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 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

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

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

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

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

S**t Happens - and Opens up Possibilities!

One of the main lessons in my daily guided meditation is how our suffering comes from not being able to align our inner expectations with...

ljmarkson

Feb 5, 20236 min read

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

Winter Sowing Native Plants

One of my ongoing goals as both a board member and programming and education co-chair of the Intown Atlanta GNPS is to help make adding...

ljmarkson

Jan 20, 20231 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

Intown Atlanta GNPS Native Plant Swap & Share FAQ

I'm helping organize the Intown Atlanta GNPS Native Plants Swap & Share as part of the Annual Meeting. Since this is the first time we're...

ljmarkson

Sep 7, 20226 min read

Nurturing a Firefly Habitat Also Helps Restore Nature

In the context of creating a healthy yard ecosystem fireflies are just another insect we need to provide habitat for. Yet 2,000 firefly...

ljmarkson

Jul 7, 20226 min read

Building a More Vibrant Intown Atlanta Native Plant Community

On a hot June Sunday afternoon a varied group of around 50 or so people interested in native plants came together for a panel discussion...

ljmarkson

Jun 28, 20224 min read

Why and How to Coexist With Carpenter Bees, Our Pollinating Superstars

The responses to a recent post on a neighborhood forum about carpenter bees was horrifying. One person gleefully suggested torturing the...

ljmarkson

May 30, 20227 min read

How To Prevent Children From Having Nature Blindness

For most of my childhood I lived with my grandparents. Long before edible landscapes became fashionable, a large chunk of my...

ljmarkson

May 21, 20226 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

Just Say No to Spring Backyard Habitat Destruction

There were no happy birds in my yard on a warm spring day last week. On Friday I watched them flitting around my neighbor’s yard...

ljmarkson

Mar 6, 20225 min read