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CottageGardener Ⓥ

@cottagegardener.bsky.social
838 followers 231 following 376 posts

Southern Ontario-based wildlife gardener, animal lover, environmentalist 🇨🇦🌱 Working towards a 100% native plant garden. About 2/3rds done with removing the lawn.

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Reposted by CottageGardener Ⓥ
Vegan FTA @veganftaofficial.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
The Little Red Barn Sanctuary in Canada rescued Mama Jersey, an almost eight-year-old cow who developed a severe abscess on her hoof, and later also rescued her calf Lavi. 🐮🐮❤️‍🩹 veganfta.com/articles/2026/09/27/co…
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Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
#PlantMoreNatives Goldenrod is beautiful every fall without needing any care. Plus, it is pollinated by insects, such as this beautiful monarch, so it has heavy, sticky pollen grains that will NEVER cause hay fever. Read: greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2023/11/flor...
Photo of an orange, black, & white butterfly on a yellow flower head with 100's of small florets. Wooded area in the background.
Text says: THIS is why sustainable gardeners grow goldenrod!"
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CottageGardener Ⓥ @cottagegardener.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
#ElbowsUp Canada! 🇨🇦 Photo: Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis), one of our striking #NativePlants. #Canada
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CottageGardener Ⓥ @cottagegardener.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
When you have to put off the morning birdbath cleaning until it gets warm enough for the bumblebee to get going for the day … 🐝❤️ #gardening #wildlife #nature
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CottageGardener Ⓥ @cottagegardener.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
An Eastern Cottontail bunny lives here. 🐰 🌱 Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea). In early summer, it fed American Lady caterpillars. 🐛 #NativePlants #OntarioNativePlants #wildlife #gardening #butterflies
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CottageGardener Ⓥ @cottagegardener.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
Bottle Gentian (Gentiana andrewsii) is among the first plants peeping out of the soil right now. 🎉🎉🎉 #NativePlants #OntarioNativePlants #wildflowers #gardening
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CottageGardener Ⓥ @cottagegardener.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
Another reason not to have lawns. Robot lawnmowers are killing #wildlife. #nativeplants #gardening #flowers #environment #hedgehogs #bloomscrolling www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
German mayors call for night-time ban on robot lawnmowers to protect hedgehogs
Leaders say automated mowers’ blades threaten nocturnal animals as studies highlight risks to wildlife
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Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
#Pollen! The male catkins of pines & oaks have been shed in the process of their filling the air with pollen. They decompose quickly, so if you need some acidity like around blueberries, use them as mulch, otherwise add them to your compost pile where their acidity will be neutralized.
Photo of a small area totally covered with reddish/brown pine male catkins that look like worms that are about 1.5 inches long & .1 inches in diameter. A few small leaves and pine needles are also present.
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CottageGardener Ⓥ @cottagegardener.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
It seems government ( #CFIA ) records stating that #horses flown to #Japan for meat land in good health are untrue. This must stop now. Don’t look away. Please read the article and learn the facts. #animals #canada #kindess #vegan www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
Horses 'still dying' after flights from Canada to Japan — and regulator seems unaware | CBC News
A new investigation by animal rights advocates shows horses being flown for slaughter in Japan continue to suffer injuries, illness and even death, reigniting the call for Canada to ban the shipments.
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CottageGardener Ⓥ @cottagegardener.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
Seedy Saturday event happening in Kitchener, #Ontario, on February 28. Great speakers, vendors and a seed exchange. 😃 #NativePlants #OntarioNativePlants #gardening #wildlife #whatyouplantmatters www.kitchenerhs.ca/seedy-saturd...
kitchenerhs.ca
Seedy Saturday - GardenKitchener
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CottageGardener Ⓥ @cottagegardener.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
Spring is just around the corner and I can’t wait … 🌱 Large-flowered Bellwort (Uvularia grandiflora) 🌱 Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris) 🌱 Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) #NativePlants #gardening #bloomscrolling
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CottageGardener Ⓥ @cottagegardener.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
Masses of snow here, but the hoarfrost on the trees and #NativePlants make for exquisite #winter interest. ❄️ #gardening #wildlife #nature #weather #ontario
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Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
#PlantMoreNatives! Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) appreciation post by Native Yardening. This aggressive vine is native to eastern North America & is in the grape family (Vitaceae). It supports birds & moths. For more info, here's its FNPS plant profile: www.fnps.org/plant/parthe...
