Create a Wildlife Garden from Scratch 

It's definitely fun to watch. Hey, I don't know if I mentioned it in the video or not, but it's best to not protect them, because natural selection is the healthiest way for butterflies to exist. Some caterpillars do need to be food for birds. Birds need caterpillars for their young in the nest. I used to protect them, too, before I knew this. Thanks so much for taking time to watch and leave a comment! Happy gardening! :)

I'm baffled, too! I fell in love with them at local natural areas, near the edges of woods and thickets. I found out they were native and I was shocked! They are gorgeous and provide so many wonderful characteristics AND help wildlife? Win win...my kind of plant.

That is awesome! Dragonflies are so cool. I'm happy my neighbors have a pond.

Very cool! Looks like maybe a Carolina Wren on your profile pic. Love it. Those sweeties visit me often here in Tennessee. I love South Carolina. I've been to Greenville a couple of times. Gorgeous place! Happy wildlife gardening. :)

Wow, thank you so much! :)

Glad you liked it! Thanks for watching!

Glad you liked it! Thanks so much for taking time to watch and to leave a kind comment! :)

Ideally your water source needs to attract and breed Dragonflies who will eat hundreds of mosquitos a day and their nymphs even more so in the water.

Great question! I wish I would have thought to add this info into the video. My favorite strategy is to wear a repellent lotion. It's to repel both mosquitoes and ticks. I have not seen any ticks in my garden (yet) over the past several years of gardening, but I have had loads of mosquitoes. I used to wear the spray repellent, but I now prefer the lotion repellent. I put it on my skin before I head outside. The spray repellent you will probably have to do outside for fresh air reasons. That's another reason I prefer the lotion. I just put it on over top of my sunscreen. I make it part of my routine, especially in the early morning and in the evenings. Another option, if you are up for it is to create a "trap" for the mosquitoes. It's called the bucket of doom, and you'll find info on it here: sidewalknature.com/2022/05/08/mosquito-bucket-of-doom/ I've seen the dunk kill the mosquito babies when I put it in the water, right in front of my very eyes. However, remember that mosquitoes can breed in very tiny water amounts which can be almost anywhere, so wearing a repellent is your best option, and if you do both, even better (both the bucket trap and wear a repellent). The link also talks about the typical advice of emptying anything that holds water, cleaning gutters regularly, etc. Another option is to attract what eats mosquitoes: Birds, Bats, and Dragonflies. :) I hope this is helpful! Maybe I should do a whole video about it. Happy Gardening!

I would watch that! I live in MN so the mosquitoes can get intense. We use spray and wear thicker or loose clothing when it’s buggy out and we want to work in the garden. By late summer it’s much dryer and they aren’t as intense.

@@limitlessends Yes, long sleeves and thick pants are great, too. I totally forgot to mention that I do that as well, when it's not too hot.

Great question! According to Xerces: "Neonicotinoids can persist in soil for months or years after a single application. Residues have been found in woody plants up to six years after soil drench application." For more information from Xerces on this issue, click this link: xerces.org/sites/default/files/2018-05/16-023_01_XercesSoc_ExecSummary_How-Neonicotinoids-Can-Kill-Bees_web.pdf

@@awildapproach thanks for the link, I will check it out. I have a few plants that I bought which seem to be mass produced, I haven't used this stuff myself, but I suspect that the plants were grown with whatever made them grow well for a cheap price, thanks again