Ecologist helping North American growers use their yards to help fight the climate crisis 🌻
Fall is for sowing seeds 🌾
Hi friend,Did you know that many North American native plant seeds need a cold period before they’ll germinate? In nature, as seeds fall off plants, they stay dormant in the soil through the winter until it’s time for new growth to emerge in spring. Because of this, many species evolved to need that period of cold temperatures to tell them when it’s time to wake up once it starts getting warmer. So if you’re going to direct sow native seeds, now through the next few months is the time to do it! You can also artificially cold stratify seeds in the refrigerator any time of year. Here are instructions:Need seeds to get started for next year’s garden?Right now through Nov 7th, you can get 25% off all orders in my shop with code FALL2026 at checkout!
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Native Yardening
Ecologist helping North American growers use their yards to help fight the climate crisis 🌻
Hi friend, It’s that time of year again already. The leaves are falling and the humans are packing them into trash bags to send to the landfill, then wondering why they don’t see as many bees or lightning bugs as they used to. It’s not just some weird unimportant coincidence that all the different deciduous trees lose their leaves in autumn. Leaf litter is crucial to healthy soil, wildlife survival & reproduction, and overall ecological health. As the leaves decompose, they add the nutrients...
Hi friend, As I post more on social media about the problems caused by invasive plants, I realize how much misunderstanding there is around these issues. I always get a little discouraged when I see firsthand how misinformed the general public is about how nature works. But I also understand that it's a systemic issue. We aren't taught about these things. I recently made this post on Facebook and Instagram, showing a handful of common invasive species in North America. For some reason, people...
Hi friend, Galls! What are they? Should you be concerned if you see something like this on your plants? A gall is an abnormal growth on exterior plant tissue (leaves, branches, flowers, etc.). They may look like tumors, warts, balls, or lumps, and vary widely in shape, size, color, etc. They’re complex and highly organized structures, and science still has a lot to learn about them. Most galls are caused by insects and other invertebrates like wasps, midges, aphids, mites, etc. either feeding...