Poster with photos of 6 moths (White-lined sphinx moth, Beautiful wood nymph mother, Eight-spotted forester moth, Cecropia silk moth, Pandorus sphinx moth, Hickory tussock moth) and 4 photos of Virginia creeper vine showing green leaves, red leaves, and blue berries borne on reddish stems.
Text says, "Cool North America native moths brought to you by one of the most hated native plants: Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)"
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Reposted by CottageGardener Ⓥ
JB | Native Plant Gardener (WI) @jbtheexplorer.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
Happy #SquirrelAppreciationDay! I never get enough of these amazing animals! #Squirrel #Wisconsin #Wildlife
A gray squirrel eating a peanut on my fence.An Eastern chipmunk collecting bird seed from my feeder.A red squirrel sitting in a tree in the Point Beach State Forest.A thirteen-lined ground squirrel at Ottawa Lake campground, adjacent to the Scuppernong Prairie.
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CottageGardener Ⓥ @cottagegardener.bsky.social · 11/01/2026
3-0 in favour of naturalised gardens! #Ontario courts have now ruled three times that municipalities targeting native plant gardens using ‘weed’ bylaws are acting unconstitutionally. #nativeplants #gardening #ontarionativeplants #wildlife lorrainejohnson.ca/blog/city-of...
lorrainejohnson.ca
City of Mississauga's Nuisance Weed and Tall Grass Bylaw Ruled Unconstitutional — Lorraine Johnson
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CottageGardener Ⓥ @cottagegardener.bsky.social · 28/12/2025
Happiness is … signs that your #nativeplant garden is helping #wildlife survive #winter 🐇 🌱Freshly nibbled New England Aster #gardening #ontarionativeplants
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JB | Native Plant Gardener (WI) @jbtheexplorer.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
#ThrowbackThursday Prairie smoke. I have nothing else to add, it speaks for itself. #nativeplants #nativegarden #wisconsin #gardening
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CottageGardener Ⓥ @cottagegardener.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
Not extinct in #Ontario after all 🎉🎉🎉 🌱 Illinois Tick-trefoil (Desmodium illinoense) #nativeplants www.ctvnews.ca/toronto/arti...
ctvnews.ca
Locally extinct plant rediscovered in southern Ontario
A plant species that had been previously designated 'locally extinct' has been rediscovered in southern Ontario, according to the Canadian Wildlife Federation.
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CottageGardener Ⓥ @cottagegardener.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea) just keeps on giving. Even as the flowerheads dry out at this time of year, it still looks showy. Easy to propagate and drought tolerant. Larval host for American and Painted Lady #butterflies. #NativePlants #gardening #bloomscrolling
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CottageGardener Ⓥ @cottagegardener.bsky.social · 10/10/2025
From pollinator food (September 21) to becoming winter bird food (this week) - Dog-tooth Daisy (Helenium autumnale), aka Sneezeweed, looks amazing in the wildlife garden. I have it next to Joe Pye, as its blooms peak as the JP fades. #nativeplants #gardening #ontarionativeplants
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CottageGardener Ⓥ @cottagegardener.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
An amazing story highlighting nature’s resilience. It was so exciting when 100+ year old seeds started growing as part of this wetland restoration. Now scientists have discovered historic fauna too. #nativeplants #rewilding #climate #nature www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...
theguardian.com
Creatures buried in soil for over a century burst back to life in Toronto waterfront
A project to restore coastal wetland leads to astonishing discoveries of a host of life: seeds and plant scraps, as well as water fleas, worms, larvae and plankton
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CottageGardener Ⓥ @cottagegardener.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
One bumblebee 🐝 sheltering in Anise Hyssop this morning as we head into what will likely be our first round of overnight frost. #inverts #gardening #nativeplants
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Reposted by CottageGardener Ⓥ
Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 05/10/2025
Is your yard bird friendly? Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) built this nest using Spanish moss & more in a coral honeysuckle thicket. They also are the primary consumers of the honeysuckle berries. Read, "Coral honeysuckle creates habitat," greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2025/08/cora...
Photo of an empty birdnest built from Spanish moss and other fibers.
