Intown Atlanta Chapter of the Georgia Native Plant Society

05/08/2026

Did you know that Georgia is home to over 500 species of native bees? Many of those are small, solitary, and often overlooked. Native landscapes provide habitat for them, along with hover flies, butterflies, birds, and more.

05/07/2026

The Mt. Cuba Center in Delaware has been studying native plants and their cultivars for their garden-worthiness and ecological value for over twenty years. This is a great opportunity to learn about some of their research and findings. You may get inspired to add a few more pollinator favorites to your garden!

The event will take place at the Atlanta Botanical Garden and will also be live-streamed from their FB page.

Which native plants do the most for pollinators, and how do you know? Find out at our upcoming Speaker Series, Beyond Beauty - The Wildlife Value of Natives and Native Cultivars at Mt. Cuba Center.

Speaker Sam Hoadley has spent years evaluating native plants in Mt. Cuba’s Trial Garden, and on May 12, he’s bringing the data to Atlanta. Expect deep dives into pollinator observations from completed trails plus previews of what’s currently being tracked.

📅 Tuesday, May 12 | 7 - 8pm
📍 Atlanta Botanical Garden

Presented as part of the Philip and Elkin Alston Lecture Series.

Register: https://www.treesatlanta.org/get-involved/events/speaker-series-beyond-beauty-the-wildlife-value-of-natives-and-native-cultivars-at-mt-cuba-center-a2BUd000002H9k5MAC

05/07/2026

Are you one of the lucky folks who snagged Spigelia marilandica at our swap last weekend? Spigelia is a gorgeous perennial that does well in shady gardens and is native to woodlands and forests throughout Georgia.

The stunning early summer blooms attract hummingbirds and add vibrant colors to the woodland landscape. Spigelia can be found occasionally at native plant nurseries, and the “Little Redhead” cultivar will sometimes turn up at mainstream nurseries as well.

04/30/2026

May will be a busy month at our restoration sites! Workdays at our habitat restoration sites are opportunities to meet great people, take care of our local green spaces, restore wildlife habitat, and learn a lot, too! It’s a rewarding way to make a visible difference in your community.

We have six workdays coming up in May:

•Mary Scott Nature Park: Saturday 5/2, 12 - 2 pm

•Zonolite Park: Tuesday 5/5, 9 am

•Herbert Taylor and Daniel Johnson Park: Saturday 5/9, 9 am - 12 pm

•Herbert Taylor and Daniel Johnson Park: Friday 5/15, 9 am - 12 pm

•W.D. Thomson Park: Saturday 5/16, 9 am - 12 pm

•Zonolite Park: Tuesday 5/19, 9 am

In general, wear long sleeves and pants and closed-toe shoes. Bring sun protection, bug spray, and water, as well as gloves and tools if you have them.

Visit gnps.org/intown for more info on all of these sites!

04/29/2026

The spring native plant swap is coming up Saturday, so here’s a reminder of some plants commonly thought to be native here that actually aren’t.

We’ve probably all made some of these mistakes! Even the Georgia state legislature did when they made Cherokee Rose the state flower in 1916, believing it to be native to Georgia.

The authoritative source to use for native status in each ecoregion of Georgia is Weakley’s Flora of the Southeastern United States. It’s available as a website or an app, FloraQuest: Carolinas and Georgia.
https://fsus.ncbg.unc.edu

Not all of these are necessarily problematic - many of us have some of these in our yard. The goal here is education, not shame! The plants marked with an asterisk are listed on the Georgia invasive species list, meaning that they do spread into natural areas, reducing biodiversity and habitat.

What are some non-native plants you’ve seen people mistake as native in Georgia?

04/26/2026

As part of the City Nature Challenge, Vanessa Miot and Laura Qadri led a community science walk through Lionel Hampton-Beecher Hills Nature Preserve today, where we observed paw paw, river cane, blue-eyed grass, and more. Special thanks to Bruce Morton, who leads the Friends of the Park group, for coming by to give us some of the park’s history as well as future plans.

You can still make observations on iNaturalist for the Atlanta City Nature Challenge led by Fernbank Museum through tomorrow, April 27th. After that, you can upload and identify observations made during the CNC through May 10th. Have fun exploring, observing, and documenting our urban forest!

04/25/2026

04/23/2026

04/22/2026

The Atlanta City Nature Challenge, led locally by Fernbank Museum, is April 24-27. Participation in this global community science initiative is easy!

- Find any WILD plant, animal, or evidence of life in the city. (Wild means that it wasn’t put there, and isn’t being taken care of, by people.)

- Take a picture or record a sound of what you found, and be sure to note the location.

- Share your observations through iNaturalist.

Take part in one of the events being held throughout the city!

4/25 8 am - 9 pm (four sessions) at Gresham Park Recreation Center - Bio Blitz led by and DeKalb County Parks & Rec.
Native plant expert volunteers needed! Email tlmesser @ dekalbcounty.gov.

4/25 10 am - 12 pm at Southside Park - Community Bio Blitz led by City of Atlanta Department of Parks and Recreation

4/25 10 am - 12 pm at Perkerson Park - Tree Tour led by Trees Atlanta

4/26 1-3 pm at Lionel Hampton-Beecher Hills Nature Preserve - Biodiversity Walk led by Intown Atlanta GNPS and friends of the preserve

4/26 1 - 3 pm at Adams Park - Community Bio Blitz led by

4/26 2 pm at Melton Park - Nature Meetup led by Park Pride and Friends of Melton Park

4/26 3 pm at Montreal Park, Tucker - Forest walk hosted by South Fork Conservancy

04/21/2026

The spring native plant swap is quickly approaching! Get your plants potted up and labeled, and come out to Zonolite Park on May 2nd to swap and socialize.

You can swap up to 10 plants, but if you have extras, feel free to bring them to share. If you’re just starting out, come anyway - we will have extra plants so everyone gets to take some home!

04/20/2026

Thank you to everyone who made this year’s wonderful native habitat garden tour possible!