They’re Back! Monarchs Return to Georgia

 

Monarchs are now passing through Georgia as part of the fall migration. They don’t just pass through – females may lay eggs here to create another generation, likely the generation that will overwinter. Keep an eye on your milkweed to see if caterpillars show up! Monarch caterpillars are milkweed specialists and the female will only use milkweed for her eggs. Need help figuring out native milkweeds? Here's a good resource for Georgia residents.

Monarch resting on milkweed leaf

The adults passing through also need abundant sources of nectar to fuel their trip. Having summer and early fall flowers in your garden will help them (as well as other pollinators). Milkweed flowers are not required for adult Monarch butterflies as they are generalist when it comes to nectar sources; milkweed flowers are appreciated and pollinated by other insects such as bees and wasps. If you need ideas for fall flowering plants in North Georgia, check out my previous blog here.

American bumblebee on Echinacea

Rudbeckia fulgida and bee

I found two Monarch butterflies this week at my community garden in Hoschton. It is a garden specifically created to attract and support butterflies and is located on a vacant lot owned by the city. Volunteers and the city helped create the planting area and residents adopted plots. We were encouraged to plant native milkweed and native flowering plants. This effort was modeled after a similar garden in a nearby neighborhood that has spurred residents to create beautiful plots.

Asclepias incarnata with wasp

Asclepias tuberosa with bee

The Oak Street Park sign at the garden

2025 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, 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.

Clematis virginiana

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.

Twinleaf

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.

Common daisy, Amsterdam

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.

Aralia spinosa

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).

Fern caterpillar

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!

Another 100 spiders?

Fort Yargo State Park

Wishing you a good year in 2026 and more native plants and critters in your daily life.

Landscape Spotlight: Beebalm (Monarda)

In my travels, I occasionally come across a particularly nice display of a native plant in a designed landscape. I usually take a photo of it, but I don’t always have a chance to work that into a blog. This week a bright spot of red flowers caught my eye as I was out running errands. I was pleased to see that it was a robust planting of scarlet beebalm (Monarda didyma).

Two colors of Monarda and a Coreopsis cultivar

Beebalm is a native perennial that does best in full sun (6 hours or more) and good moisture. The flowers are popular with native bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. The foliage is pleasantly aromatic, a trait that has led to another common name of Oswego tea and its usage as an herbal tea.

I am not sure if the purple flower flanking the scarlet beebalm is a cultivar of the same plant (M. didyma) or one of the wild bergamot cultivars (Monarda fistulosa). When it comes to Monarda, all the cultivars I've seen affect flower color or height but still provide good support to native insects seeking pollen and nectar.

If you are in need of a bright perennial and can provide sun and moisture, consider adding beebalm to your list. Need other ideas? Have a look at my Native Summer Perennials post from earlier.

Wild Bees for the Win in Georgia’s Blueberry Crops

 

Penstemon smallii

A couple weeks ago I wrote about my garden’s new Penstemon species. They are still blooming – along with several other species of beardtongue – and the bumblebees are having a blast. Soon my St. John’s wort (Hypericum) shrubs will be in bloom and they’ll move on to it, following seasonal bloom cycles as if their life depended on it.

The bees are not just here to amuse me, they have a role to play. An article published this week by UGA CAES highlighted a study of the role of Georgia’s bees in our blueberry crops. Here are a couple of quotes from the article:

“The study, published in Environmental Entomology, recorded more than 5,000 wild bees, identifying 72 species across 26 genera — the most comprehensive survey of wild bees conducted in Georgia blueberry farms.”

“As part of a broader USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) project aimed at boosting blueberry yields by establishing pollinator- and predator-friendly flowering plants around fields, Sarah Rezende focused on how wild bee populations shift across space and time in southeast Georgia blueberry farms.”

This kind of data gives us an important tool to convince farmers and policy-makers that native plants and the insects that they attract can be significant contributors to their crop success. According to the article, “Georgia ranked third nationally in blueberry production.” The study also emphasizes that having flowering plants across all 3 growing seasons is important to maintain a robust population of those native bees.

