2024 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. In January I found this lichen at a rest stop in Georgia where many of the trees were struggling (lichen is able to grow when woody plants are not growing robustly). It was a beautiful specimen.

We usually get some of our first blooms in early February. Both of these plants - climbing fetterbush (Pieris phillyreifolia) and Eastern leatherwood (Dirca palustris) - are native more south of me in Georgia but I love having them.

 

Pieris phillyreifolia

Leatherwood (Dirca palustris)

I've been rescuing plants with the Georgia Native Plant Society for many years and it is always fun to see unusual things; in late March, one site had an active Canadian goose nest right next to where we walked. We also found some beautiful hybrid buckeyes (Aesculus pavia x sylvatica).

April brought another nest, this one is a Carolina wren nest tucked into a group of unused quart pots. As far as I know, they all successfully fledged. This year was a great year for finding frogs (see my July #momentinnature for spring peepers) and in May this green tree frog was nestled into an Iris leaf blade next to the swimming pool.

The non-native hydrangeas get a lot of attention, but the sweetness of our native blossoms is not to be ignored. This one in June was a perfect mix of fertile (inner) and sterile (outer) flowers.

Hydrangea radiata

In July, I found a new-to-me species of mountain mint in the most unexpected of places! This is Savanna mountain mint (Pycnanthemum flexuosum) and it is planted at the assisted living facility where my father-in-law lives. Each tiny flower is almost hidden by the long calyx. A good close-up photo can be found here. It is a Coastal Plain species.

Pycnanthemum flexuosum

Hymenocallis occidentalis

One of my seedling spiderlilies (Hymenocallis occidentalis) bloomed this year in August; the original parent was rescued many years ago in my county. This one is right next to the sidewalk and provided a spectacular display for over a week.

In September I was leading a hike on Stone Mountain when the group found this double-toothed prominent caterpillar on a native elm (Ulmus). It was my first time to see this species.

Our visit to Japan in October found a few of our native plants like this scarlet hibiscus (Hibiscus coccineus) being used in ornamental gardens. My post in October had a few more details.

Hibiscus in Japan garden

This has been a significant year for deer damage and one morning in November my husband spotted this buck sleeping next to our front steps. One of my resolutions will be to do more to protect my plants from browsing so that I can enjoy more blooms and the pollinators have more nectar and pollen. Oh dear, looking back at last year's pictures, I see a similar one was in the same place.

As I mentioned in my December #momentinnature post, this year has been a little unusual for fall foliage. This red maple (Acer rubrum) - and it is a cultivar but I don't know which one - in downtown Athens, GA was full of colorful leaves in mid-December! Red maples are normally one of the earliest native trees to color and drop their foliage. It was a treat to see it.

Wishing you a good year in 2025 and more native plants and critters in your daily life.

Your Pocket of Ecosystem

Georgia is a state rich in botanical species and overall biodiversity (plants, birds, insects). It helps that the state is large in size, but our state also has a variety of rivers, streams, landforms, and soil fertility. These all help to contribute to the presence of so many different plant species. This variety of plant species in turn contributes to the diversity of birds and insects that we have, and they all live together in our local ecosystem.

Sourwood in the mountains but natural at my house too

Each of us that have responsibility for a bit of land – from 1/10 of an acre to hundreds of acres – care for a piece of Georgia’s ecosystem. What we do with it matters. A key part of knowing what to do with your pocket of ecosystem is to know what’s in it.

When houses are built, a portion of the land is cleared, construction is completed, and landscaping is installed around the house. If we’re fortunate – or if we deliberately choose a property that wasn’t completed scraped – then a bit of land is left and some of the existing plants remain. It is up to us to recognize and identify them, keep the good ones (sometimes there are invasive plants), and appreciate them for the value they bring to the ecosystem, including the tiniest of things (which might support specialist insects).

Pipsissewa (Chimaphila maculata) is tiny and easily overlooked

Each fall brings a reminder of this practice when certain plants turn lovely colors, heralding their continued presence: sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum) is a medium tree; highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) is a large shrub; and Florida maple (Acer floridanum) is a small tree. All of these plants are native and natural to my area and I can spy them in many of my neighbors’ landscapes too. Yet, as common as they are to my area, these are hard to find for sale and it would not be easy replace them if I hadn’t known to keep them.

