NC Extension Master Gardener Volunteers, Watauga County

Hummingbirds are back in town. Find nectar rich native plants to attract them to your yard in the North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox found here -
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/find_a_plant/?nc_region__id=2&attracts__id=6

Also check out the Audubon article on creating hummingbird friendly yards

How to Create a Hummingbird-Friendly Yard A little water, a few flowers, and a few perches will bring these tiny dynamos to visit.

Have you made your 2026 Fruit Plant Sale order yet? Click on this link to the order form. https://ncextension.acemlna.com/lt.php?x=4lZy~GDDUqOZ5pN__NPOW.Se132miwDzw~Y3k5bDUnLOD8_5yky7xOJy23Mh-RVfjDZo4XPGKnWf95_6ydPLYOFr142jjt90kMs

If you’ve made your order and need information on growing you plant download this PDF - https://drive.google.com/file/d/14VDevZRqBNCL9vggxBKFBGXS_Pp3lobf/view?usp=drivesdk

WATAUGA EXTENSION SERVICE 2026 FRUIT PLANT SALE HAS BEGUN
https://watauga.ces.ncsu.edu/2026/01/2026-fruit-plant-sale-now-taking-orders/

Heirloom Apples, Blackberries, Blueberries, Raspberries, Strawberries, Grapes, and Asparagus Available

Snow can be beneficial to a garden and plants. But ice??? not so much! As things thaw and we move into Spring, you might be looking at your plants and asking ‘is it dead or is it dormant?’. Here is a link to a video that will help you answer that question.

The Midweek Program - "Dead vs. Dormant: How to Tell if Your Plant's Still Alive" Presented by Sophia McCusker, Nursery Technician, Evan Villani, Research Technician, and Blake Wentley, Education Assistant, JC Raulston Arboretum on January...

We’re having our first snowfall of the year. Here’s how snow benefits your garden!

https://wwwpbsncorg.bento3-staging-live.pbs.org/blogs/science/snow-is-good-for-your-garden/ #

Snow is Good for Your Garden | PBS North Carolina The old saying “a good winter with snow makes the plants grow” has a lot of science behind it.

The Joro spider has not yet been reported in our area. Most sightings have been in the sout-western part of our state. If you do see one when you are out and about you can report it on the iNaturalist list below. To see where it has already been reported click the link here -

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=30&subview=map&taxon_id=904334&fbclid=IwVERFWANXK79leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHmSNf0B3Q1ZHTkGvT4cHJ1jrEQrEGSgmN2nsfbc-SrS7z6lMgWaTxAVqRa-T_aem_wMJGGXG5k7CyySpkEJSB0g

We've asked you to help us track the spread of the non-native joro spider in NC on iNaturalist.org.
But, it's easy to confuse the joro spider with several native lookalikes like the black and yellow garden spider (writing spider), golden silk spider (banana spider), orchard spider, and basilica orbweaver.
This link from the NC State Extension Plant Disease and Insect Clinic is helpful for distinguishing between these spiders:
https://pdic.ces.ncsu.edu/2024/07/similar-but-different-these-are-not-joro-spiders

📸 In the top left corner is an image of a mature female Joro spider. In the top center is an image of a female golden silk spider. In the top right is an image of a female black and yellow garden spider. In the bottom left is an image of an orchard spider. In the bottom right is an image of a basilica orbweaver.

🐦 9 Plants Not To Cut in Fall: Birds Need Them for Winter

1) Coneflowers (Echinacea)
• Leave seed heads standing through winter.
• Cut back only in early spring.

2) Black-Eyed Susans (Rudbeckia)
• Keep dark seed heads until late winter.
• Goldfinches & chickadees feed on them.

3) Sunflowers (Helianthus)
• Large seed heads = natural bird feeders.
• If stalks flop, lay them down or prop up.

4) Joe-Pye W**d (Eutrochium)
• Tall seed heads feed small birds.
• Foliage adds snow-cover shelter.

5) Goldenrod (Solidago)
• Keep stems and seeds all winter.
• Sparrows & juncos rely on them.

6) Ornamental Grasses (Miscanthus, Panicum, etc.)
• Don’t cut back until spring.
• Provide seeds, shelter, & winter interest.

7) Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’
• Leave dried flower heads intact.
• Birds love seeds; adds frosty texture.

8) Asters
• Leave uncut until spring.
• Birds feed on their small seeds.

9) Native Shrubs with Berries (Viburnum, Dogwood, Elderberry)
• Keep berries for winter food.
• Only prune weak or diseased branches.

The spotted lanternfly is rapidly spreading in NC! With two new county detections in the state just this year, it is important to know what to look for with our new scouting guide!
Learn what to look for, when and where to look, and what to do if you discover them.
https://forestry.ces.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Spotted-Lanternfly-Scouting-Guide-4.pdf?fwd=no

You may have seen this wasp in your garden. In addition to being a good parent they are also good pollinators. Potter wasps are solitary and although they can sting, they are non-aggressive.

Welcome back to “Moms Who Build Tiny Homes and Kidnap Caterpillars.” Today’s episode: the fraternal potter wasp.

This architectural icon crafts miniature mud pots using just soil and spit. Once the pot is complete, she lays a single egg inside. But that egg needs snacks. Live ones.

So, like any loving parent, she goes hunting for caterpillars. Once she finds one, she stings it in the head to paralyze it. Then she shoves the caterpillar into the pot, seals it up like Tupperware, and leaves.

Inside the pot, the baby hatches and eats the still-living caterpillar over the course of several days. The wasp larvae will undergo metamorphosis, transform into an adult, bust out of the pot and go on to create the next generation of mud pot arteests.

Photo by Michael Schramm/USFWS

Gardenism