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Native Plants
Birds
Photography
Books & Apps
For Native Plants
Sells native plants online including a good Selection of shrubs and trees as well as flowering perennials. Frequently sells out of popular plants.
Sells native, American grown, seeds and some limited live root plants online. Sells various seed mixes, as well as seeds of individual species.
Tampa-based source for Florida native plants and seeds as well as various fruits and vegetables. Order plants online and either pick up locally or have shipped.
Native plant nursery located in coastal Georgia. Specializing in plants native to the area. Local pickup by appointment only.
Retail nursery in Charleston, SC specializing in native plants and fruit trees.
Retail native nursery near Orlando, FL that ships to select states in the southeast.
By appointment only native plant nursery in Beaufort, SC. Specializes in Coastal Plain native and heirloom plants.
Incredible nursery in Tallahassee, FL carries native plants as well as fruits, veggies and ornamentals. Check out their newsletter.
Retail native nursery in Tampa, FL with butterfly exhibits.
Online native and ornamental plants and seeds with a focus on plants for pollinators. Good selection of nectar and host plants available.
Retail nursery in Jacksonville, FL that carries a small selection of native plants including some hard to find butterfly host plants.
Provides information on more than 900 native plants found within the upper and lower coastal plain of Georgia. Managed by University of Georgia Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant.
Incredible database for discovering and learning about native plants of North America.
Resource for finding and learning about Florida’s native plants.
For Birds
Droll Yankees Ring Pull Tube Feeder
The best easy-to-clean tube feeder for a variety of seed types. I use mine to offer black oil sunflower seeds, peanuts and white millet.
Tube bird feeder holds up to 1 pound of birdseed with 6 feeding ports. Ring Pull Advantage for easy disassembly with no tools required. UV-stabilized polycarbonate tube and high-quality metal components. Hang by included stainless steel wire or pole mount; measures 5-1/2 x 5-1/2 x 20 inches.
Small Glass Cup Platform Feeder
Perfect for mealworms or other specialty food items. Mine is hung under the porch eaves and filled with shelled sunflower seeds. The glass cup is durable and super easy to clean. Best for smaller birds but do get the occasional woodpecker and blue jay on mine.
Hanging components are made of welded metal with a black powder coating. Overall dimensions: 6″ L x 5.5″ W x 7.25″ H.
My favorite way to feed suet is adding cylinders to this hanging feeder. This way, suet is accessible to all birds, not just those that can cling to a cage feeder. Works best with a plastic tray to keep the. Suet from falling to the ground.
Holds small or large seed or suet cylinders. Dimensions: 8″ W x 11-3/4″ H.
Droll Yankees Seed Saver Platform Feeder
This is a sweet little feeder for your small birds. I offer mealworms in mine, but could also be used for seed, fruit or suet bites. The built in weather dome lowers to exclude larger birds. Drainage holes are large so you may have to modify slightly to keep mealworms in.
Dome cover is 10-inches in diameter. Platform tray holds up to 1 pound of bird feed.
This little dome is a good way to help protect your smaller feeders from rain. I like to use it with my suet feeder to help reduce spoilage. Not a predator deterrent.
10.5 inch acrylic weather guard.
Whitehorse Premium Cedar Bird House
Okay – I don’t have this exact bluebird house, but I wish I had bought this one! I’ve had to modify my boxes, adding predator guards and fledgling kerfs and whatnot. This box has it all at a decent price.
Vent holes are cut at an upward angle to keep rainwater out; A double roof reduces overheating; Floor is recessed by 3/4″ to keep the nest dry; Made from 3/4″ thick western cedar wood; A stainless steel guard protects the entry hole; A 1″ thick wooden guard thwarts predators; This nesting box has a floor size of 4.25″ x 3.5″ (15 square inch), and a 1.5″ entry hole that is suitable for Eastern Bluebirds among other species.
Round Vine Bird Nesting Material Ball
I think it’s super fun to watch the chickadees and titmice pulling wool from nest material balls in the spring. My birds seem to prefer alpaca fur. You could make your own vine container with wild grape vines in your area and fill with replacement alpaca fur.
Refillable pliable vine ball is easily separated to add more nesting materials. Pre-filled with natural alpaca hair.
For Photography
Canon EOS R7 Mirrorless Camera
I started this blog taking photos with my iPhone. I was pretty happy with the results until I purchased this camera. With the lens listed below, it’s the perfect setup for getting good photos in the garden without the bulk and expense of a professional level kit.
This lens provides a decent amount of zoom in a lens that’s still a manageable size to carry around the garden or on a walk.
3 Legged Thing Pro Range 2.0 Winston 2.0 Kit Carbon Fibre Tripod System
I never thought much about tripods even after having used them extensively with spotting scopes for my work. I figured anything not abominably heavy was just fine. However, after getting Winston, I realize there are tripods that can inspire your creativity through their sexy design and ease of use. I think anything by this company would be an amazing addition to anyone’s photography kit. I particularly like Winston’s ability to get really tall.
For Books & Apps
The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America: Second Edition
I like the Sibley bird guides. I know some folks have preferences for other bird field guides, but in my opinion, this one is the best. I also use the Sibley Birds App on my phone. It’s kinda pricey, but I generally leave the hard copy field guide at home and just use the app when out and about.
Butterflies of Georgia Field Guide
So finding a decent butterfly field guide has been challenging. I actually have three different books I use to help me out with butterfly identification and information about species. For some reason, this information can be difficult to reliably find online. The Butterflies of Georgia book is good, but not great. My biggest pet peeve is that it is organized by color rather than by taxonomy. As someone with a science background, I find this maddening. But perhaps others won’t mind so much. Also, this was published in 2004, so check scientific names to make sure they haven’t changed since science folks like to update names as they learn more about a species’ genetics.
Kaufman Field Guide To Butterflies Of North America
If you just need butterflies of the southeast, this book is a bit overkill, but at least it has range maps to help you narrow your search. It has more limited information about each species than the Butterflies of Georgia guide, but I like that the images are drawings with distinguishing marks noted. It’s also organized taxonomically, thank goodness! Published in 2006, same scientific name disclaimer goes with this book.
Florida Butterfly Caterpillars and Their Host Plants
This seems to be kind of an obscure book, but I love it and don’t really understand why it’s apparently not more popular. Regardless, this book does a good job linking the butterfly to the host plant to the caterpillar. It even provides some cool natural history about each caterpillar species. If you’re in the South and interested in butterfly host plants, this book is a must have for your reference library.
Dragonflies and Damselflies of Georgia and the Southeast
Dragonflies are super tricky to identify in the field and even challenging to ID from photos once home. I felt this book was a necessary addition to the library since trying to figure out dragonfly species online proved extremely difficult. This book is great and I use it regularly to verify my IDs or puzzle out confusing look-a-likes.
Arguably the most amazing app ever created! Merlin Bird ID will identify birds for you by sound. It’s incredible. And the app is free! If you haven’t downloaded it yet, do it now.