life cycle.  

Gift Ideas for the Naturalists of All Ages

 

It can be hard to think of new gift ideas – gifts that are relevant, don’t collect dust, and have zero calories. For gardeners, that can mean plants, tools, gloves, books, new swag, and even gifts of service (one of my favorite ideas). I have posted ideas before so feel free to check out those posts from 2021 and from 2022. Many of those ideas are still relevant.

I’m going to group this year’s ideas into categories by recipient: young people, those new to native plants, experienced gardeners, and nature enthusiasts who don’t have a garden of their own.

Young people should be encouraged to explore and appreciate the natural world from an early age. Start them out with children’s books that celebrate native plants and what they mean to the insects we’re seeing in the garden. I reviewed Grandma Lisa’s book earlier; that post has links to other ones too. 

You might also buy them early tools like gloves, brooms, rakes, magnifying glasses, and this cool pocket telescope. I’ve included links but some of these things are easily found locally (Target, Lowes, Walmart, even dollar stores).

If they’ve already started gardening, there are dozens of fun yard signs (even customizable) on craft sites like Etsy so they can incorporate cues of care into their design. I almost got lost looking at all the choices but here are one, two, three, and four ideas. You might also share a favorite hardy plant from your yard.

For the older child (10-14), I love the adapted version of Nature’s Best Hope. It is easy to read and feels like you’re having a kid-level chat with Doug Tallamy. It is quite affordable – pair it with some seed packets, or a gift certificate to a native plant nursery.

New to gardening people (or new to native plant gardening) have so much to learn and you can be a great mentor to them. Share some of your favorite plant extras or copies of your favorite books; recommendations are so useful to newbies. Other gift ideas include memberships to useful organizations (like a gift membership to Georgia Native Plant Society) and Georgia State Parks.

A gift certificate to a native plant nursery along with a list of some favorite perennials, shrubs, or trees would be nice; you might even offer to go along with them and help pick out their choices. Other ideas include tools (my favorite shovel), extra gloves, or even your favorite watering nozzle.

Experienced people will always want more plants! Share plants or seeds with them or get a gift certificate to a native plant nursery. Make it more fun by scheduling a day to go together and pair it with coffee or lunch. Older gardeners might appreciate some help planting or weeding. I love the idea of creating coupons for “one free afternoon of weeding” or “general garden help.”

Personalized sign from a friend

Other ideas for the experienced gardener include yard art, pollinator signage (so easy to personalize by searching on Etsy and other craft sites), t-shirts (from GNPS and other places like here and here), favorite tools, gloves, and decorative pots.

People without a garden still appreciate naturalist-themed gifts that help them stay connected to the great outdoors. Ideas include books (and more of my reviews can be found here), memberships to organizations and groups, donations in their name to conservation causes, shirts (see links from previous section), and invitations to go walking/hiking together in a natural area. Botanical artwork and notecards (see favorite Georgia artist Linda Fraser’s work here) make beautiful gifts; get a set of these notecards for yourself.

I hope you find some ideas for your friends here. Note: if you order something custom and it won’t arrive in time, print a picture of it and wrap it up for the gift giving occasion. Don’t let timing get in the way of a great idea.