About me
Michelle Detwiler, owner Wild About Native Plants
Michelle is a native plant consultant and ecological planting designer in the Pennsylvania Piedmont. Inspired by inherent relationships in the natural world, she believes in the art and science of ecological gardening to inform a modern, intelligent, and compassionate approach to landscape stewardship through the use of native plants, unique in their capacities to support native insects, birds, and other animals. She believes that humans can help preserve Earth’s diminishing biodiversity by re-envisioning residential, commercial, and public landscapes—learning to steward outdoor spaces with greater purpose on behalf of our shared environment.
Seeing animal species in native garden spaces—butterflies, birds, native bees, caterpillars, dragonflies, fireflies and more—inspires her interest in helping others to create living landscapes. Michelle is a Pennsylvania Master Naturalist program volunteer in the Southeastern Plains and Southeastern Coastal Plains ecoregions and the president of her local civic association where she works with neighbors to foster ecologically-friendly approaches to landscape stewardship. She also worked for 6 years at Redbud Native Plant Nursery in Media, PA advising customers on site-appropriate native plants for their projects.
Lower Merion Township and the Borough of Narberth awarded her the 2023 ‘Go for the Green’ award for long-time efforts in community education around creating and maintaining green spaces with native plants, for leading projects to green and steward civic spaces with native plantings, and for leading a community mural installation project by artist Eurhi Jones inspiring ecological stewardship through representations of local flora and fauna.
Michelle is passionate about public space gardening, helping to transform local parks, school gardens and other public spaces with ecologically-valuable native plantings and creating stewardship plans for long-term improvements.
Speaking at the Friends of West Mill Creek annual meeting about naturally-occurring native plants within the park and their benefits to wildlife and the wetland habitat.
With partner organizations, she recently established the first Pollinator Pathway program in Pennsylvania. The Lower Merion and Narberth Pollinator Pathway is a collaboration meant to encourage a growing network of healthy habitat between public and private properties as participants incorporate native plants, remove invasive species over time, avoid chemicals in the landscape, and leave winter habitat for pollinators. Benefits of this new approach to landscape stewardship across traditional property lines not only serves pollinators but also the entire food web, the watershed, and the environment under pressure from climate change.
Inspired by Dr. Doug Tallamy’s work, Michelle gives well-attended educational ecological garden programs to help spread the word about the importance of stewarding and reintroducing habitat in the built landscape and recommends some of the highest value plants for generalist and specialist species.
Michelle has a B.A. in Biology from the University of Texas at Dallas and an M.A. from Johns Hopkins University SAIS. Continuing education in ecological landscape design, entomology, taxonomy, ecology, native plant communities, natural history, green infrastructure, meadow making, forest management, climate change, geology, ecological land stewardship, global public policy, international cooperation, tree tending, and gardening for wildlife inform a decade of experience in planting and tending native plants, observing them in natural settings and studying their cultural habits through time in her space and beyond.
Join her on this journey to plant with purpose by experimenting with native plants for ecological stewardship. Explore this site for inspiration on planting native plants, resources for further research, and images of native flora and fauna with an eye towards the science and beauty of plant/insect interactions and the many benefits of supporting a healthy ecosystem for all life.
Contact Michelle for services if she can help to provide a fresh perspective on your space.
Recent talks and articles - Click photos to view webinars
News from the Lower Merion Conservancy newsletter, fall 2023
Go Native! Inspiration for spring. (Jamie Anderson starts at minute 3:30 talking about the role of pollinator gardens in capturing stormwater, and Michelle begins her portion at minute 12:20. Topics include the role of native plants, environmental history, high value native species for wildlife, tips for analyzing site conditions, pollinators, invasive species control, removing lawn, and before and after photos of native garden projects). Lower Merion Conservancy, 23 February 2023.
Other recent talks:
The fall garden and native seed sowing. Redbud Native Plant Nursery winter market. 27 November 2022
Native Asters and Goldenrods. Redbud Native Plant Nursery fall yard talk. 20 September 2022
Gardening for Monarch Butterflies. Redbud Native Plant Nursery spring yard talk. 10 June 2022
Creating a Wildlife Pond - Water Gardens for Toads, Dragonflies, and More! Penn State Extension Master Gardeners of Butler County on February 9, 2022, The Loudoun County Extension Master Gardeners on 2 June 2022, Narberth Area Garden Club on 03 February 2022, and Main Line School Night on 19 March 2022
Earth-friendly Landscape Stewardship. Climate Action Lower Merion (CALM). 06 January 2022
Fall Superstars for Wildlife: Native Asters and Goldenrods. Penn State Extension Master Gardeners Fall Fest. 09 October 2021
How and Why to Love your Leaves. Meeting of the Penn Valley Civic Association. 10 November 2021
Love your Leaves! Redbud Native Plant Nursery winter market. 27 November 2021
Gardening for Monarch Butterflies. Main Line School Night. 06 November 2021 and 03 March 2022
Incorporating Native Plants: A Roadmap for Action. Lower Merion Conservancy on 11 March 2021 and The Gardeners Garden Club on 14 September 2021
Providing Year-Round Habitat for Pollinators. Main Line School Night on 6 April 2021 and Haverford Township on 16 October 2021
Gardening for Hummingbirds. Main Line School Night on 20 March 2021 and 19 October 2021 and the Planters Garden Club on 5 October 2021
Earth-friendly Landscape Stewardship. Meeting of the Penn Valley Civic Association. 25 February 2021
Lower Merion and Narberth Pollinator Pathway. Lower Merion Conservancy. 01 October 2020
High-value Native Plants. Tyler Arboretum Volunteers Meeting. 2 July 2020
Planting for Pollinators. Lower Merion Conservancy. 22 April 2020
What You Never Knew About the Plants of West Mill Creek Park. Annual meeting of the Friends of West Mill Creek Park. 1 March 2020
Gardening for Wildlife at Home. Narberth Area Garden Club. 3 October 2019
Your Garden Matters! Ideas for Building a Beautiful, Healthy, and Sustainable Garden. In partnership with the Narberth Area Garden Club for the Narberth Community Library. 12 April 2019
