outmybackdoor

By Terry W. Johnson

Would you believe me if I said you could help preserve and enhance our native plant and animal heritage as well as the environmental health of Georgia without ever leaving your home? Probably not.

By Terry W. Johnson

Summer is the best time of year for Georgia hummingbird watchers. During the sultry days of summer Georgians play host to more hummingbirds than at any other time. Some days, more than 100 hummingbirds will visit a single backyard in search of nectar produced by flowers and the sugar water offered in feeders.

By Terry W. Johnson

Currently, my wife and I are enjoying listening to the songs of mockingbirds, orchard orioles, gray catbirds, cardinals and brown thrashers. The birds are particularly vocal early in the morning and late in the day.

By Terry W. Johnson

By Terry W. Johnson

Each year on a warm afternoon in mid-March, I surrender to an urge to head out on a quest to find my first zebra swallowtail butterfly of the year.

By Terry W. Johnson

We have long depended on wild animals to predict the weather.

For example, each year on Feb. 2, groundhogs are hauled out of their winter abodes to tell us whether we will have six more weeks of unpleasant weather. The yellow-billed cuckoo, often called the rain crow, has been relied on to warn us if a storm is on the way. Even fish and crows are on the list of animals that humans have depended on to forecast the weather.

By Terry W. Johnson

The tradition of sending Christmas cards is said to have begun in England in 1843. Since Christmas cards began being printed in the United States during the 1870s, cards have been graced with a veritable flock of birds. However, beyond a shadow of a doubt the bird that has graced more Christmas cards than any other is the northern cardinal.

By Terry W. Johnson

One of my favorite wildlife food plants is the common persimmon, a plant that I haven't showered with much attention. In fact, the only thing I have done for this small tree in more than three decades is save it from the bulldozer when my wife and I built our home. In spite of this lack of tender loving care, it is a valuable addition to my home landscape.

By Terry W. Johnson

Recently I took a ride down memory lane. It is a journey I take quite often from spring through fall. When I embark on these trips I don't venture out on a busy highway or even a dusty country road. They are trips taken without cranking up my car or old faded red pickup truck. The reason for this is simple: These cherished treks never extend beyond the confines of my yard.

By Terry W. Johnson

Now that September is here, it won't be long before the Georgia countryside is ablaze with fall foliage. While it is true that this collage of reds, purples and yellows is the main act during Mother Nature's autumn extravaganza, it is preceded by an opening act that is also quite spectacular in its own right.

This is the floral show put on by our native fall wildflowers. While everyone is familiar with one of the stars of this show, the goldenrod, a number of other flowers are also stunning. One of these native beauties is the ironweed.