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CottageGardener Ⓥ @cottagegardener.bsky.social · 03/10/2025
Never believe that you are too small to make a difference - just look at how these volunteers are saving turtles’ lives. 💜 #animals #wildlife #climate #turtles #canada www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
More volunteers needed to help find 'cold-stunned' sea turtles | CBC News
Beach patrols will begin this month across Atlantic Canada in an effort to find and rescue endangered sea turtles that may become stranded in the fall due to exposure to cold waters.
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
The winter finch forecast is out and it looks very promising! Could be a very exciting winter of birding! #birds #finch #redpoll #grosbeak finchnetwork.org/winter-finch...
finchnetwork.org
Winter Finch Forecast 2025-2026 - FINCH RESEARCH NETWORK
By Tyler Hoar Featured Post Photo: ©David Turgeon GENERAL FORECAST It looks to be a flight year for many species in Eastern Canada. With mostly very poor crops in the boreal forest from central Quebec...
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CottageGardener Ⓥ @cottagegardener.bsky.social · 26/09/2025
Staking season. 🤓 My experiments with the #ChelseaChop in late spring yielded promising results this year. Planning to be a little less conservative with it in 2026. #NativePlants #gardening
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Aintright @aintright.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
A Ladybird sheltering in an unfurling bracken frond. #naure #wildlife #insects #InsectThursday
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CottageGardener Ⓥ @cottagegardener.bsky.social · 21/09/2025
Asters providing great colour and pollinator food in the garden today: Flat-topped aster Sky Blue aster Calico aster (behind the Pearly Everlastings) New England aster #nativeplants #gardening #bloomscrolling #wildflowers
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CottageGardener Ⓥ @cottagegardener.bsky.social · 14/09/2025
Ladybird / Ladybug nesting in a curled up New Jersey Tea leaf this morning . 🐞❤️ #nativeplants #inverts #gardening
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CottageGardener Ⓥ @cottagegardener.bsky.social · 14/09/2025
Native Clematis (Clematis virginiana) in August (left) and September (right). It can be a prolific reseeder. But flowers emerge on new growth each season, so you can cut it back as needed or remove seed heads. #nativeplants #whatyouplantmatters #gardening #ontarionativeplants
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CottageGardener Ⓥ @cottagegardener.bsky.social · 13/09/2025
Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world - Margaret Mead. What an awesome stewardship initiative! #animals #wildlife #ontario #turtles #toronto #nature www.cp24.com/photos/2025/...
cp24.com
Here is how a Toronto group is protecting the city's turtle population
Stewardship group Turtle Protectors aims to reduce the human impacts on the city’s turtles, while also educating the public about them.
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The MagiK Garden @themagikgarden.com · 10/09/2025
I was asked how to keep Japanese honeysuckle from coming back after pulling. You need to get these nodules at the base. Pulling just detaches the stem. If you leave these, they regrow. Usually giving it a purple nurple as you pull gets it out, but a soil knife works too. #invasivespecies
Green gloved hand holding Japanese honeysuckle root with a swollen bulbous structure from which the stem grows. Photo taken in the woods with forest floor and detritus visible beneath
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CottageGardener Ⓥ @cottagegardener.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
City of Burlington priorities: fighting these naturalised gardens with harsh penalties ($400k?!), by-law changes and court action. 🤦‍♀️ #ontario #burlington #nativeplants #gardening #ontarionativeplants rabble.ca/environment/...
rabble.ca
Burlington penalizing two residents with a naturalized garden
The City of Burlington is taking a mother and daughter to court over their naturalized garden.
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CottageGardener Ⓥ @cottagegardener.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
Can we leave honey for the bees - please? And grow native plants that are still blooming this time of year? It’s so sad that honeybees are trying to survive in North America, where they are not native, and are this desperate for food. #vegan #nativeplants #inverts #bees www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
Thousands of 'robber bees' invade B.C. apiarist's shop in attempted honey heist | CBC News
"Robber bees" hunt for dwindling resources in the late summer and early fall, but they usually only attack other beehives. So the owner of Rushing River Apiaries in Terrace, B.C., was shocked to find ...
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CottageGardener Ⓥ @cottagegardener.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
Insect acrobatics this morning. 🤓 #inverts #nativeplants #gardening #whatyouplantmatters - in this case, Stiff-leaved Goldenrod (Solidago rigida), which tolerates dry conditions.
