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Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 42m

In a dull world, be the bright spot.

Photo of an oval leaf on the ground. It's mostly orange with yellow along its veins. Underneath this brightly colored leaf are numerous brown leaves.
Text says, "In a dull world, be the bright spot."

Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 8h

#AMomentinNature was this lovely Everglades sunrise.
We are not separated from Nature, but are part of it. When times are tough, being out in Nature helps us to recover. Breathe Deep!

Wide photo shortly after sunrise when the sun is behind some gray puffy clouds. Golden rays of sunlight are showing from the bottom and from the top of the clouds. Blue sky at the top of the photo. Palms and other trees are silhouetted in the foreground.

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Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 9h

#PlantMoreNatives! Florida greeneyes (Berlandiera subacaulis) are resilient plants. They bloom nearly year-round & attract many types of pollinators. The showy disk florets have extra-long stamens. Curiously, they smell like chocolate. greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2023/02/gree...

Photo of a plant with yellow daisy-like flowers with yellow petals and green centers. Some of the center florets are blooming with their long stamens extended.

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Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 9h

The tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is a classic crop plant that's native to Peru. But, the acceptance of tomatoes as an edible crop was a bit rocky. One reason for the hestiation is that’s a member of the nightshade family.
greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2021/02/the-...

The history of tomatoes as a crop and growing tomatoes in Florida

Tomatoes are native to Peru, but are now a major crop world-wide Tomatoes: this Peruvian native is now a world-wide favorite The tomato ( S...

greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com

Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 1d

#PlantMoreNatives The winged elm (Ulmus alata) is a graceful medium-sized tree native from VA to TX & FL. Read my article to learn how I dealt with this container-grown tree with severe case of coiling roots to produce a graceful & healthy tree. greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2020/07/wing...

2 photos. The one on the left is of a gloved hand holding small tree with red coiling roots. The one on the right is of a woman wearing a flowered shirt holding the trunk of a 20'-tall tree. There are other plants and shrubs growing around the tree. There is a yellow arrow pointing from the left to the right between the 2 photos.
Text says, "The winged elm story... From a distressed mess to a 20' tree in 10 years"

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Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 2d

One of the key factors in a bird-friendly landscape is supporting caterpillars. Doug Tallamy's years-long research has shown that chickadees need a lot of caterpillars to raise their young. Most caterpillars need native trees to eat-mostly oaks. greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2025/07/the-...

Drawing of a bird perched on a branch. The bird has a black head, white cheek, & brown body. It has a green caterpillar in its beak.
Text says, "A pair of chickadees requires 6,000 to 9,000 caterpillars to raise one brood of young. To help birds, create a safe space for caterpillars. Grow native trees and shrubs. Avoid pesticides and leaf blowers, which destroy caterpillar habitat.

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Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 3d

In a way, yes.

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Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 3d

Nature used this same principle for us. When we sweat, the evaporating water cools our bodies. Just think how much cooler your yard would be if you added more trees. Read, "The value of trees." greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2022/04/the-...

Photo of a girl holding a tree planted in a pot. She's standing in a field of grass with partically cloudy skies in the background.
Text says, "The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now. Chinese proverb"

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Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 3d

Your yard may be small, but for some wildlife, it's their whole world. #PlantMoreNatives, use no landscape-wide pesticides (including lawn treatments), replace unused lawn acreage with pollinator gardens, trees, & thickets. In short, build habitat. greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2022/10/habi...

Photo of a small butterfly on a stem with pink flowers. The butterfly is brown with pale yellow markings on its wings. The wings have long extensions in the back of the insect.
Text says, "Longtailed skipper on dense gayfeather (Liatris spicata)"

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Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 3d

#PlantMoreTrees Transpiration puts water vapor in the air, reducing droughts & cooling the air. 100s of gallons of water move through a tree daily. @ 68˚F, 1 gram of water that evaporates reduces heat by 580 calories. Trees mitigate climate change. greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2019/02/tran...

Diagram of how water moves through a plant. First, it's absorbed from the soil into the roots, through the vessels (tubes) up the stem, into the leaves where it evaporates as a gas out through holes in the leaves. Two detailed circles: one showing that the water molecules are attracted to each other, while the other one shows the cellular details inside the leaf.

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Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 4d

Yes, Bromeliaceae. Many people may not be familiar with bromeliads, but everyone knows the pineapple. So that's why I use that label-more shock value. :-)

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Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 4d

Spanish moss does NOT need to be removed from trees, and in fact, it’s a desirable addition to southern yards because it cleans the air, produces oxygen, cools the air, provides habitat for birds, & other wildlife.
greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2018/05/ther...

