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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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Native Crossvine is a Habitat Plant
I thought crossvine (Bignonia capreolata) was indestructible. It climbs by tendrils then attaches to trees with even more with roots to...
ljmarkson
Feb 2, 20232 min read
Why We Need to Support Local Native Plant Retail Nurseries
Recently, I drove over an hour in traffic each way to visit North Georgia Native Plant Nursery to buy two one-gallon native mountain...
ljmarkson
May 15, 20229 min read
Native Plant Habitat Tour Offers Insights for Backyard Habitat Restoration
Bill and Carol Pardue's yard, one of the six properties at the first GNPS Intown Atlanta Native Plant Habitat Tour. is proof that a small...
ljmarkson
Apr 7, 20223 min read
Atlanta Area Spring 2022 Native Plant Sales and Nurseries
Spring native plant buying season is here! It’s exciting to see most of the native plant sales and nurseries are once again in person...
ljmarkson
Mar 16, 20226 min read
A Handful of Late Blooming Fall Native Plants
I love profiling native plants but have a growing list of other topics I also want to write about and feel like I’m always running...
ljmarkson
Oct 31, 20214 min read
Rehoming Gulf Fritillary Caterpillars
Last year I posted about not being the only nature lover I know who moves gulf fritillary caterpillars from native passionflower vines...
ljmarkson
Oct 13, 20213 min read
Atlanta Area Fall 2021 Native Plant Sales and Nurseries
Even though September is Georgia Grows Native for Birds month, I try not to plant until October. Fall plant sales have me itching to add...
ljmarkson
Sep 15, 20217 min read
Native Climbing Boneset is Loved By Pollinators!
My #3 September native plant pick is a rambling perennial vine I've only noticed growing at a nearby nature park in my intown Atlanta...
ljmarkson
Sep 8, 20212 min read
Plant a Winter Seedhead Garden to Nurture a Natural Bird Habitat
OR Birdseed isn't the Only Way to Attract Birds in the Winter Butterfly gardens are wildly popular because flowers are beautiful and...
ljmarkson
Dec 1, 20202 min read
Why Aren't All State Flowers Native Flowers?
In my quest to learn every little thing I could about passionflower vine, I found out the state flower of Tennessee is non-native iris...
ljmarkson
Nov 29, 20202 min read
Passionflower Vine Drama: Protective Ants, Life-Sucking Soldiers, and Intoxicated Bees
I’m typically an all-in kind of person when something interests me, and passionflower vine is a striking attention grabber. I won’t be...
ljmarkson
Nov 28, 20202 min read
Native Passionflower Vine is a Popular Butterfly Host Plant
In Georgia, native passionflower vines (passiflora incarnata or lutea) are the only host plant for gulf fritillaries, but it’s not an...
ljmarkson
Nov 27, 20202 min read
Nature's Perfect Harmony: Native Passionflower Vine and Gulf Fritillary Butterflies
There’s a fascinating phenomenon I've noticed but haven't specifically read about between native passionflower vines (passiflora...
ljmarkson
Nov 24, 20202 min read
The Ticket to a Front Row Seat Watching Gulf Fritillary Caterpillar's Become Butterflies
Or Why Pollinator Gardens Need Native Host Plants The people who tell me their pollinator garden doesn't need native plants invariably...
ljmarkson
Nov 23, 20201 min read
The Very Hungry Gulf Fritillary Caterpillar - From Youthful Defoliation to Chrysalis
Watching generations of gulf fritillary caterpillars go through multiple stages as they defoliate the native passionflower vines...
ljmarkson
Nov 22, 20202 min read
The Very Hungry Gulf Fritillary Caterpillar – From Egg to Baby Caterpillar
One benefit of creating a wildlife habitat in my yard is I get too see the wonder of nature up close throughout the year. I never tire of...
ljmarkson
Nov 21, 20201 min read
Saving the Gulf Fritillary Caterpillars One by One
When I went to my community garden last month my friend Pat rushed by me with a handful of gulf fritillary caterpillars (cats) crawling...
ljmarkson
Nov 20, 20202 min read
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Atlanta, GA
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