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Purple New England Asters with Goldenrod in the background

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Keystone species are species that are crucial to t

Keystone species are species that are crucial to the proper function of an ecosystem. Even within the ecosystem of our backyard, we have species that play an important role. When determining what plants we should add to our backyard habitat- think keystone plants!

The National Wildlife Federation has a wonderful tool to determine Keystone Plants and trees. When you type in your zip code, it provides a list of plants and the number of species of caterpillar it supports. In my zip code, native Goldenrods support 138 species of caterpillars and provide food for migrating pollinators!
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#homegrownnationalpark #keystoneplant #plantsforpollinators #goldenrod #nativeplants #nativeplantsofnewyork

Love walking through nature this time of year when

Love walking through nature this time of year when the fall flowers are in full bloom in upstate New York. The Joe-Pye weed turning to seed and the combination of goldenrod and New England Aster is perfect.
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#nativegardening #gardenforwildlife #nativeplantsofnewyork #choosenativeplants #joepyeweed #goldenrod #newenglandaster

We made an outdoor play space for our toddler! We

We made an outdoor play space for our toddler! We had an unused space of our yard that was shaded most of the day thanks to our maple and pine trees. It was the perfect place to reduce some lawn, while also getting some use! We cut the grass, laid some cardboard, and used free mulch and logs from our local compost facility. We made a mud kitchen using wood we had around and then added a diy water pump (thanks to @eliza.donelson).
We learned a few lessons about properly killing grass and weeds. Thought we could take some shortcuts here but turns out you can't! We'll have to deal with that in the future but for now we're enjoying our new space!
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#natureplay #montessoritoddler #outdoorplay #naturalplayground

Just over a year ago we took this small little gra

Just over a year ago we took this small little grassy area beneath our bird feeder and transformed it. We didn't really know what we were doing at the time but it seems to have worked! What once was lifeless is now buzzing with pollinators and other animals. Birds, squirrels, and frogs love to hang below the flowers searching for food or fallen seeds.

We added this makeshift bird bath and I love watching the birds take a bath or the squirrels drinking from it. The other day we found 2 frogs under it probably eating the slugs. It's amazing what a little work and native flowers can do!
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#nativeflowers #homegrownnationalpark #nativelandscape #zone4b #wildlifegarden #plantnative #nativeplantgarden

Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium maculatum) is a favorite

Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium maculatum) is a favorite of the pollinators in my yard.
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#nativeplants #grownative #plantnative #nativegardening #gardenforwildlife #nativeplantsofnewyork #choosenativeplants #joepyeweed