grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

  • Home
  • About
  • Media
  • Crafts
  • Farm
  • Food
  • Garden
  • Reading & Books
  • Sunday Letter
  • SHOP!
  • Privacy Policy

Life in Milkweed

August 20, 2021 By Talya Tate Boerner 5 Comments

Life in Milkweed

Life in Milkweed

Milkweed is vital for monarchs because it is THE host plant for monarch butterflies (meaning, monarch butterflies lay eggs ONLY on milkweed, AND monarch caterpillars ONLY eat milkweed). Of course, there are a variety of other species besides monarchs that enjoy nectaring from milkweed.

This year, I’ve been keeping track of the critters I’ve noticed in my swamp milkweed—life beyond monarchs. And, I thought it would be fun to document this life in milkweed, the teeny flies and bugs, frogs and just-hatched insects, the butterflies feeding every afternoon. Each time I inspect my milkweed (and I do it multiple times a day), I see something new.

Remember Horton Hears a Who?

I think of that Dr. Seuss book often, because there is so much life thriving in and around the plants and blossoms.Continue Reading

Sunday Letter: 08.01.21

August 1, 2021 By Talya Tate Boerner 9 Comments

Sunday Letter

Dear Sunday Letter friends,

Happy August! Ready or not, here we go headfirst into the downhill side of summer. Dang, it is HUMID here in northwest Arkansas. We’ve been promised a break in the heat this week, and I’m keeping my fingers and toes crossed. Gracie and Annabelle like to walk 3-4 times a day, but for now, a walk in the early morning and one after sunset has to do it.  Gracie is the first to feel the heat—her black coat heats up in no time (plus she’s closest to the scorched Earth)—and she doesn’t like it one little bit. She lies on the back porch in the shade, as close to the back yard as possible, dreaming of fall.

Sweet girl just turned nine months old in July!

Gracie

Continue Reading

Purple and Blue in the Summer Garden

July 16, 2021 By Talya Tate Boerner 4 Comments

purple and blue in the garden

I love purple and blue in the summer garden. Blue, especially, is more rare. Don’t you think? If you want to attract a variety of pollinators to your garden, it’s important to include diverse plantings in a variety of colors. Adding blue and purple will attract certain butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, and even bats.

Today is all about a few of my favorite purple and blue blossoms for your summer garden. Continue Reading

Next Page »

Talya Tate Boerner


Hi! I'm Talya. Writer, Reader, Arkansas Master Naturalist / Master Gardener, Baylor graduate. Author of

THE ACCIDENTAL SALVATION OF GRACIE LEE (2016)

GENE, EVERYWHERE: a life-changing visit from my father-in-law (2020)

BERNICE RUNS AWAY (Oct '22)

Click to BUY NOW!

Buy Now
Gene, Everywhere

Never miss a blog post! Subscribe via email:

Receive my not-very-regular Newsletter?

Most Popular Posts…

  • How to harvest Coneflower Seeds
  • Sunday Letter: 08.14.22
  • Homepage
  • Diary of a Spicebush Swallowtail Caterpillar
  • Yum Yum Cake - old southern recipe!

Most Recent

  • Sunday Letter: 08.14.22
  • Sunday Letter: 07.31.22
  • Book Reviews: July 2022
  • Sunday Letter: 07.24.22
  • Sunday Letter: 07.17.22

Prior Posts

Search Categories

Tags

A to Z April Blog Challenge Autumn BAT Book Reviews childhood Christmas creative writing prompt Dallas Desserts Eureka Springs Fall Fayetteville Food Gracie Lee Halloween Hemingway-Pfeiffer home humor Johnson Family Keiser Lake Norfork Lucy and Annabelle Mississippi County Mississippi Delta moving Munger Place Nana nature Northeast Arkansas Northwest Arkansas Osceola poem Reading Schnauzer simple living simple things spring spring gardening Summer sunday letter Talya Tate Boerner novel The Accidental Salvation of Gracie Lee Thomas Tate Winter Wordless Wednesday
Follow on Bloglovin

Food. Farm. Garden. Life.

THANKS FOR READING!

All content and photos Copyright Grace, Grits and Gardening © 2022 · Web Hosting By StrataByte

This is a demo store for testing purposes — no orders shall be fulfilled. Dismiss