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Nurture Native Nature
Creating Healthy Local Ecosystems
Welcome to Nurture Native Nature, a blog about my ongoing journey creating a wildlife sanctuary in my own small piece of our precious earth. Hopefully I can help
make it easier for you to do the same.
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Why Dyed Mulch is Ecologically Problematic
It’s not your imagination that dyed mulch is covering your neighborhood. It's been around for 60 years, but the dyed mulch market has...
ljmarkson
Jun 23, 20246 min read
Free Atlanta Event Alert for June 1 - Essential Habitat Elements in a Rewilded Yard Hosted by North Metro GNPS
I’m honored and excited to have the North Metro Atlanta Georgia Native Plant Society host me on Saturday, June 1 from 10:30-12:30 to...
ljmarkson
May 10, 20241 min read
Native Plants are Not Yard Ornaments
The transition from ornamental gardening (plants as ornaments) to ecological gardening (native plants as a functional part of an...
ljmarkson
Apr 21, 20246 min read
Nurture Native Nature - Spring Habitat Yard Events!
I'm sharing spring events Nurture Native Nature is hosting or cohosting in the next few months in Atlanta. At some point I need to figure...
ljmarkson
Mar 19, 20243 min read
Fig Ivy Doesn't Belong in a Habitat Yard!
(Or How Every Yard is an Opportunity to Restore Habitat) When we moved to Atlanta 20 years ago, we thought the fig ivy growing on our 75...
ljmarkson
Feb 22, 20243 min read
How to Make a Wildlife Container Pond
If we want to consider the ecological function of our yard, a water source is a foundational habitat element. Bird baths and other...
ljmarkson
Jan 23, 202414 min read
Restore Habitat to Hear the Sweet Song of the Hermit Thrush
Every habitat element in my pocket wildlife sanctuary contributes to a more biodiverse ecosystem. Hermit thrushes for example rarely...
ljmarkson
Jan 7, 20243 min read
Be Part of the Habitat Warrior Community!
A year ago, I overcame a lifelong fear of public speaking so I could expand my efforts to help nature. My daughter the graphic designer...
ljmarkson
Jan 2, 20244 min read
Attend a Native Plant Seed Swap!
Native plants are a cornerstone of creating a habitat-friendly, sustainable yard for wildlife. They offer food, shelter, coverage,...
ljmarkson
Nov 21, 20233 min read
Be an Advocate for Nature By Sharing What You Know
I try to go out of my comfort zone and share information in online neighborhood groups where the focus is rarely on creating a wildlife...
ljmarkson
Oct 24, 20235 min read
Nature Loving Strangers are Kindred Spirits
I was recently looking through my lengthy list of ongoing blog ideas and catchy titles for articles yet to be written and came across...
ljmarkson
Oct 9, 20234 min read
The Future Needs More Violets and Fewer Lawns
I stopped to chat with an elderly neighbor who had just finished weeding her hosta beds. She showed me healthy violet patches growing in...
ljmarkson
Sep 23, 20234 min read
A Day Focused on Restoring Biodiversity in our Own Greenspaces
At the recent Georgia Audubon’s cleverly named Georgia Grows Native for Birds Round Robin: Transforming Your Greenspace, they partnered...
ljmarkson
Sep 11, 20233 min read
New Fall Habitat Yard Workshops in Atlanta!
By rewilding my urban Atlanta yard I'm hoping to restore nature in some small way where I live. So far, I’ve been focused on sharing my...
ljmarkson
Sep 4, 20235 min read
Ways to Add Water for Wildlife to Your Yard
I didn’t always have over a dozen water sources in my intown (Morningside) Atlanta yard. Back in 2019 when I went through the process to...
ljmarkson
Jul 30, 20237 min read
Container Gardening for Biodiversity and Habitat
Using native plants in container gardens is a low maintenance and sustainable way to add biodiversity and create habitat in small spaces...
ljmarkson
Jul 2, 20234 min read
18 Edible Herb Flowers to Grow for People and Pollinators
I help take care of the two herb beds at my community garden with a goal make it more sustainable. When I took this on a couple years ago...
ljmarkson
Jun 30, 20237 min read
Native Pasture Thistle Drama
Last fall a thoughtful friend who somehow remembered my ongoing plant wish list brought me a native pasture/field thistle (Cirsium...
ljmarkson
Jun 18, 20234 min read
25 Dry Shade Tolerant Native Plants for a Southern Habitat Yard
Back in February I wrote about how having a section of sewer pipe replaced offered me an opportunity to replant a section of my rewilded...
ljmarkson
Jun 8, 20238 min read
Connecting Grey Treefrogs and Pokeweed to Sustainable Landscaping
A new game I like to play is drilling down on how even the smallest observation in my rewilded yard can connect back to the importance of...
ljmarkson
May 18, 20233 min read
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Atlanta, GA
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