There's nothing Spanish or mossy about Spanish moss

Spanish moss adds to the South's character and elegance. Not Moss Spanish moss ( Tillandsia usneoides ) is a flowering plant in the ...

greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com

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Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 4d

#AMomentinNature was a Florida Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides) sunrise. It's a flowering plant in the pineapple family-not a moss. It's native to the SE states-not Spanish. It's an air plant absorbing its moisture & nutrients from the air. Read: greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2018/05/ther...

Photo of a golden sunrise over a slightly wavy body of water. A pine tree and hanging Spanish moss is blocking the direct sunlight. Rushes are growing near the shoreline.

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Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 4d

“The Square Root of Two” provided a much-needed laugh this morning.
From the NY Times: Every Artist Has a Favorite Subject. For Some, That’s Math. At the annual Bridges conference, mathematical creativity was on dazzling display.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/s...

Graphic of a large black 2 which is connected to an array of black curvy lines that look like roots shaped like a square. There are more white spaces between the roots in a diagonal line from the upper left corner to the lower right corner.
Text says, "'Suare Root of Two,' by David Reimann"

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Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 5d

#antifascist Europeans know what antifa really is. I took this photo in Civitavecchia, the port town for Rome, earlier this year. It's titled, "To the resistance fighters in concentration camps, victims of the Nazi-fascists."

Photo of a metal sculpture mounted on a white stone base with a large bronze plaque. The sculpture consists of multiple silhouettes of anguished faces with open mouths arrayed in a circle. The sculpture is set in a park with playground equipment in the background.
Text says, "Antifa statue in Civitavecchia, Italy"

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Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 6d

#AMomentinNature was seeing that this Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) monitoring speed of cars in our bird-friendly neighborhood with its tall trees & an assortment of lakes. Its call is a loud, clear whistle. It's native to the SE states and to Coastal California.

Photo of a hawk with its mouth open perched on a "Speed Limit 25" sign. Green wooded area in the background.

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Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 7d

Botanical term of the day: The green bracts at the base of that flower head is called an involucre.

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Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 7d

#AMomentinNature was noticing this lovely ladybug on the roselle calyx (fruit covering). I often see bees, ants, & other insects there.
Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) is a weird crop where we harvest the calyx, which tastes like cranberries. greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2021/11/rose...

Photo of an orange ladybug with black spots on a hairy, burgundy-colored fruit covering.
Text says, "Ladybug on a roselle calyx"

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Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 7d

Fall is a great time to plant trees, but give them the best chance to survive. For container-grown trees, rinse the roots to correct circling roots, don't enrich the soil in the planting hole, wait a year to prune it back, irrigate a lot, & more. greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2020/01/smar...

Photo of a small uprooted tree sitting upright on asphalt with its roots coiled around its 2 or 3-inch trunk.
Text says, "Rinse the roots!"

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Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 8d

#AMomentinNature was this lovely full moonset in Florida with the western sky colored by the sunrise. Ahhhh!!!

Wide photo of a full moon close to the tops of palm trees silhouetted in the foreground. The sky is blue at the top, but changes to yellowish, orangeish, & reddish near the horizon.

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Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 8d

Salad burnet leaves have a very mild cucumbery taste. We use it in salads, but it can also be used to flavor vinegars and more. The flower head is weird with all its stamens hanging down. I harvest the blooms so it doesn't reseed everywhere. Read: greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2022/02/sala...

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Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 8d

#GRowMoreFood Salad burnet (Sanguisorba minor) is an easy-to-grow perennial crop in the rose family (Rosaceae). It's best to plant this with other perennial crops and herbs so it does not get in the way during crop rotations.
Read: greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2022/02/sala...

Photo of a herbaceous plant with yellowish stems and star-shaped leaves all along the stem. There are drops of water hanging at the tips of most of the points on the leaves.
Text says, "Salad bernet Sanguisorba minor"

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Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 9d

#AMomentinNature was stopping to appreciate these swamp sunflowers (Helianthus angustifolius) that brightened a foggy fall day along a back road in Florida. It's native from NY to TX & most of Florida.

Photo of a large group of flowers with yellow petals and brown centers growing at the edge of a pasture, which has a few brown cows grazing there. Tall trees on the far side of the pasture are pale in the foggy air.

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Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 9d

#PlantMoreNatives and think like a pollinator to bee ready for butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, & other pollinators. Fall is a great time to install good habitat in your yard & in your community. For more specifics, read my habitat article: greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2022/10/habi...

Drawing of a garden where there are masses of colors. The title is, "Planning your garden --think like a pollinator." There is a lot of other text with ideas on how to bee pollinator friendly.

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Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 10d

#NatureHeals Sometimes she sends messages for those who look for them. I interpreted the message from this pink apparition to mean, "Please take care of our only planet."
We are not separate from Nature, but are part of it and have a responsibility to preserve it for our grandkids.

Photo of the surface a pond reflecting tall pines & other trees. The sun is also reflected and a pink-colored anomaly shows above the sun's reflection.

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