Certified Wildlife Habitat Tour

Hello! Get ready to take some notes, because you're about to learn something! This is my backyard Certified Wildlife Habitat, and even I picked up a few things while researching the 50+ plants and 30+ pollinators that are beautifully documented in this highly informative video.
My name is Coelin Jasper, but my friends call me CJ, and I would like to formally welcome you to my channel Gratefully Outdoors where I promote health and wellness by engaging in healthy activities outside! Whether it's in your backyard gardening, trekking through some exotic jungle, or splashing around in the waves at some beautiful beach. I believe that nature truly is the best medicine, and that nothing reduces the stresses of everyday life like going outside and getting into nature. So come along with me as I share my passion for one of my favorite activities. Gardening! It is an extremely meditative and rewarding way to help yourself while helping your local wildlife. Creating a habitat where you can bring the wonders of the natural world closer and immerse yourself in all its splendor will bring joy and a sense of awe for all who visit. I love giving backyard tours and am very happy you joined me today!
My tour starts with the amazing Yaupon Holly. One of my garden guru mentors and good friends Taylor would refer to it as a hell of shrub! LOL. Aside from being an easily trainable ornamental evergreen that can be a bush or a small tree. It is North America's only naturally caffeinated plant. The birds love the beautiful red berries, and the honeybees find the blooms irresistible! I go on to share many more plants, being sure to include any cool moths or butterflies that use them as a host plant.
Here is a list of the host plants included along with their companions:
-Gegg's Mistflower and White Mistflower - Rawson's Metalmark
-Texas, Dallas Red, and Purple Trailing Lantana - Five-Spotted Hawk
-Turk's Cap - Turk's Cap White Skipper
-Tall Golden Rod - Silvery Checkerspot
- Pipevine/Dutchman's Pipe - Pipevine Swallowtail
- Purple Passionflower - Gulf Fritillary, Variegated Fritillary, Zebra Longwing, Julia Longwing
- Common Sunflower - Bordered Patch
- Texas Thistle - Painted Lady
- Butterfly, and Both Tropical Milkweeds - Monarch, Soldier, Queen
- Mustang Grape - Eight-Spotted Forester
- Mint - Gray Hairstreak
- Rue - Giant Swallowtail, Black Swallowtail, Anise Swallowtail
- Beggars Lice - Silver-Spotted Skipper
- Texas Mountain Laurel - Orange Sulfur
- Mesquite Tree - Reakirt's Blue
- Hackberry Tree - Hackberry Emperor, Tawny Emperor, Question Mark, Empress Leila
- Mistletoe - Great Purple Hairstreak
- Texas Persimmon - Gray Hairstreak
- American Holly - Henry's Elfin
- Red Mulberry Tree - Mourning Cloak
Most of these butterflies are very particular about their host plant. However a few of them, like the Painted Lady, Henry's Elfin, and Gray Hairstreak will lay their eggs on a wider variety of plants.
Honorable mentions that aren't host plant, but that will add a lot to your garden include:
- Chili Pequin
- Purple Heart
- The incredible pollinator magnet butterfly bush known as Buddleia
- Horsemint (Native Monarda that attracts Lightning Bugs)
- Texas Vervain
- Chocolate mint (Great in Coffee!) Will hybridize if planted near other mints
- Knockout Rose
- Sweet Almond Verbena
- Purple Bearded Iris
- Green Poinsettia
- False Willow
- Prairie Coneflower
- Jerusalem Sage
- Honeysuckle
- Coral Honeysuckle
- Black and Blue Salvia
- Crinum Lily
- Crossvine
- Star Jasmine
- Monarda aka Beebalm
- Evergreen Wisteria
- Crepe Myrtle
- Peach Tree
- Pumpkin
- Gypsy Pepper
- Silverleaf Nightshade
- False Dandelion aka Texas Dandelion
-Prickly Pear Cactus
Any and all of these plants would make excellent additions to your garden. So, if you would like to attract more honeybees, bumblebees, moths, butterflies, lizards, frogs and a whole lot more to your garden plug'em in! I should also add that Mockingbirds love Chili Pequins. Cedar Wax Wing love Red Mulberry, and Cardinal, Lesser Gold Finch, and Black-crested titmouse are all big fans of thistle and sunflower!
Hope you enjoy the tour! Happy Gardening! Gratefully Outdoors!
Please like, share, and subscribe! Much more to come!

[@Amanda-ze6ft]

Such a beautiful.garden! I love seeing earthy, natural style gardening like what you have done. Thank you for taking part in providing a safe garden for pollinators complete with host plants.

