They call this one a saddleback. But be careful not to touch - they sting. Gone are the azaleas and camellias found on every other block. Instead, a native muscadine vine spills down from a back porch arbor. Horsetail rushes flourish in a shallow pond and paths are lined with billowing stands of flowering plants, from firespike to gaura and sultan's turban.
Native trees provide shade, cover, and nesting spots.
The overall effect is one of relaxed abundance, a subtropical wilderness given shape and form. She is also one of a growing number of people who garden to attract birds, bees, butterflies, frogs, and other native creatures to their yards. Providing space for wildlife in urban and suburban yards has grown in popularity in recent years, spurred on, in part, by an urge on the part of gardeners to reconnect with nature. An encouraging number of families have embraced the concept as well. Helping wildlife Few of us stop to think that the neatly manicured shrubs and lawns that characterize most American yards hold little value for wildlife.