One of the Vaccinium corymbosum in my yard naturally

This week I spotted 4 gorgeous highbush blueberries in the wooded area behind me where new houses were recently built, all decked out in beautiful fall foliage. One of them is probably over 30 years old, with a trunk thicker than my wrist. Once their leaves fall, most people would not recognize them for being anything other than a plant that is in the way of plans to remake the woods to human desires.

Also in my neighbors’ yards are invasive plants: privet (Ligustrum, two kinds), prickly Mahonia bealei, burning bush (Euonymus alatus), thorny and autumn olive (Elaeagnus, two kinds), English ivy (Hedera helix), ornamental pear (Pyrus calleryana), Nandina, Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), and stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum). You can imagine being unsure of what to keep and what to remove.

My fear is that people “clean out” their wild areas, inadvertently removing worthy plants and sometimes keeping the invaders. In cleared out areas, the invasive plants are often faster to recolonize, outcompeting any natives that might try to come back.

We have the tools now to help us identify these plants: books, apps, websites, identification groups on Facebook and Reddit, and local Master Gardeners. I written several times about using apps and the internet as well as some basic guidelines. Here are links to two of those posts:

Plant Id using Smartphones and Internet

Let Leaf Arrangement Lead the Way

Natural woodlands can have lots of great plants

Before you throw something good away, please first try to identify your plants. Then you can decide what to keep, what to remove, and know what you already have so you can add more diversity if you want.

December 2024 Moment in Nature

This has been a strange fall season. The dryness of September gave way to heavy rains at the end of the month, continued warm weather, and then another month of dryness in October. I've seen numerous reports of repeat blooming - triggered by the dry/wet cycle, I think - and the fall color has been late and prolonged for some plants.

I have been particularly charmed by some of the parking lot red maples (Acer rubrum) holding onto fall color even well into December. 

In my own yard, the native highbush blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum) have been really colorful and also quite long-lasting. Even as I write this, I can see several plants from my windows, glowing in the afternoon light. 

These plants are not just #amomentinnature for today, they are moments for several weeks this year!

Highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum)

Gift Ideas for the Nature Curious

 

It’s that time of year when we all start looking for gift ideas for friends and family. Giving unique and thoughtful gifts is often the goal (don’t we all have enough sweaters?). The pandemic encouraged a lot of folks to get outside, perhaps for hiking or working in the garden. You might consider nurturing that interest with gifts inspired by nature.

The usual categories that I would suggest include books, tools, plants/seeds (even starts from your own garden), gift certificates, donations in their honor to conservation groups (like the Georgia Native Plant Society and many others), and an annual Parks pass.

More personal ideas include a gift certificate for your own services: "A Day of Weeding," "A Day of Plant Design and Shopping with Me," or "Some of My Favorite Perennials to be Transplanted (to your yard) in Spring." This idea is especially good for friends who are older or need help in the garden. 

Fallen and pressed native leaves (like these red maples below) can be glued to a blank card for an outdoorsy-feel to your gift card (leaves can be soaked before pressing if they are crumpled). Another homemade leaf project can be found here if you're feeling really crafty.

I have written about gift ideas before. Here are 3 of my previous posts with more ideas:

Nature-Inspired Gift Ideas

The Gift of Gardening

Gift Ideas for Naturalists of All Ages

Nurture the curious, they are the future

Remember: 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. 

The Flowers of Fall

 

Leaf color has been rather late in my area this year but this last week has been full of gorgeous examples, even if they are not pleasingly grouped together for a postcard-perfect display.

Parsley hawthorn (Crataegus marshallii)

I actually look forward to fall foliage just as much as I look forward to spring flowers and I hope others appreciate what deciduous leaves do right before they fall. The plants put a lot of effort into growing those leaves! 

Florida maple with red oak foliage behind

Red maple 

 

Blackjack oak (Quercus marilandica)

Native plants can have spectacular fall foliage, helping you to create a landscape of 3-season natural beauty while still growing the plants that support your local ecosystem. Now is a great time to plant in trees and shrubs in Georgia so if you need some ideas, here are some of my previous blogs:

Scarlet oak (Quercus coccinea)

Dependable Fall Color which includes the following reminder: “Remember – a bit of green makes the colors pop so be sure to mix in a few evergreens like pines to complement your red, orange and yellow foliage.”

Bring it Home: Fall Color which has a link to The Fall Color Compliation

Fall Color: The Shrub Edition (good for smaller landscapes)

Oakleaf hydrangea

Pawpaw

Highbush blueberry

And a surprise - bloodroot!

Feel free to get just excited about the fall gifts as you do the spring ones - they are the flowers of the fall!