[@Butterfliessgalore]

What a lovely tour! 🐝

[@eylh11]

Love this!

[@jessicaerke691]

Very interesting and educational.

[@gratefullyoutdoors]

Thanks! Glad you liked it!

[@user-qz6vi6dv1l]

Would enjoy more videos

[@gratefullyoutdoors]

Coming soon!

[@AlsanPine]

did the certified wildlife when they started years ago. i have a little orchard / food forest with many of the flowers you have. i like the way you show closeups with names and attracted species. i wish i had something like this in the 70's when i started 🙂 couple of flowers to try: nigella and anise hyssop. great vid 🙂

[@michaeljonesdougherty.209]

💚it's a habitat paradise Thankyou for your help with our birds bees butter flys friends I was so excited 3 years ago haveing my cottage garden became certified habitat 💚

[@gratefullyoutdoors]

It's my pleasure! Congrats on your habitat, I'm sure it's beautiful!

[@madilanglois2660]

beautiful stuff!!! very inspiring to try and introduce more host plants into my yard :)

[@gratefullyoutdoors]

The more the better! 😃

[@d.a.t.administrationllc2540]

CJ - I can't watch this enough - so much to learn. Such an awesome video 🥰

[@gratefullyoutdoors]

So glad you like it!

[@JewelzFinazzo]

Dope video!

[@gratefullyoutdoors]

Glad you like it! I had a lot of fun putting it together.

[@suzanlins3058]

Nice work, CJ!

[@gratefullyoutdoors]

Thanks Suzan! It was a labor of love!

[@ismaeldominguez6957]

I love it bro. Crane America

[@gratefullyoutdoors]

Crane!!!!!

[@lisalikesplants]

Great video! Good to see more channels promoting native plants! 🌱🌱🌱

[@gratefullyoutdoors]

Thank you so much! I love my natives!

[@roger236]

Great job! All that info is good but I would rather post'm at a web page because all that interruption and 'dings' all the time are really annoying.

[@PenguinTac0s]

Great video!!!

[@gratefullyoutdoors]

Thank you!

[@PenguinTac0s]

Loved how you added both the images of the butterflies on each host plant and the host plant when its flowering instead of just naming them@@gratefullyoutdoors

[@gratefullyoutdoors]

Thanks! It took a while to find and assemble the perfect images! @@PenguinTac0s

[@barbaracaraway5749]

I love your garden! Unfortunately, some of the plants you use are considered invasive where I live. I will just drool over yours :)

[@gratefullyoutdoors]

So glad you like it! I feel like it gets better every year! Will keep you posted! 😁

[@savannamauldin8701]

I might swap out my dead star jasmine wall for cross vine, based on your recommendation!

[@gratefullyoutdoors]

Wouldn't be a bad idea! You'll notice people all over town are doing it! 🤗

[@josedasarvores]

Wow cool that Yaupon Holly is the only naturally caffeinated North American plant, I wonder if you could grind that up into a nice yerba mate style tea 🧉

[@gratefullyoutdoors]

I've never tried, but I hear that you can!

[@marky3131]

Good channel. Good topic. Disappointed to see some of the invasives though.

[@gratefullyoutdoors]

Been "balling on a budget". Lol Some plants were gifted, others were on sale, and some of them got planted by the birds. It changes every year. I've got an idea of which plants you're talking about, but which ones would you like to see me phase out? Not gonna lie, that Maypop is popping up everywhere. Thanks for the feedback. 😃

[@marky3131]

@@gratefullyoutdoors it’s ur garden and u get to plant what you want. I have non natives as well but my personal rule is no invasives. I’d have to go back and look again but one that sticks in my mind is the butterfly bush. U can Google it regarding its invasive problems. And while butterflies live them they have less nutritional value than natives and is not a host plant for any butterflies. I’m happy to see your channels’ focus on insects.

[@gratefullyoutdoors]

@@marky3131 you're so right. I'll amend my video to let people know it's invasive, and as much as it hurts, I'm going to take them out. They're just so popular and pretty! Picked them up for a buck a piece at a plant sale right after moving in and planted them before I knew. I aggressively deadhead to limit spread and fortunately haven't noticed any over the last seven years. It says online that they can eventually damage your foundation and I didn't realize they were less nutritious. Gotta Go! I love the idea of replacing them with a native that doubles as a host. I'm thinking lantana. Any other suggestions? Thanks again for your input. I truly appreciate it.

[@gratefullyoutdoors]

@@marky3131 I'm also going to be replacing the tropical milk weed with some native varieties, and will add that to my video as well. Thanks for helping me educate myself further. I did not realize that it can have a negative effect on Monarch migration. 🫤