beneficial

22 Apr
2013
large monarch caterpillar

Earth Day, monarchs and the little things

Two years ago, I planted butterfly weed — aka. milkweed — in my garden for the very first time. That summer, I saw monarchs in my garden for the very first time as well. They found the milkweed (and the purple-flowering liatris, another native), laid their eggs, and moved on. ...

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24 May
2012
baby praying mantis

Adorable baby praying mantis is adorable

Oh. Hello there, baby praying mantis. Am I the only one who thinks bugs can be cute? Because, really, this little guy is adorable. Found this mantis on the parsley plant. He’s clearly just shed his skin. Growing fast! Won’t be long before this guy is big enough to snag ...

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10 May
2012
05-10-butterfly-feature

The butterflies are returning!

I know, I know, I promised a post about sweet potatoes today. What can I say? I’m going to miss my own deadline. The post is already half-written, so I’ll have it for you tomorrow. Really. For now, can I appease you with a photo of a cute little butterfly? ...

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10 Jan
2012
redtwig-in-snow

Snow on the redtwig dogwood

We finally got some snow yesterday (about an inch or so, I’d guess) and it stuck around long enough to shine in today’s bright sunlight. The whole garden looks like it’s wearing some fancy new outfit, but the redtwig dogwood (Cornus sericea) is definitely the star of the show. Although ...

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16 Aug
2011
Carolina wrens are frequent visitors to the garden, where they forage for all manner of insects.

It’s not a garden. It’s a habitat.

Yesterday, I saw a hummingbird in the garden. It’s the first one I’ve seen since moving into the house last October. She helped herself to some nectar from the native butterflyweed plants before buzzing off to her next stop. Pretty excellent way to start the week. She wasn’t alone either. ...

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1 Aug
2011
CarolinaMantis-Side

Carolina praying mantis

Most of the praying mantis we see are exotics: immigrants from Asia and Europe. Our native mantids just don’t seem to be as common. At least, not in my gardens. In fact, until today, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a native North American praying mantis. I was on my ...

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