The Art of Ecology
Building visual connections between people and nature.
Tag: Gardening
Prevent the Winter Blues with Indoor Gardening
As an avid gardener who loves nothing more than to stick my hands in the warm soil and making sure that the plants provide a great space for wildlife, I have SUCH a hard time in the winter! I’ve overwintered my perennials, spread out leaves, and keep a careful eye out for little buds to …
Create your Spring Garden Early with Bulbs!
As we get further into fall, the gardener inside of me gets sad. I miss spending time out among my flowers. The fall rains are providing the water they need, and the birds are busy picking the old flowers clean of their seeds. The wind is blowing the leaves over the plants – prepping the …
Colors of the Rainbow as Seen in the Garden
Flowers have so many beautiful colors, but other than just to make us humans happy, why are flower colors so diverse? Pollinators have the important job of transferring genetics from one flower to another to allow for fertilization and ultimately growth of future generations of flowers and plants. In order to attract the most effective …
Pollination – Amazing Plant & Animal Relationships
Last month, I had a wonderful opportunity to learn more about pollinators, like the honeybee, at the nationally recognized botanical garden – Longwood Gardens! This professional development opportunity allowed me to not only learn about these amazing plant & animal relationships, but to witness first hand active pollination in the outdoor gardens and photograph some …
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 …
TreeHugger – Yup, That’s Me and Here’s why!
There are so many reasons to love trees beyond “they look nice”. Even hugging trees has it’s benefits (click here for more information on getting immersed in forests). Here are my top reasons for getting excited about trees: Provide Oxygen – You know, the stuff we breath! We inhale oxygen (O2), and exhale Carbon Dioxide …
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 …
Orchids – the Mischievous Flower
Flowers rely on pollinators like bees, beetles, birds, moths, butterflies, bats, and other creatures to spread pollen from one flower to the next in order to create seeds. Flowers have adapted their color, shape, or aroma to attract the type of pollinator that would best suit them – for example, hummingbirds like red tube flowers. …
An Edible Flower Garden and it’s Health Benefits
In this dreary February weather, I start looking forward to spring and summer along with all of the life it brings. The sun takes noticeably longer to set, the weather may be warmer, and already my tulips and hyacinth bulbs are putting out new little sprouts! I am so excited for gardening season as many …
Keeping our Feathered Friends Happy – Especially in the Winter
Birds are amazing – and if you read my previous winter bird blog, you’ll know that birds can definitely take care of themselves, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t feed them and give them a little help! After all, just because I can cook for myself and know how to grow a veggie garden …
Marissa Jacobs | NatGeo Certified Educator | Photographer
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