Lisa Stephens

My milkweed doesn’t bring the caterpillars to the yard but the Methuselah generation enjoys the nectar!
#monarch #migration #methuselah

Joe Pye party!

We have a porch toad that greets us almost every morning. Sometimes she lounges on the door mat, sometimes the threshold, but always right by the front door. Meet Carla! #easterntoad #toad #porchtoad

Just a little bee sleeping under Mt. Mint leaf.

#nativeplants

Yes. Yes. Yes! 🙌

First blooms on this St. John’s Wort! The original bush died two years ago but I was happy to see a sprout last year. Looking forward to seeing the bumblebees 🐝
#nativeplants #hypericum

Blue eyed grass, dwarf crested iris, and white false indigo! The yard is bloomin’

#nativeplants #georgiapiedmont

Happy National Native Plant month! What are you going to add to your garden?

#nationalnativeplantmonth #georgianativeplants #sweetshrub #columbine #spiderwort

Mine too. Previous owners lined the entire drive and approx 3/4 acre yard. I’m making progress though!

Lyreleaf Sage-Salvia lyrata living her best life in my driveway. There were a number of them so I transitioned these babies into some border areas I recently cleared of liriope. Takes sun or shade, wet or dry soil, and can be mowed and walked on. Tough and versatile!
#nativeplants #lyreleafsage

Helianthus angustifolius standing proud.

#nativeplants

A Spotted Lady Beetle (Coleomegilla maculata) on a wooden fence post.

Can we please leave lady beetles to hibernate in peace instead of scooping them up and selling them to well-meaning gardeners who want to use them as ‘pest control’? Such irony that this interference is a threat to lady beetle numbers … 🐞

Pic: A Spotted Lady Beetle, native to N America

#gardening

I love these colorful little bugs.

It’s invasive species awareness week! I got out yesterday and removed some privet off the property. Thankfully those privet berries have a short self life so once you remove the source, management becomes much more…well manageable! #invasivespecies #nativeplants

Ugh…found the invasive autumn fern in my forest. Please don’t plant this in your yards. It doesn’t stay in your yard. Plant Christmas fern instead. #invasive #autumnfern #Christmasfern #georgianativeplants

If you’re in the Athens, GA area, mark your calendars!
#nativeplants #gnps #plantsale #athensga

When someone asks for landscape plant suggestions in general gardening groups, I suggest natives. I don’t say they’re native; I simply recommend a plant I know will thrive. Oh, and here’s my first sprouts from a new seed sowing method I’m trying. Anise hyssop-not native to my area but pollinators ❤️😜

So pretty!

First sprouts from this year’s winter sown seeds! Georgia aster ~ symphyotrichum georgianum and Sneeze Weed ~ helenium flexuosum.

#nativeplants #wintersow

The world needs more art right now. Hope the heaviness doesn’t weigh down your creativity #art #watercolor #watercolorartist

Fueling the Flames: How Invasive Plants Are Worsening California’s Wildfire Crisis - ProgramBusiness | Where insurance industry clicks California has always been shaped by fire, but today’s wildfires burn hotter, spread faster, and occur more frequently than ever before. While climate change and human development are often highlighte...

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#nativeplants #invasiveplants #wildfire

I planted two last year! I’m hoping they thrive.

That’s awesome! I’m still working to add more as I remove a lot of invasives.

One of my worries with climate change is that there won’t be sufficient cold spells in the south for seeds to break dormancy. Thankful for the extra cold days this year and two! two snow events! #nativeplants #peidmont #seedsowing

Feeding the birds by leaving seed heads. I know many feed birds during winter months and I applaud their efforts. I’m cheap and too forgetful to make sure feeders are consistently filled with fresh seeds/cleaned regularly. Also trying to keep birds from congregating. #birdflu #nativeplants

I think I have some growing on my land in GA.

I just planted Chickasaw plums last fall and have multiple varieties of penstemons in my yard. Golden groundsel started popping up on its own when we stopped regularly mowing our pocket prairie and I planted a few starts from seed of climbing aster last year that I hope survived 💪. #pollinatorplants

44 native plant species sowed and counting! Grow babies grow!

Prairie in progress! Hoping this year will show off with more wildflowers but I still don’t understand how we’ve collectively decided flat, bland non-native grass is better looking than dynamic native grasses and forbs that harbor life. #nativegrass #reducethelawn