The Art of Ecology
Building visual connections between people and nature.
Tag: gardening for wildlife
Go Buggy for Moth Week
Coming off of National Pollinator Month in June, many of us are thinking about and understand the importance of butterflies, birds, and bees as pollinator species. Did you know that moths also play an important role in our ecosystems, but that not all of them are pollinators? While yes, some, such as the Hummingbird Clearwing …
Blueberries – More than a Tasty Snack!
Summer is here, and many of us love nothing more than a big carton of deep blue-ish purple blueberries! Wherever we can get them from the grocery store, farmers markets, or local community agriculture programs is so exciting, but did you know that blueberries are native to the eastern United States? We can go out …
Attract Fruit-eating Birds to Your Backyard
They may seem ultra-exotic and tropical, however fruit-eating birds do live in North America along the East Coast. In fact, while kayaking along the Delaware River in Philadelphia the other week, I had the incredible opportunity to watch a Baltimore Oriole creating a nest! Not all fruit-eaters are mango or papaya-loving tropical birds. Some are …
Exploring Flora & Fauna for Invasive Species Week
During Invasive Species Awareness Week, we ask the question, “What does it mean to be an invasive species?”, and “What can we do about them?” Fortunately, both questions are relatively easy to answer. What is an Invasive Species? First we need to define Native Species. These are plants and animals that are indigenous to a …
Garden Seed Saving
Flowers die back, but not before producing what they are specifically designed to produce – Seeds! This autumn, prepare for your spring and summer garden by harvesting these future plant-makers! Seed Saving is the perfect way to save money in future years, and you also will be able to perpetuate the plants you love the …
Start Planning Your Garden NOW!
It may be a little chilly out still, but it’s finally the time of year to start planning out your garden! As the winter fades into spring, we can think about seed starting, and drawing up plans to ready your home/garden for new plants. How do we start the planning process though? Ultimately, think about …
Happy Squirrel Awareness Month!
October is Squirrel Awareness Month, so let’s celebrate by learning more about them. Many people see Eastern Grey Squirrels as pests – critters that eat all of their birdseed, hang out around urban trash cans searching for pizza crusts, critters that make homes in walls of houses, or garden pests – but squirrels are so …
Creating a Safe Haven for Feathered Friends
So far, we’ve discussed creating a backyard habitat, attracting butterflies and other pollinators, and creating a haven for snakes and beneficial predators, but we haven’t talked about how to get birds to your garden! Aside from the obvious of sticking up a feeder, there are some other great ways to attract your feathered friends! By …
Malacology – A funny word for a funny group of animals.
While we may first think of these tiny creatures as garden pests, snails are very important members of the ecosystem and should be valued! Snails eat leaves – yes, they do like leaves in your garden – but their favorite food is rotting vegetation and fungi. Sometimes they will also ingest soil in order to …
Work With Nature – Not Against It!
There was a quote written on the whiteboard of one of the places I worked at saying “Gardening is man wrestling with nature.” This seems rather counter-intuitive though, to me. If we are gardening, aren’t we trying to add more nature to the nature that’s already in place? Shouldn’t we work with it not against …
