Gardening with Gordon

05/29/2026

Do you start looking for wild Blackberries (Rubus spp.) this time of year? If so, keep an eye out for this unique caterpillar that feeds on native Blackberry leaves.

It’s called the Camouflaged Looper (Synchlora aerata), and for a good reason. To avoid predators, Camouflaged Loopers adorn themselves with fragments of the plant they’re feeding on! They clip off bits of flowers and leaves and then attach them to their back with silk. For instance, this caterpillar’s back is adorned with the pollen-bearing anthers of blackberry flowers! When the caterpillars moult or switch host plants, they even do a costume change to match their new host plant!

Camouflaged Loopers feed on a wide variety of native plants, including fleabanes (Erigeron spp.), goldenrods (Solidago spp.), coneflowers (Rudbeckia spp.), bonesets (Eupatorium spp.), and blackberries (Rubus spp.).

05/28/2026

Gardening with some of the local quadrupeds

05/26/2026

Looking for love

05/26/2026

Orange coneflower is such a cheerful bloomer in the garden. Bigger and better every year.

05/25/2026

Male Scarlet Tanagers (Piranga olivacea) have a gorgeous red and black breeding plumage. This time of year, they’re found across the Piedmont of the Carolinas and Georgia and to our north in hardwood forests. They spend most of their time high in the trees, so they’re rarely seen. Photo by Bmajoros, CC BY-SA 4.0

05/25/2026

More often than not, I find rain a positive on Memorial Day. Those out on the lake instead of on the porch might disagree, but the garden gets where I'm coming from.

05/22/2026

Not all caterpillars are pests. Many will grow into butterflies and moths that help pollinate your garden later on.

The difference comes down to recognition. When you know which species you’re seeing, you can respond more thoughtfully—leaving the beneficial ones and managing those that cause serious damage.

Because balance matters. A few chewed leaves are part of a healthy ecosystem, but large infestations can stress plants. The goal isn’t to ignore the problem—it’s to step in only when it’s truly needed.

A resilient garden supports the full cycle.
Leaf-eating caterpillars today. Pollinating adults tomorrow.

Work with that rhythm, and your garden becomes stronger, more stable, and more alive over time.

05/22/2026

Some cool plant photos aren't taken in the garden.

05/21/2026

Calm, cloudy mornings can make for great flower scenes.

05/21/2026

Leave them be.

If you’re out near a body of water this Memorial Day weekend, you might come across this harmless snake. Eastern Ribbon Snakes (Thamnophis sauritus) live up to their name with their long, slender body and three distinct yellow to white stripes running their length. They’re semi-aquatic, so you might spot one while fishing on the shoreline or out in a boat. Eastern Ribbon Snakes live across the eastern United States, including here in the Piedmont, but they’re more common in the marshes of the Coastal Plain.

Some of you may be thinking, “That’s not a Ribbon Snake, it’s a Common Gartersnake (Thamnophis sirtalis)!” I understand the confusion; they are quite similar in appearance. To tell them apart, Eastern Ribbon Snakes are more slender and lack black vertical lines on their lip scales (see photo in comments). If you don’t want to get close enough to look at the snake’s lips 🤣, you can also guess based on habitat. If it’s swimming in the water, it’s likely the semiaquatic Eastern Ribbon Snake, whereas if it’s along the grassy shoreline, it’s a Common Gartersnake. Eastern Ribbon Snakes often swim in shallow water as they hunt for amphibians and small fish.

Photo by Peter Paplanus, Flickr, CC BY 2.0