Wildcraft Landscapes

08/31/2026

Sunday (ecological) Storytime:

I wanted to share a little moment of discovery with y'all that brings together this beautiful white flower, with the small butterfly you see in the photos, please enjoy.

Skippers - Hesperiidae - are that ever so common group of butterfly, very darty in their movements with the tight upright wings, looking like a small paper football. There's 275 species of them native to North America and today I saw a new one for me. One blurry photo and some internet sleuthing (shout out iNaturalist.org) later it turned out to be a Common Checkered Skipper (Burnsius communis) which has a pretty expansive range - southern California up into central Ontario and everywhere in between it seems. Some further research on ButterfliesandMoths.org revealed that it has several host plants or plants it needs to raise its caterpillars on - across that range. They are all in the Mallow family - Malvaceae.

However, we're here in Pennsylvania and so I wanted to see what it might be feeding on in our eco-region. When we start looking at its host plant species that are found in our part of Pennsylvania that list drops off abruptly. Sure some people plant non-native mallow, some mallow species grow as non-native weeds - some people plant Purple Poppy Mallow (Callirhoe involucrata) and other species ornamentally that are native to the midwest but none of those historically existed in eastern Pennsylvania.

Of the seven FAMILIES of plants that are listed as host plants there is only one that actually overlaps with Berks County - Sida - and specifically the Virginia mallow (Sida hermaphrodita). Which brings us to the first photo in the series...

Virginia mallow is a critically imperiled species in Pennsylvania that has not been documented in Berks county in over 25 years and is currently only known in the Susquehanna region as best as I could discern. This status is primarily due to irresponsible development and habitat loss. It's a massive wetland plant - sometimes getting over ten feet tall with hibiscus like leaves and tiny white flowers blooming in late summer. I had the opportunity to buy this individual from a small specialty nursery some years ago and I have been growing it in a large pot waiting for the right spot - or client's property - to plant it at. It's not an easy plant to find a home for in most garden settings and given its rarity finding local seeds is very difficult.

And so how is this species of butterfly persisting in an area where its singular native host plant has virtually been extirpated? Well likely it is utilizing some of the non native species in the family such as Malva neglecta (buttonweed) which is fairly common in the area or relying on those planting mid-western native species ornamentally. All the while keeping a vigilant eye out for the host plant it would have historically used in our eco-region. As many challenges as we have thrown at out native pollinators they are doing their best to persist.

I can't say for certain that this little skipper grew up eating the leaves of this Virginia mallow but I like to think that she did. And I think to think that that little caterpillar grew up stronger for having had the species she co-evolved over millennia to enjoy.

At Wildcraft Landscapes we're trying to not just heal our ecosystems through how we garden, we want to connect our clients with those ecological processes and stories that connect all beings. The wonders of the natural world are out there to be discovered.

08/04/2026

Gardening should be about joy, abundance, and welcoming nature into our shared spaces. Not "battling" wildlife and weeds.

Our approach to garden design considers the ecological context of each site, its unique pressures and challenges and opportunities. We are here to work with nature to create truly low maintenance spaces that you can interact with, enjoy, and yes - even trample sometimes.

07/31/2026

A quick summer weeding is all this native shade garden needs to be looking its best after just 1 year in the ground. No mulching needed. Our skilled horticulture team was able to quickly come through and get this space cleared out of undesirable plants so the ones we planted last fall can thrive.

And might I mention, no losses even after this heat wave and drought!

07/30/2026

A native seeded meadow is a journey. This 1.5 acre project began back in 2024 with a grant from the USDA for our clients to convert hayfield into pollinator habitat.

We prepped and have stewarded this space from then until now. As much as we love all that Rudbeckia hirta, we can't wait for it to fade out as the meadow matures and the longer lived native perennials and grasses take hold.

These species will reduce our maintenance regiment and will importantly add tremendous biodiversity to the space.

But for now, we can bask in this wonderful sea of yellow.

07/28/2026

Why do I need grasses in a pollinator garden?

Native grasses are essential elements of a pollinator garden as they provide shelter for crysalis forming caterpillars and are host plants for innumerable species of moths and butterflies - such as this little skipper I caught ovipositing.

The web of host plant & insects relationships is incredibly complex. We all know how monarch butterfly need milkweed to raise their young but virtually all butterflies and moths have their own special pallet of plants or only a single species they can to lay their eggs on and every garden has a responsibility to support the whole life cycles of our beloved pollinators.

07/24/2026

The magic of a native garden is its constantly changing moments. Earlier a hummingbird drank from these flowers. Maybe a stealthy Primrose moth will lay her eggs here late this evening. The yellow throat will probably come back for the seeds again this fall. Right now, there is just a little night time magic to enjoy.

07/23/2026

The canary is a beautiful bird...

Plants are blooming earlier as a result of our rapidly destabilizing climate.

This was first definitively documented back in 2012/2013 with some research papers comparing historical botanical notes with observed bloom times in Massachusetts and Wisconsin. I was just getting my undergraduate degree underway, still starry eyed and optimistic that we would turn things around.

Now we are seeing record shattering heat waves, erratic winters, wildfires blanketing the skies for days at a time thousands of miles away and plants are blooming further and further out of season. Months in some instances - as these Eurybia are showing us.

There is a heavy weight that comes sometimes with knowing - as Aldo leopold said: "One of the penalties of an ecological education is that one lives alone in a world of wounds"

This bloom is one of those wounds. It is a flower that won't be there as our butterflies start their great migrations this fall.

I am grateful for the work that Wildcraft Landscapes does - we are committed to believing that a brighter future is possible - one where we as humans step up, and take on the responsibility to be stewards of this planet with our whole hearts. Moments like this hurt, but they are a reminder of work to be done.

07/15/2026

Creating an ecological landscape goes beyond the native plants.

Each garden is a creative response to the opportunities and constraints of a site as well a celebration of how that landscape fits into and supports the broader ecosystems it inhabits.

If you'd like a vibrant native garden that holistically supports a healthier planet reach us through out website to schedule your consultation.

07/14/2026

“There is something about spending time in nature that’s restorative to the soul. It’s hearing birds in the early morning, touching the earth with bare feet, noticing sunlight filtering through leaves and feeling the flow of tending a garden.”

The human nature connection. It's what it's all about.

At Wildcraft Landscapes our mission is always to bring our clients into a compassionate connection with the natural world through science based, ecological landscape design.

Great writing, as always, in Natural Awakenings Lancaster/Berks

There is something about spending time in nature that’s restorative to the soul. When we pause long enough to notice, slow our breath and take it in, nature has an extraordinary ability to draw our attention away from life’s distractions and back ...