As I was heading out to work this morning, I looked up at the large pecan tree in the backyard and saw both the male and female wood duck who have been hanging around our yard for a few weeks. The male was flying off and the female was flying into a cavity in one of the large branches of the tree. This large branch has a nice cavity in it, perfect …
Creating Habitat for Wildlife in Your Garden
Using plants, garden features, and gardening practices that create and encourage wildlife habitat in your backyard garden can make your yard a haven for wildlife. You'll see more bees and butterflies, hummingbirds, small mammals, and even frogs and turtles. I find joy in watching these creatures in my garden and I hope you will too.
Backyard Wildlife Summer 2016
This summer has been full of weird and wonderful backyard wildlife. From a nest of barred owls to frogs to snakes and turtles, I've seen a lot in my garden and backyard. Watching wildlife is one of the things I enjoy so much about my garden and yard. It's why I work hard to create suitable habitat for wildlife. This spring started out …
How to Attract Gulf Fritillary Butterflies to Your Garden
You can attract Gulf fritillary butterflies to your yard and garden by providing food plants (flowers), caterpillar host plants, water, and shelter for the butterflies. Here are some tips for the plants to include in your garden for Gulf fritillaries. Gulf fritillary butterflies (Dione vanillae -- formerly Agraulis vanillae) are orange, black, …
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Echinacea species – Flowering plants for bees, butterflies, and birds
Butterflies and bees love coneflowers in the genus Echinacea. You are probably familiar with purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), but many cultivars are now available in various colors: red, pink, white, orange, yellow, cream, green, and gold. There are even Echinacea flowers with double blooms. Natives vs Cultivars Echinacea is native …
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Food Plants for Butterflies and Caterpillars
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 …
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Salvia Flowers Attract Butterflies and Hummingbirds
The plants in the genus Salvia are some of my favorite flowering plants. There are many colors and shapes to choose from when picking a plant for your garden. Salvias are great pollinator plants - butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds love the flowers. Here are some of my favorites from my garden. All salvias mentioned below are perennial in USDA …
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