Garden Experiments
For the love of gardening and wildlife habitat
Insect life in your garden is plentiful - butterflies, bees, wasps, caterpillars, and more. Some of these insects are beneficial and some are harmful to your garden, but we have to learn to live with them all. Learn about some of the insects in your garden!
Red buckeye (Aesculus pavia) has bright red flowers. The flowers of this native shrub are a favorite of hummingbirds and butterflies in early spring. In the southeast, it blooms in late March and early April, and you can hear the hummingbirds buzzing around the blooms. The red buckeye always catches my eye when it is blooming. These tall …
Continue Reading about Red Buckeye Flowers For Butterflies, Bees, and Hummingbirds
You'll see beautiful, tall southern magnolias anywhere you go in my state. They are nearly ubiquitous in front of antebellum homes in the South, which is a testament to their popularity during that time in our history. I love the sweet, gentle lemon scent of the blooms and the large white petals. It's a bonus that the trees are evergreen, so …
Continue Reading about Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora)
If you like butterflies, than planting both plants that host the larvae and feed the butterflies are important. These are some of the flowering herbaceous plants (and one vine) suitable for planting in the southeast for the butterflies that we have here. Flowering plants that are host to larvae of the butterfly Flowering plants that provide …
Continue Reading about Food Plants for Butterflies and Caterpillars
For me, half of the fun of having a garden is watching the critters that come to enjoy it. Here are some of the critters that have shown up in my garden (and my family's garden) in the last couple of years. Learn more about backyard habitat by reading these articles Food plants for caterpillars and butterflies How to Create Good Wildlife …
Continue Reading about Backyard Wildlife: The Critters in My Garden
Mosquito Prevention and Standing Water Removing any standing water from your yard can help reduce the chances of mosquitoes breeding in your yard. It's an important step to take in mosquito control. With West Nile virus and other mosquito-borne diseases, it’s nothing to take lightly. Where Can Standing Water Be Found In Your Yard Even a small …
Continue Reading about How to Reduce the Number of Mosquitoes in Your Garden
Aren’t they cute? Don’t let their small size and cuteness fool you. These tiny little insects will grow up to be 3 inches long, with a voracious appetite. The Eastern Lubber Grasshopper, or Texas grasshopper, is a flightless insect that can become locally heavily populated. We had them in our yard last year - it seemed like they were everywhere …
Continue Reading about Garden Pest: Eastern Lubber Grasshopper
