Haeley
Haeley Giambalvo has been a professional blogger and online content creator for the past decade. She started DesignImprovised.com in 2011 to share simple crafts that make a big impact. Her craft projects have been featured by major magazines including Country Living, Martha Stewart Living, and Better Homes and Gardens. In 2020, Haeley launched her second website, NativeBackyards.com, to encourage people to help the Earth from their own yards by growing native plants that support insects and wildlife. Over the last two years, Haeley has transformed her backyard with Texas native plants and turned it into a haven for butterflies, bees, and birds. She wants to help you do the same! She is excited to write for ACM to share ideas for spending more time as a family outdoors, starting a garden, attracting butterflies to your yard, and more! Haeley is a mom to Stella (13) and Hazel (11). You can follow along with her gardening adventures and connect with her on Instagram and Facebook @nativebackyards.
Four Plants Now Blooming in San Antonio
February is when we get our first glimpse of spring in San Antonio! If you pay attention, you'll notice lots of changes happening outdoors. The temperatures are getting warmer, birds are singing more, and...
Explore a “Secret” Garden at Phil Hardberger Park
Did you know there is a "secret" garden at Phil Hardberger Park that is filled with Texas wildflowers in the spring and is visited by a variety of different butterflies, bees, and birds throughout...
Calling All Nature Lovers: Become a Texas Master Naturalist
Do you love nature and being outdoors? Do you wish you knew more about the plants you see on a nature walk, or perhaps the birds you spot in your backyard? Would you like...
Seven Gift Ideas to Get Your Kids Outside
As I’m writing this post, it is the most gorgeous day outside. A perfect 75 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. It also happens to be the end of November! When much...
10 Awesome Nature Books for Kids
You can never go wrong with a book for a holiday gift. Books are one of my favorite gifts to give my kids, and if the book is about nature (my favorite subject), even...
Start a Texas Flower Garden this Fall!
Did you know fall is one of the best times in San Antonio to start a flower garden? That was certainly news to me when I moved here from Chicago almost 10 years ago....
Explore Nature with the Seek App
It can be an uphill battle in our house to get my two daughters to put down their iPads and head outside. As a Texas Master Naturalist, I’m always looking for creative ways to...
Five Great Plants to Attract Butterflies to Your Yard
Want to make your yard a butterfly haven? It is easy to do with the right plants! Butterflies need two types of plants to survive: 1) host plants and 2) nectar plants. You’ll want...
Earn Money for Your Garden: SAWS Watersaver Rewards Programs
Free money to spend on plants? Sign me up! That was my response when I first heard about the WaterSaver rebate programs offered to San Antonio Water System (SAWS) customers. Did you know you...