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.

oakleaf hydrangea, chipola river ticksee

Native Wild Strawberry Fields Forever

On the interactive National Wildlife Federation site you can punch in your zip code and learn the top butterfly and moth host plants in...

ljmarkson

Feb 5, 20213 min read

Replace Non-native Shrubs With High Impact Native Shrubs

Rewilding a semi-urban yard to create an eco-friendly sanctuary is more emotional than I anticipated. Almost a year and a half ago after...

ljmarkson

Jan 31, 20213 min read

In My Yard Hellebores are Pernicious Weeds!

OR Why I Anticipate HELLebores Will Eventually Earn a Spot on Georgia’s Exotic Invasive Species List Predicting which non-native plants...

ljmarkson

Jan 27, 20212 min read

Native Plant Winter Sowing FAQs

Winter sowing is so popular and timely that I’ve received a number of questions since my post on the topic. Hopefully by answering the...

ljmarkson

Jan 20, 20215 min read

Native Plant Seeds are Ideal for Winter Sowing

OR Tips for Winter Sowing Native Plant Seeds Using Foil Roasting Pans With Lids. Winter sowing is a way to germinate seeds by mimicking...

ljmarkson

Jan 14, 20213 min read

Plant a Glorious Goldenrod Garden This Year!

OR Do You Think Growing 19 Varieties of Goldenrod is Enough?! I currently have more varieties of goldenrod than any other native plant...

ljmarkson

Jan 10, 20213 min read

Nine Bright and Easy Native Goldenrods to Add to Your Atlanta Naturescape (Natural Landscape)

OR Add Biodiversity to Your Native Plant Habitat with More Goldenrod` OR Can You Ever Really Have Enough Goldenrod? (Edited 12.3.22 to...

ljmarkson

Jan 5, 20214 min read

Why Goldenrod is Native Plant Gold

OR Goldenrod's Many Charms. In my previous post I explain why everyone in the native plant world is talking about goldenrod (solidago). A...

ljmarkson

Dec 31, 20202 min read

Goldenrod (Solidago) is Trending!

OR If You Only Add One Native Plant to Your Yard, Make it Goldenrod! Keystone plant species are what native plant guru Doug Tallamy calls...

ljmarkson

Dec 29, 20202 min read

What Do Pest Control Companies Want to Teach Our Kids?

OR Teach Kids About Butterflies Before Termites. I try hard to focus on positive ways to nurture nature, but when I learn about nature...

ljmarkson

Dec 23, 20202 min read

Can Pest Control Companies Help You Coexist with Nature?

When I found a beautiful spider in the middle of cobwebs on my rarely used garden rake, I started searching the internet to learn more...

ljmarkson

Dec 19, 20202 min read

Triangulate Cobweb Spiders Are Our Friends

OR My Rake Is a Now a Spider Habitat. My rake is used so often that when I recently went to take it out of my gardening storage area it...

ljmarkson

Dec 16, 20202 min read

In Defense of Grasshoppers

OR Without Grasshoppers We Won't Have Birds. On a recent balmy winter day, I walked down a path in my yard and a handful of grasshoppers...

ljmarkson

Dec 12, 20202 min read

I'm An Eco Bag Lady

OR I'm a Naturescape Organic Matter Scavenger Part Two. Much to the embarrassment of my sweet husband, I’m an eco bag lady. When we walk...

ljmarkson

Dec 9, 20203 min read

Can I Have Your Coneflower Seedheads?

OR I’m a Naturescape Organic Matter Scavenger Part One Last month when I saw a nearby neighbor deadheading her large patch of native...

ljmarkson

Dec 8, 20201 min read

Pet Cats Do Not Belong in a Wildlife Habitat!

I love cats. The main reason I keep my two rescue cats indoors is because I want them to live an average of 15 long happy years with me....

ljmarkson

Dec 5, 20203 min read

Essential Native Perennials for a Winter Seedhead Bird Garden

OR How to Intentionally Let Your Yard to Go To Seed Winter has descended on Georgia and I'm ready for it! Thanks to my ongoing...

ljmarkson

Dec 3, 20202 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