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CottageGardener Ⓥ @cottagegardener.bsky.social · 07/09/2025
Who needs all those mainstream chrysanthemums (🥱) this time of year when Bottle Gentian (Gentiana andrewsii) looks so showy from late summer to first frost and provides pollinator food? #nativeplants #gardening #bloomscrolling #ontarionativeplants
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CottageGardener Ⓥ @cottagegardener.bsky.social · 07/09/2025
Not native plant related, I know. But this sheep is just so cute! #sheep #animals #vegan #sentientbeings
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CottageGardener Ⓥ @cottagegardener.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
Finally found Wild Senna (Senna hebecarpa) for the garden this year and it’s turned into a gorgeous, showy plant with long-lasting flowers and attractive seed pods. Highly, highly recommended. #nativeplants #gardening #bloomscrolling
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CottageGardener Ⓥ @cottagegardener.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
Such wonderful overnight rain here and I was wondering where ‘my’ bumblebees found shelter. It’s so cute and ingenious- they did not disappoint. 🐝🌧️ #animals #inverts #nativeplants #gardening #bloomscrolling #sentientbeings
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CottageGardener Ⓥ @cottagegardener.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
A fantastic article about the shelter requirements of bees and how to create nesting spaces for them in your garden. 🐝 #nativeplants #gardening #ontarionativeplants growingsmallfarms.ces.ncsu.edu/2025/02/prov...
growingsmallfarms.ces.ncsu.edu
Provide Nesting Habitat for Native Bees Through Plant Stems in Your Garden
By the time springtime rolls around many folks are itching to get back into their gardens and start cleaning up in preparation for a new season of blooms. Hopefully last year’s perennials have been le...
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CottageGardener Ⓥ @cottagegardener.bsky.social · 31/08/2025
Grew these from seed and just love them. The bees do too. Dotted Mint (Monarda punctata). #NativePlants #gardening #ontarionativeplants #bloomscrolling
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CottageGardener Ⓥ @cottagegardener.bsky.social · 24/08/2025
Sleeping bumblebees 🐝 are my favourite reason to head into the garden in the early morning right now. Plant pictures: Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) #gardening #nativeplants
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gardening_kristi @gardeningkristi.bsky.social · 18/07/2025
Spotted Bee Balm is the best Bee Balm. Bees, flies, and wasps love this plant. It self sows readily and it's easy to grow from seed. No cold, wet, stratification required. 🌱 #nativeplants
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Ginny Stibolt @ginnystibolt.bsky.social · 06/07/2025
Doug Tallamy, an entomology professor, changed the whole narrative of why native plants are important for birds. His message to gardeners is, "Your garden needs to be more than just pretty, it needs to be part of the local ecosystem." Read: greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2025/07/the-...
Text with a photo of Doug Tallamy wearing a hat.
Text says, "'Caterpillars are the answer' Dr. Doug Tallamy, Author of 'Nature's Best Hope' sheds light on the importance of caterpillars in our ecosystem"
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CottageGardener Ⓥ @cottagegardener.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
Sharing some red native flora and fauna in celebration of today’s anniversary- happy Canada Day! 🇨🇦 🌱 Cardinal Flower 🌱 Red Baneberry 🪶 Northern Cardinal 🌱 Wild Strawberry #CanadaDay #nativeplants #gardening
Cardinal flowerRed BaneberryNorthern CardinalWild Strawberry
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CottageGardener Ⓥ @cottagegardener.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
The eye-catching, striped berries of Starry False Solomon’s Seal - a food source for small mammals and birds. 🤞 Hoping one of the Robins that frequent our yard will feast on these and deposit the seeds elsewhere to start a new patch. #NativePlants #gardening
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CottageGardener Ⓥ @cottagegardener.bsky.social · 29/06/2025
Another patch of invasive Daylilies removed - one more to go. Roots and rhizomes in the garbage and leaves to be composted. #invasiveplants #gardening #whatypuplantmatters
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CottageGardener Ⓥ @cottagegardener.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
Fantastic thread. Native plant gardens can look like traditional gardens, but you’ll need to do some basic upkeep to achieve this type of aesthetic. #nativeplants #gardening
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TheSnarkyFarmer @thesnarkyfarmer.bsky.social · 24/06/2025
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CottageGardener Ⓥ @cottagegardener.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
Adding a third birdbath - a container normally used under pot plants - to our collection this morning as the #Ontario heatwave continues. #birds #gardening #nativeplants #wildlife
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