“The most important thing farmers and residents can do is support a wide variety of flowering plants that bloom throughout the year. This not only helps sustain a diverse range of bees but also ensures their populations remain strong across seasons. Because different solitary and specialist bee species forage at different times, continuous blooms are essential.”

I've written about native bees before and you might find some of these previous posts helpful. They include resources such as books and lists of plants. And I’ll close with a photo of our spectacular specialist bee, the Southeastern blueberry bee. Georgia's farmers and gardeners can’t afford to lose her.

Native Plants for Native Bees

Save the Wild Bees

Bee Welcome - a post about a really useful book!

Southeastern blueberry bee

May 2025 Moment in Nature

You've got to celebrate those plants that take your breath away. This week I rounded the corner to my backyard and caught sight of this plant: bigleaf snowbell (Styrax grandifolius). It's been in that location for a number of years, blooming modestly over time. This year the bloom volume is amazing. Every single branch sports these small white flowers and the overall effect is more magical than my camera can capture.

Bigleaf snowbell (Styrax grandifolius)

Native bee on snowbell

As I tried to capture the beauty, the gentle hum of two bees indicated they were going after the pollen and nectar of these graceful blooms. While this was certainly my #momentinnature for May, it's been extra special to visit this small tree all week to enjoy it again and again.

Spring is an amazing time. Get out there and find your moments.

Hike Local: Woodlands Garden

 

I had a chance this week to visit Woodlands Garden in Decatur, GA. It is an approximately 7-acre park in an urban setting. It is open to the public every day during daylight hours (note: no dogs allowed). Originally a private residence, the garden contains the smaller Morse Family Heritage Garden – which has a selection of exotic plants – and extensive trails of Piedmont native woodland plants. A map of the grounds can be found here.

Blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium)

The trails are easy walking and have good signage both for directional guidance and for many of the plants you’ll see. Several areas had extensive sweeps of single species of plants: narrow-leaf blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium) in a sunny area, fernleaf phacelia (Phacelia bipinnatifida) just inside the shade, and in deep shade, patches of Allegheny spurge (Pachysandra procumbens) and interrupted fern (Osmunda claytoniana) were lush and full of new spring growth.

Phacelia bipinnatifida

Osmunda claytonia

You might spot several of Atlanta’s champion trees. I was able to see the champion devil’s walking stick (Aralia spinosa); it was so mature that the only spines I could see were 6 feet high on the otherwise smooth trunk. 

Foamflower and Phlox

Blooming native spring flowers were sprinkled throughout: woodland phlox and foamflower, tiny wood anemone and native ginger, and gorgeous native azaleas. In the parking area, a flowering native coral honeysuckle lit up the front of the office building while the flowers of wild white indigo (Baptisia alba) and false indigo-bush (Amorpha fruticosa) kept the native bees busy.

Two of the native azaleas

The garden is a well-managed mix of intentional design and woodland wonders. As with any truly urban garden, exotic invasive plants creep in. The staff and volunteers have regular workdays to manage weeds and keep the trails open. If you're looking for inspiration or just to enjoy some natural beauty, stop by and visit this urban gem.

Amorpha fruticosa

 

April is Native Plant Month

 

Beginning in April 2021, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution designating April to be National Native Plant Month. [Since this is a Resolution and not a Law, this legislation needs to be reintroduced each year.]  That designation has continued each year, and each year the message spreads a little further. In Georgia, the native plant society has been using social media to highlight chapter activities around the state, using the national momentum to encourage people get involved locally. The Society’s executive director also wrote a great article to share about ways to celebrate: planting native plants, removing invasive plants, and educating others. Notice that two of those ways don’t even require you to have a garden!

