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

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

A Habitat Yard Workshop Offers Actionable Change

Last fall I hosted three free habitat yard workshops. My goal was to share actionable ways create a more ecologically sustainably...

ljmarkson

Feb 8, 20243 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

Nature Focused Gift Ideas

Finding gifts for the habitat restoring warrior, wildlife obsessed backyard naturalist, or gardening nature lover in your life can be...

ljmarkson

Dec 11, 20238 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

Why You Need to Remove Invasive Plants from Your Yard

I like to boast that there are no weeds in my rewilded yard – meaning there are no plants I don’t want growing in it. Some of my favorite...

ljmarkson

Jul 16, 20234 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...

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Jul 2, 20234 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

Native Plants as Edging Plants

In the spring I’m often outside adding, moving, editing, and potting up plants until it’s so dark outside that I can’t see my hands. I’m...

ljmarkson

Apr 28, 20233 min read

Spring 2023 - Atlanta Native Plant Nurseries & Plant Sales

It’s the time of year for native plant fans to visit local native plant nurseries, pop-up seasonal sales, and plant swaps. I’ve written...

ljmarkson

Apr 4, 20235 min read

The Native Carolina Cherry Laurel Controversy

I recently watched a small flock of hungry cedar waxwings eat what berries (drupes) previous birds missed on my now blooming Carolina...

ljmarkson

Mar 14, 20234 min read

Children Care Deeply About Protecting Nature - Let's Nurture This

We pulled into our driveway from an outing and there was a mother with her 7-or 8-year-old daughter at our front door. The little girl...

ljmarkson

Mar 5, 20233 min read

Yard Restoration and the Battle to Remove Invasive and Non-native Plants

I often go outside to work in my yard with a plan of action yet end up doing something completely different. Recently, my idea was to...

ljmarkson

Feb 18, 20233 min read

Reclaim Nature and Add Habitat with a Brush Pile

I’ve tried to maximize the edge areas of my small, semi-urban, rewilded yard by tucking away a few brush piles behind shrubs and trees to...

ljmarkson

Nov 30, 20225 min read

Grow a Native Buckeye Tree from Seed

Several of the multiple buckeye species that grow in North America are native to Georgia. Bottlebrush buckeye is native to Alabama,...

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Nov 22, 20224 min read

To Save Insects and Birds the Future is Now

It turned out to be a great idea for the Intown Atlanta Chapter of the Georgia native Plant Society to squeeze one more event into this...

ljmarkson

Nov 18, 20223 min read