Over a decade ago Daniel Schultz listened to a talk given by Doug Tallamy, the author of the book Bringing Nature Home. It turned the way he saw the natural world upside-down. “It was such a shock to learn how little wildlife habitat is left in the United States,” states Daniel.Read More
When a caterpillar emerges from an egg, it is minuscule and can’t travel far to find food. To aid her offspring’s survival, the female butterfly (or moth) deposits her eggs on the food source her newborn caterpillars require so they can eat as soon as they emerge. The specific plant (or plants) a particular caterpillar...Read More
Forty-two ways to green your neighborhood: just plant a new tree Lee, sweep up the salt Walt, pick up your dog’s poo Lu, and set yourself free.Read More
A few summers ago, the Kraus family noticed a steady increase in monarch butterflies visiting their backyard native wildflower garden. One day after an overnight rainfall, Paula Kraus was stunned to see the black walnut tree in her family’s backyard overflowing with monarch butterflies sunning their wings.Read More
Living Next Door to the Avian Superhighway Those who live near rivers in our metro area are fortunate to live alongside one of the world’s most amazing bird migratory routes: The Mississippi Flyway. Every year, over 325 bird species migrate from their breeding grounds in Canada to their wintering grounds in the Gulf of Mexico,...Read More
Pictures tell most of this story. Property owners in an east suburb carved out a section of their property and transformed it into a wildlife haven in just a year. Milkweed that had always grown on the property were supplemented with a variety of Minnesota native plants. The following season, the planting was bursting with...Read More
Throughout the millennia, the astounding beauty of the butterfly has inspired the imagination, the arts, literature, and poetry. Attracting these magnificent creatures into our own yards requires just three basic ingredients:larval host plants, nectar plants, and sheltering habitat.Read More
Seen here sipping nectar from wild bergamot, the great spangled fritillary butterfly is a welcome visitor to our gardens. Great spangled fritillary caterpillars hatch in the fall and immediately go dormant without eating. When they awaken hungry in the spring, these offspring search for violets to eat. Without violets, the great spangled fritillary caterpillar will...Read More
After World War II, suburbs sprang up across America. These new landscapes often included Chinese and European ornamental flowers, trees, and shrubs that were (and still are) available at local garden centers. Unfortunately, because these plants came from afar, they contributed very little to local foodwebs. The backbone of all foodwebs is native plants. Think...Read More