Various national organizations are using the designation to highlight how essential native plants are to creatures that people like: birds, butterflies, and bees. Yes, science has shown us that there is a reason that native plants are required for our native ecosystem to thrive and I’ve written about this before:

Why Native Plants Matter to Birds

Why Native Plants Matter to Bees, Butterflies, and Bugs

Pollinators in Georgia: A Compilation of Articles

I also think that using native plants in our Georgia landscapes help anchor a sense of place and celebrate the natural beauty of our state. That certainly is one of the founding principles of this blog: Using Georgia Native Plants.

I hope you enjoy April and all our natural beauty. My native Piedmont azalea, Rhododendron canescens, is currently in full bloom outside the front window, serving as this week’s installment in gorgeous native flora in my yard (although the golden ragwort, Packera aurea, is certainly trying hard to rival it).

Impactful Shrubs

 

What’s in your yard? You probably don’t have room for everything you want, but small and urban yards can plan to maximize the wildlife value of their plantings. We talk about trees a lot, but shrubs can provide good ecological value for smaller spaces. Here are some thoughts on impactful shrubs to plant that make a difference.

Impactful means that they contribute to the food web in one of 3 ways: their fruit is good for wildlife (like birds), their foliage serves as a host plant to insect herbivores (like caterpillars), and/or they are a good source of pollen/nectar for insects (like bees and butterflies).

Blueberry specialist bee helps us get the most fruit

Shrubs that support frugivorous birds (those who use fruit as a major source of their adult nutrition) include native viburnums (Viburnum spp.), hearts a bustin’ (Euonymus americanus), spicebush (Lindera spp.), elderberry (Sambucus canadensis), holly shrubs (Ilex spp.), chokeberry (Aronia spp.), shrub dogwoods (Swida amomum, C. foemina and others), St. John’s wort (Hypericum spp.), beautyberry (Callicarpa americana), blueberry (Vaccinium spp.), huckleberry (Gaylussacia spp.), and sumac (Rhus spp.).

Shrubs whose foliage serves as a host plant to butterflies and moths (these feed caterpillars) include spicebush (Lindera spp.), blueberry (Vaccinium spp.), plums (Prunus spp.), and paw paw (Asimina spp.). Some of these support specialist insects like the Zebra swallowtail that can only use paw paw.

Zebra swallowtail as caterpillar and adult

Shrubs whose flowers are a good source of pollen or nectar for bees and butterflies include native viburnums (Viburnum spp.), buckeyes (Aesculus spp.), elderberry (Sambucus canadensis), holly shrubs (Ilex spp.), chokeberry (Aronia spp.), shrub dogwoods (Swida amomum, C. foemina and others), St. John’s wort (Hypericum spp.), blueberry (Vaccinium spp.), huckleberry (Gaylussacia spp.), buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis), and sumac (Rhus spp.).

Buckeyes are good for bees and hummingbirds

You can see that some plants might serve 2-3 ecological purposes (for example, blueberry and spicebush support both birds and insects), allowing smaller yards to benefit from these shrubs quite a bit. Make your choices count!

Previous blogs on shrubs that you might find useful:

Native Shrubs in the Georgia Piedmont

Native Shrubs for Supporting Birds

Underused Native Shrubs

Native Plants – Gateway to Conservation

 

Okefenokee NWR expansion is thanks to public input

In late 2021, a fellow board member of the Georgia Native Plant Society coined a phrase that resonated with me then and still does. As we were writing our 3-year strategic plan, she wrote “GNPS grows people who love native plants.” We recognized then that when you cultivate people’s appreciation of native plants, a wonderful by-product is that they tend to become more interested and more involved in conservation.

As we see more pressure to overturn conservation efforts, from land preservation to pollution, growing a more sensitive population is in the best interest of conservation. Each of us should take time to educate people about native plants, even if it is just pointing out:

• That native plants exist (“Look at the fall color on that native red maple!”), and
• That they are beautiful (“This native trillium is so unique and I’m glad I am able to have it in my wooded area.”), and
• That they support local insects and birds (“I appreciate having that native black cherry because it provides food for beautiful butterflies – like over 400 of them. And it supports birds!”).

