Blog: We Love Wildlife
-
Spring Trees and Shrubs that Pollinators Love!
Spring is the perfect time to start thinking about adding some beautiful native trees and shrubs to your garden that not only enhance its aesthetics but also provide a habitat for pollinators. As the temperature warms up, bees, butterflies, and other pollinators start to emerge, looking for sources of food and shelter. By choosing native trees and shrubs, you can help support these important creatures and promote biodiversity in your local ecosystem. Here are some of the best native Illinois trees and shrubs to attract and support pollinators in the spring!
-
Benefits of Native Plants
Native plants are well-adapted to local conditions, especially if they are local ecotypes. Natives are an integral part of the natural ecosystem and play a vital role in maintaining the health and balance of our environment. These plants have evolved over time to thrive in specific climate and soil conditions, making them well-suited for the regions in which they grow.
-
There are no insect-free plants, but there are good insects - Our Butterfly List
There are no insect-free plants, but there are good insects!
-
Small Window: Using Natives vs Cultivars for Pollinators
Several months ago I was talking to a friend of mine from the east coast, and we were discussing pollinators and the plant lists that seem to be leaping from every corner of the web from all kinds of sources. We both agreed that the whole idea of gardening for pollinators is a good thing and that the use of natives were improving, along with understanding of native plant needs and importance. But many of the sources included or were dominated by non-natives or cultivars.
-
Monarchs, Milkweeds and the Rest of the Pollinator Story
When I first started as the Greenhouse Manager at Possibility Place Nursery, I learned one lesson very quickly: produce as much milkweed as possible. There are great reasons for this, both economic and environmental. For decades, monarch butterfly populations have been on a major decline, and educated native plant enthusiasts have realized they can help by planting milkweed.
-
The Birds Are Coming...
Spring is but a fridge date on the calender, but it is coming and so are the birds. All over Illinois, the landscape is changing due to homes, roads, removed wind rows and a general toppling of habitat and food sources for our welcomed feathery friends. Now for those of us that are a bit lucky and have habitat existing in our yards, a simple addition of key species and water will do the job. But those that have to start from scratch are in a tricky spot: “Where do I begin???”
-
Protect Your Planting From Animals Large and Small
We often have customers and most recently, bloggers who are planning landscaping projects but wonder how they’ll keep their large breed companions from destroying all their hard work. I’m not an authority, but I would like to share some ideas that work for Lucy and me.
-
Weather Adds to the Challenge
Some of you may have read my post last winter about collecting acorns and all the idiosyncrasies of the different types of oaks as well as the other consumers I have to contend with to get my job as propagator done. Well, here I am starting my fourth year at Possibility Place Nursery and I have another set of circumstances to make my job more challenging and interesting: a too-mild winter followed by one of the driest springs and hottest summers on record.
-
Small Mammals at Possibility Place Nursery
Over the years we have had numerous employees, interns, clients, friends and even a couple of groupies. The amount of information, stories and studies that have come through our doors for discussion from these groups is quite staggering. We love this part of the job. I can not tell you how many times we’ve sat down with a prospective inquisitor of the natural world and shot the puck around. So to speak. Most of the time both sides come away with a better understanding of something. Then there are those times that we simply say “Huh?” We are always open to to these experiences and feel that they are crucial to a better understanding of nature. It's a big part of what we do.
-
Night Life: Moths
We’ve all done it as kids. Gone out after dark and collected fireflies in a jar or watched in scared fascination as a bat picked off moths drawn to their deaths by a street light. Those of us that lived in the sticks also knew the sound of coyotes howling and the deafening clicking of thousands of katydids. The night life in and around our yards has always been an interest to most children if for no other reason than to scare ourselves by pretending that the noises were made by something far more terrifying than the right culprit. I guess I never grew out of that phase of my life.
