Keep Americus Beautiful

Hooray for bugs! Instead of squashing them, learn how bugs help you every day. Although there are bugs that bite us, or some that sting to defend their homes and family, most bugs are helpful critters. . . Dragonflies are the colors of precious gems - sapphire blues and emerald greens - and did you know that they eat mosquitoes?!? .... . Ladybug larvae look like little crinkly caterpillars but they actually eat aphids that eat our garden plants. . . Hover flies look like little bees but they are flies and they don't sting. . . Beetles are "the largest group of animals on earth" (from Smtihsonian webpage si.edu/spotlight/buginfo/beetle) and help clean up everything from dead plants and animals to poop! If we didn't have such a good cleanup crew, imagine how much dead stuff would be left on the ground!! Turn over a rock or dead tree branch and look for beetles and tell them thank you . . . #backyardscience #backyardbugs #backyardwildlife #stayathome #homescience #pollinators #backyardgarden #keepgeorgiabeautiful #keepamericusbeautiful #beetles See more

In addition to butterflies and honeybees (which are not native to the U.S.), there are lots of native bees the are important pollinators. Besides planting lovely flowers and veggies, you can help pollinators by building them a home! It is very, very important to build the bee hotel correctly and to clean it each year. If you don't clean it, bee parasites will move in and hurt the bees. This is a long link but is a great article on the correct way to build and care for a bee hotel: https://pollinators.msu.edu//building-and-managing-bee-ho/ . . . #backyardgarden #backyardscience #homegardens #homescience #stayathome #backyardwildlife #pollinators # native bees #beehotel #beehotels #keepgeorgiabeautiful #keepamericusbeautiful

Songbirds can be found in a variety of colors and sizes. The fruit of Beautyberry is another treat many birds enjoy. . Many birds are very particular about the kinds of foods that they eat. Make lists of birds that prefer eating seeds and birds that would rather eat insects and insect larvae. . .... #backyardgarden #feedthebirds #backyardscience #homegardens #homescience #stayathome #backyardwildlife #keepamericusbeautiful #keepgeorgiabeautiful #hostplants

How many birds did you find on your scavenger hunt? You can welcome more birds to your yard by putting out feeders and planting plants that provide tasty bird treats. Coneflowers, Black-eyed Susans and Sunflowers are some common flowers whose seeds are favorite bird food. Serviceberries, crabapples and other fruit trees also invite birds to visit your yard. . Do a little online research and make a list of other plants whose fruit or seeds provide good bird food. . .... #backyardgarden #feedthebirds #backyardscience #homegardens #homescience #stayathome #backyardwildlife #keepamericusbeautiful #keepgeorgiabeautiful #hostplants See more

Have a backyard scavenger hunt!. . How many birds can you spot? Identify the birds using the Audubon app or Merlin Bird ID app by Cornell University. . .... How about different bugs? They actually have a lot of important jobs -- pollinators, food for other critters, clean-up crew (more on bugs later!). . Speaking of pollinators, how many pollinators can you find? Birds, bats, butterflies, moths, beetles, wasps and bees can be pollinators. . Pollinators go from flower to flower, which spreads pollen and fertilizes the flower, creating seeds and nuts, fruits and vegetables. Without pollinators we wouldn’t have food!! . . ##backyardgarden #butterflies #caterpillars #hostplants #backyardscience #homescience #pollinators #backyardwildlife #keepamericusbeautiful #keepgeorgiabeautiful See more

Focus on Fritillaries: OK, I'll admit it's a little early in the season to see passionflowers and their dependents, the Gulf Fritillary, but keep your eyes open in the coming weeks! This native vine grows in sunny places and many people think of it as a weed. Both the Gulf Fritillary butterfly and caterpillar are orange and black. The caterpillars look prickly but they are harmless. If you make a nice habitat for the caterpillars, pick fresh leaves each day for them to eat an...d watch closely, you can witness their whole metamorphosis into a butterfly. Be sure to set the butterflies free as soon as their wings are dry!! There are other types of caterpillars munching away, though. Look around the yard for leaves that have been eaten. Don't see any caterpillars? Look under the leaves or at different times of the day, especially early in the morning. . . . #backyardgarden #butterflies #caterpillars #hostplants #hostplantsforbutterflies #backyardscience #metamorphosis #passionflower #gooutdoors #pollinators #homescience #nature #backyardwildlife #keepgeorgiabeautiful #keepamericusbeautiful