Share articles on your social media and photos of your successes to help get people interested. Think about what people like (birds, butterflies, fireflies, frogs, for example) and play to those interests.

• Fall color on native plants is key to great views in the fall.
• Pollinators depend on native plants, especially native bees but also honeybees.
• Birds thrive when native plants are more abundant to provide food to birds that don’t use feeders or have chicks to feed.
• Beautiful native flowers in your garden are an excellent way to demonstrate that native plants are accessible to gardens.

Share copies of books that have inspired you, like one of Doug Tallamy's books or Georgann Eubanks’s Saving the Wild South. Personal recommendations is one of the most powerful ways of persuading someone.

If you want to help the conservation of lands, plants, and other organisms, tell people about native plants and start them on the road to caring and conservation.

Monarch butterfly on goldenrod

A Collection of October Posts

 

This blog is seasonal. Every week the topic has something to do with what’s happening: in the yard, in the season, even what’s happening with me. For those of you who haven’t been following since day 1 (Mapleleaf viburnum: October 14, 2010), you can still enjoy the posts by scrolling through the archives on the right side of the blog.

I find it entertaining to occasionally go back and see what I posted about in the same season, even in the same month. October can be such a good month for being outdoors, enjoying an abundance of fall flowers, and delighting in the beginning of the fall color season. Here are a few of my favorite October posts over the last few years.

October is a great time to fall in love with our native asters. I have posted about them several times over the years, highlighting the different species in my area (with more in this post too) as well as tried to demystify the species of small white ones. Not only are asters number two on the list of keystone perennials, but they also are huge sources of late season nectar and pollen for native bees and butterflies. Add more to your garden!

New England aster

It’s a good time to evaluate or appreciate what you have in the home garden. Is your garden supporting the fall migration of butterflies like the Monarch? This post highlights some fall nectar plants (spoiler alert, it mentions asters as well as other plants). This earlier post is similar but you might find it inspiring.

Monarch on Blue mistflower

Other posts that seek to inspire you include this one with the Lorax to remind us that we have the power to make change in a positive direction. This next one specifically talks about including host plants for our native butterflies. It has a printable chart. This third post is your reminder to be diverse in the garden, not just for host plants but for nectar too.

If you’re just done with flowers and want to bask in the glow of the trees, here are two posts for you. One is about planting native trees that give you double duty or the more recent “Get a Tree That Does More.” Dreaming about driving up to the mountains for leaf-watching? Bring It Home: Fall Color gives you ideas for having good fall color in your own yard.

 

Great Southeast Pollinator Census – Year 6

The Great Southeast Pollinator Census is a fun citizen science activity that helps people get more acquainted with their local pollinators. It also helps them see which plants get good insect activity.

Pollinator census capture of skippers in love

I like to count in both the morning and afternoon to see how the pollinator activity changes. I enjoy watching how the different pollinators behave: for example, bumble bees move fast while carpenter bees lumber and prefer to crawl from flower to flower if they can.  

Every year that I do the census, it makes me think anew about how my pollinator garden can be more successful. In my 3-part pollinator series, I talked about several factors for supporting the most pollinators: using regional plants, providing for succession of blooms, having more than one of the same plant, and using different plants for different pollinators. If you haven't read it, dive into part one, part two, and part 3 at the hotlinks.

Red admiral on Joe pye (Eutrochium)

Eastern Tiger Swallowtails

This is the sixth year of the census; it has expanded from Georgia-only to now include NC, SC, and FL. You are welcome to see my reports from the previous years, starting with 2023 (it has links to the older ones). Because the count is held during the same general timeframe each year, you'll see that I count on the same types of flowers each year (and I'm always amazed at well they support pollinators). It is clear from my counts that I have a really healthy bumble bee population!

Ailanthus moth on Rudbeckia laciniata

Bumble bee on Silphium

Carpenter bee on Silphium