How to Help Monarch Butterflies During Migration in Michigan There are moments in the garden that seem almost too brief to notice. A warm August afternoon. The gentle movement of Little Bluestem in the breeze. Purple Coneflowers beginning to fade into seedheads. Then, almost without warning, a monarch butterfly drifts into view. It doesn’t hurry. […]
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The Best Reasons for Native Plants to Spread “I Think Something Is Wrong…” It started with a single tiny plant. Last spring, you carefully planted a beautiful Purple Coneflower in the corner of your garden. You watered it during dry spells, admired its blooms all summer, and smiled every time a butterfly landed on its
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Common Native Garden Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them) Learning to See Your Garden Differently Native gardens have a way of surprising us. Many homeowners begin planting native species expecting a garden that behaves like a traditional landscape—carefully shaped, always colorful, and fully established within a single growing season. When those expectations aren’t immediately met,
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What’s Blooming Across Michigan Right Now 🍃 A Seasonal Journey Across the Great Lakes State Nature Notes • Educational Series Published July 2026 Late July is one of Michigan’s richest moments. Across the state, native wildflowers are reaching their peak, pollinators are busy from sunrise to sunset, and every garden has a story to tell.
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The Best Native Plants for Summer Color Create a Michigan garden that stays vibrant from early summer into fall with native plants that bloom in succession. Have you ever noticed how some gardens seem to peak in June? By July, the flowers have faded. By August, the landscape feels tired. What was once full of
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The Best Native Plants That Thrive in Sandy Soil Discover beautiful Michigan native plants that don’t just survive in sandy soil—they flourish in it. Have you ever watered your garden, only to find the soil dry again just a day or two later? Perhaps you’ve planted flowers that looked beautiful at the garden center but
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How To Create an Amazing Habitat with Native Trees When people think about creating wildlife habitat, they often picture colorful flowers filled with butterflies and bees. Those plants are certainly important. But if you ask nature where habitat begins, the answer is surprisingly simple: It starts with trees. A single native tree can provide food,
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Watch the Amazing Beauty Come Alive in Your Garden at Dusk There is a magical moment each evening when the garden begins to change. The last rays of sunlight soften across the landscape. Daytime birds grow quieter. Shadows stretch a little farther with each passing minute. Then, almost without notice, another shift begins. A firefly
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How to Design a Four-Season Michigan Garden One of the greatest compliments a garden can receive is this: “There’s always something beautiful to see.” Many gardens burst into color for a few short weeks in spring or summer, only to become quiet and unremarkable during the rest of the year. But a thoughtfully designed native
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The Best Native Plants That Thrive In Clay Soil If you’ve ever tried digging a hole in Michigan clay, you know the feeling. Your shovel hits the ground with a thud. The soil sticks together in heavy clumps after a rain, then hardens like concrete during a dry spell. Water seems to linger in some
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