By Terry W. Johnson

With each passing day, we are moving inexorably toward the peak of the hummingbird season. It is that special time of year when squadrons of hummingbirds invade our backyards, each vying for the opportunity to feed on nectar from our flowers and feeders.

By Terry W. Johnson

A common axiom states that if you want an abundance of wildlife in your backyard, you need to supply food, water and cover.

But the truth is you can provide wildlife with those three elements and still not attract as much wildlife as you thought you would. When this happens, the culprit may be the improper use of pesticides – insecticides, fungicides, herbicides.

Terry W. Johnson

Make no mistake about it, we Georgians love hummingbirds. Each year folks from Woodbine to West Point and Bainbridge to Helen and countless cities and towns in between spend hours enjoying the beauty and aerial acrobatics of the birds that John James Audubon called "glittering fragments of the rainbow."  

By Terry W. Johnson

One of the things I enjoy most about spring is that at this time of year we are treated to Mother Nature's annual parade of wildflowers. This special event actually begins before the official arrival of spring and extends well into May. Like the bands, floats and marchers in a traditional parade, each of our wildflowers appears across the Georgia countryside in an ordered sequence.

By Terry W. Johnson

If you would like to host a Baltimore oriole in your backyard, unbelievably there is no better time to try doing so than right now.

By Terry W. Johnson

I can remember years ago that I was surprised to hear a man say, "The only good sweetgum is a dead sweetgum." Although I knew that sweetgum had its detractors, until then I hadn’t realized that some folks passionately hated the tree.

By Terry W. Johnson

I consider the strawberry bush (Euonymous Americana) one our most beautiful native shrubs, and deserving of a place in home landscapes across the state. If you are not familiar with this plant, all it would take is for me to show you one laden with its attractive seed capsules and you would immediately agree with me.

By Terry W. Johnson

By Terry W. Johnson

There is an amazing array of wildlife that live in our backyards. Beyond a shadow of a doubt the two groups of animals that garner most of our attention are birds and butterflies. However, this is slowly changing as more Georgians are beginning to focus their attention on dragonflies. These people have discovered that dragonflies are every bit as beautiful and fascinating as the headliners of the wildlife show staged daily in their backyards.

By Terry W. Johnson

Now that we have celebrated Memorial Day, Georgia hummingbird enthusiasts know the time is drawing near when the numbers of hummingbirds visiting their feeders will soon be rising. They also realize that more ants, yellow jackets, honeybees and wasps will be converging on hummingbird feeders in search of a sugary meal. This can cause problems for hummingbirds and humans alike.

Knowing what lies in store, let's take a quick look at some strategies you can employ to thwart the advances of these insects.