Plants & wildlife of these three acres.
A working reference on the native plants, pollinators, and animals that make this corner of Hunterdon County a functioning ecosystem — not just a garden. Vetted by our resident ecologist.
Meet Lulu.
Our resident ecologist.
Ecologist & entomologist
Lulu earned her B.S. in Biology from the University of Vermont, followed by an MScR in Biological Sciences from the University of Bristol, UK — where her thesis research focused on plant-pollinator relationships on the Channel Islands. She keeps this field guide honest.
Every entry you’ll read here — the growing notes, the spec sheets, the pollinator relationships — is reviewed against current science. When you see “Lulu says —” on a page, that’s the ecologist’s take: what the research actually says about how a plant fits into an ecosystem, in plain English.
Three chapters.
Chapter one
Native plants
Milkweeds, coneflowers, asters, goldenrods — the flowers, shrubs, and trees that evolved in New Jersey and support the animals that evolved alongside them.
Browse plants →
Chapter two
Pollinators
Native bees, butterflies, moths, hover flies, wasps, and the only native breeding hummingbird in the eastern US — with what they eat, where they nest, and which plants they need.
Browse pollinators →
Backyard birds
Year-round residents, summer breeders, winter visitors, and migratory stopover species — what they eat, when they visit, and which native plants keep them coming back.
Browse birds →
A few to start with.
- AtNative · NJ
Butterfly Milkweed
Asclepias tuberosa
The orange one. A dry-meadow milkweed with clusters of small vivid blooms that hold a huge diversity of pollinators through the hot months.…
- Type
- Perennial flower
- Bloom
- Jun–Aug
- EpNative · NJ
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
The classic pink-purple prairie daisy with a raised copper-brown center. Blooms for months in the height of summer and holds up in a vase or…
- Type
- Perennial flower
- Bloom
- Jun–Sep
- AiNative · NJ
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
The pink milkweed. A tidy, upright plant that stays where you plant it — no aggressive runners like Common Milkweed — with clusters of small…
- Type
- Perennial flower
- Bloom
- Jun–Aug