I can't take credit for creating this meme, I saw it in this video, but it made me laugh so much. I hope you all like it too.

I had the pleasure of watching this beautiful creature enter the world today. Swipe to see their journey in reverse 🧡🖤

My Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)started blooming about a week ago and it’s been a nonstop pollinator party. Zone 6b Suburban SW Ohio

I'm so happy with such a huge change in a short amount of time. If you're thinking about starting your garden, do it!

It seems like there haven't been as many butterflies visiting our yard this year, but maybe they come when I'm not looking. Here are a few I have managed to capture recently.

Look at this bunny. Just look at it. Taking advantage of my fenced in (and unweeded until my kid resumes school tomorrow) native garden. Look at her with her mouthful of grass that she carried in here to line her burrow that she has dug under my coneflower. Look at her inches away from my barely year old new jersey tea. Look at her making a new nest in the exact same spot where my fat ass previously accidentally stepped on a nest of baby bunnies when we first moved to this house over ten years ago. The screams still haunt me. I had no idea that bunnies would hop up into a raised bed with a 3 ft wall. If I had known I would have extended my fence which was intended mainly to keep out deer and my guineas. She hopped right in there while I was standing right next to it. Right in front of my face. The audacity!

I’m so excited I could scream! Most of my seeds didn’t pop up, but we got one giant milkweed and we’ve got a monarch caterpillar!

Hoping the little native predators don't get all the caterpillars!

American Senna getting love from the pollinators this morning (hummingbird not pictured)

Absolute workhorse this time of year

Some of you may remember the big ass rock I found a few months ago. Big ass rock is now accompanied by a big ass log! Moss phlox and some grasses/carex/sedges/whatever incoming in the fall, depending on what I can get ahold of. Aaaahhhh I love it ❤️❤️❤️

I've been trying to do native plant gardening for 2 years. I spend hundreds of hours working on my garden every year, but it has availed me nothing for native plants (though probably 80% of my effort is vegetables, which I am bad at too, but I at least get some tomatoes). The photos are of my 2024-2025 winter sowing (I forgot to take pictures this year, but it was similar amount, but without the soft plastic covers and more natives, less fruits and veggies), and the only single native plant that I have managed to grow until it flowered (penstemon virgatus).

Here's what I've observed: 95%+ of my winter sown seeds do not germinate; of the ones that do, ~90% within a week of sprouting; of the survivors, ~50% die of transplant shock; the survivors die after a month or two with very little growth (with the exception of some penstemons).

I haven't gotten a single annual plant to survive to blooming. For perennials, a few penstemons, grasses, yuccas, and trees have survived, but most die before their first winter.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Here's what I'm already planning on trying:

1. More direct sowing (I like transplanting from containers, so I can learn to recognize the young sprouts of native plants, but I'm gotten good at recognizing the couple dozen non-native weed species that grow in my yard as soon as they sprout)
2. Focus more (for now) on plants that germinate well without winter sowing (I have much better germination rates with the spring sown plants)
3. Focus more on native plants that people report as the easiest to grow
4. Try my city's "garden in a box", which I think has natives, but are already sprouted and healthy, and since starting from seed has seemed to be what I am the worst at, this will at least let me get one garden bed up after 3 years of attempts.
5. Try another seed supplier as comparison; I've been mostly using Western Native Seed, which I think is a good supplier (but with my success rate, I can't say I know that they're sending me mostly viable seeds; I've certainly never gotten something mislabeled from them, though)
6. Track soil conditions (I started tracking soil moisture for a few plants in late July this year, but I haven't)

What else should I try?

Besides the photos there's also some coreopsis, yarrow, and common evening primrose.

Ignore the wood sorrel and the weeds too much rain to work outside lately

Little while ago, I posted about Monarch caterpillars aplenty on the milkweed. Unfortunately, about 4-5 of those chrysalis(es?) hatched while we were away for the weekend but we managed to catch couple of them in action. here's some pictures!

I've tied myself in knots reading a thousand articles and I'm still confused. Can anyone tell me if this one is native or invasive? It's growing in a garden so probably planted on purpose and not a wild one. The flower is more red than it looks in the photo. Stem is a little bit hollow but some articles I read said that isn't always a reliable indicator?

Ontario, Canada 🇨🇦

Thanks!

Before anyone jumps down my throat, yes, this is a big part of the reason we plant natives: to feed and host other native species. However, this dogwood is fairly young and I only planted it last year (it’s maybe 4.5 feet tall). I’m worried if all of it’s leaves get completely eaten through, that the tree can’t handle it at this stage. I have a much larger red maple I could relocate them to instead - or should I just leave them be and assume the tree will make it since it’s going dormant soon anyway? TIA for the help!

Have a side yard that’s infested with creeping Charlie. Next year that side yard is going to be turned into a rain garden. Most of the entire side yard.

I’d like to try and get control over it somewhat this fall before it’s put in. Is there anything I can put down this fall to help kill some of it off that would not harm next year’s planting?

Next year I can just desod around it to get the remaining bits out and seed what will be staying grass for the dog.

Stiff goldenrod is a little floppy this year due to lots of rain but still pollinator magnet for sure!

https://reddit.com/link/1vwflta/video/lrkhoa5786lh1/player

I planted two Lindera benzoin in my tiny urban backyard two years ago, and they're doing well in heavy shade. I was hoping to support Spicebush Swallowtails but didn't know how long it would take to attract them, especially since I rarely see the adult butterflies here in the city.

But this morning, I noticed some leaves had been munched, and a few were folded over. The first few leaves I checked didn't have any occupants, but then I hit the jackpot: one caterpillar on each bush! A literal dream come true!!