Many kinds of caterpillars only eat one or two kinds of plant leaves. These plants are called 'host plants.' *What kinds of host plants can you find in your yard? *What kinds of butterflies? ... *Do you see any caterpillars yet? If you do, check on them each day to see how much they've grown! *What might happen to these butterflies if they can't find their host plants? Here is a list from artofstonegardening.com to get you started. Many of these plants are very common! Others, like Dutchman's Pipe Vine, you can order by mail. Fennel is also easy to grow and provides lots of caterpillar activity . Don't be alarmed if it seems like the caterpillars eat ALL the leaves from the pipevine, it will grow new ones, I promise! Banded Hairstreak Oaks Quercus species Black Swallowtail members of the carrot family including dill, parsley and fennel Buckeye Broad-leaf plantain, ruellia, gerardia Checkered Whites Mustard family Cloudless Giant Sulfur Senna, coffeeweed Cassia species Giant Swallowtail Hercules club, members of the citrus family Gray Hairstreak Beans, clover Gulf Fritillary and Zebra Longwing Native passion flowers Passiflora Hackberry Butterfly Hackberry, elms Henry’s Elfin Blueberry Long-Tailed Skipper Members of the bean family Monarch Milkweed Asclepias species Mourning Cloak, Viceroy and Question Mark Elm Ulmus species, willows Olive Hairstreak Red cedar Painted Lady and American Painted Lady Thistle Palamedes Swallowtail Sassafras Pearly Crescentspot Native asters Pipevine Swallowtail Pipevine, snakeroot Red-Spotted Purple Wild cherry Silver-Spotted Skipper Black locust and other members of the bean family Snout Butterfly Hackberry Spicebush Swallowtail Lindera benzoin Spicebush Spring Azure Native dogwoods Cornus Sulfurs, Gray Hairstreak Clovers, dill, carrot, parsley, fennel Tiger Swallowtail Tulip poplar, green ash, white ash, sweet bay, wild cherry Various Skippers Native grasses Zebra Swallowtail Paw paw Asimina . . . . . #backyardgarden #backyardwildlife #pollinators #beneficialinsects #homescience #gooutdoors #nature #organicgardening #butterflies #caterpillars #hostplants

Are your kids already saying they're bored? The springtime weather is beautiful and you can easily turn your entire back yard into a science lesson (and they don't even have to know it!). Over the next few days we'll be sharing ideas for outdoor activities that are fun for kids and grownups alike. Get ready to learn about the wild life going on right in your back yard! . . . .... . #keepamericusbeautiful #keepgeorgiabeautiful #keepamericabeautiful #backyardgarden #backyardwildlife #pollinators #beneficialinsects #homescience #gooutdoors #nature # organicgardening #homeschool #schoolathome #backyardbirds See more

Did you know beautifying heavily trafficked areas helps to prevent litter? See what you can do in your community, and remember to hold on to your trash until you can dispose of it responsibly. #reconsiderlitter #keepgeorgiabeautifulfoundation # do beautiful things #keepamericusbeautiful

We've all had to postpone events and activities and plan to spend more time at home, but don't sit around being bored! As long as you aren't close to other people, you can still go for a walk or work in your yard. Slow down and take time to notice things you might miss on a regular day - those pretty purple wildflowers, the red-tailed hawk in the tree next door, or a glorious sunrise! . . . .... . #keepamericusbeautiful #keepgeorgiabeautiful #keepamericabeautiful #wildflowers #homegardening #urbanwildlife #dobeautifulthings #dontbebored #dogsofinstagram #staysafe #americus #watchthesunrise #takeawalk @ Americus, Georgia See more

Keiko Huffman, a senior at Kennesaw Mountain High School and an intern at Keep Cobb Beautiful, is one of many people across Georgia joining us in our campaign to #reconsiderlitter. In 2019, she received the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation Student of the Year Award and the Keep America Beautiful Youth Leader Under 25 Award for her efforts to improve the environment. Visit the KGBF blog to read our interview with Keiko and discover how you can create change in your own community. http://ow.ly/HCbo50yJYow

We're postponing this activity until the COVID-19 virus has abated. Take care of yourselves and your families!