Leaves for Wildlife Native Plant Nursery

05/16/2026

We’ve got silk moth caterpillars for sharing TODAY/Saturday from 10–6! 🐛
Choose from:

Luna moths (feeding on sweetgum)
Polyphemus moths ( oak)
Promethea moths (spicebush)

If you take some home, they’ll need to continue feeding on the same plants they’re already started eating.

Right now they’re small, but over the next few weeks they’ll grow exponentially into eating (and pooping) machines before spinning their silk cocoons. These first-brood caterpillars will emerge later this summer as part of the next generation this year.

Our native silk moths face increasing challenges from habitat fragmentation, outdoor lighting and loss of host plants. Because adult silk moths live such short lives and rely heavily on pheromones to find mates, fragmented populations can reduce genetic diversity over time. Raising and releasing moths in different areas is one small way people can help support healthy populations.

Another major issue is artificial lighting. Many moth species become confused and exhausted by outdoor lights, which can interfere with reproduction and make them more vulnerable to predators. One of the easiest ways to help moths is by placing outdoor lighting on motion sensors.

And of course, none of these moths can exist without the plants their caterpillars can eat, digest, and develop on. No host plant = no caterpillars = no silk moths.

To rear these soon-to-be mini-Heimlichs, we recommend placing them directly on a protected host plant outside using a butterfly sleeve (available here and at www.raisingbutterflies.org).

PLEASE snag a handout if you take caterpillars home, as it t answers many of the most common rearing questions. For additional questions as you go along, check out the Facebook group Lepidoptera Rearing 101 - Ohio. Our local “Caterpillar Guy,” KC Clark, is one of the moderators and an incredible resource.

We’ll be sharing 2–3 caterpillars of one species per family while they last.😊

Flit on by!

05/14/2026

Help STILL wanted
Native Plant Whisperer

We’re a small, mission-driven nursery focused on supporting biodiversity and wildlife habitat, and we’re looking for that perfect person to join our team!

We’ve met some wonderful applicants over the past few weeks, but we’re still hoping to find someone passionate about native plants who can help on occasional Saturdays (typically 1-2 per month, 1/2 or full day).

Spring and summer tasks include transplanting perennial seedlings, potting up shrubs and trees, weeding, organizing, installing plants here on the property and, honestly, always moving plants. 😊

This position would be ideal for someone who:
• Has an interest in native plants, gardening and nature
• Enjoys talking with people and helping answer plant questions
• Is comfortable helping customers check out purchases
• Appreciates the mission of restoring habitat with native plants

Plant knowledge doesn’t have to be expert-level, but having a foundation or genuine interest makes the learning process much more intuitive.

Our ideal applicant could also help another half day to 2 days per week during the growing season. This is primarily a seasonal position, though there can be some fall and winter work as weather and workload allow.

Our retail season typically runs through the end of November. After we close, we spend time getting plants situated for winter and continue doing our own shrub and tree planting while plants are dormant. By that point, most employees appreciate the chance to slow down a bit, rest up and enjoy the holidays, with occasional workdays mixed in as weather allows.

Winter work can include planting trees and shrubs, landscaping, transplanting, taking cuttings, seed cleaning and winter sowing. Our spring season begins again in early March.

This is a great fit for a plant enthusiast, gardener, retiree, student in an environmental field, or someone who simply loves learning about native plants and helping people connect with nature.

If interested, please send us a message with a little about yourself and your experience/interests!
[email protected]

05/06/2026

Want $50 in FREE native plants…every year?

If you live in:
Franklin County
The City of Sunbury
The Village of Shawnee Hills

…you may qualify for a $50 native plant rebate through local backyard conservation programs!

These programs are designed to help residents improve water quality, reduce runoff, support pollinators, and create healthier ecosystems….right from their own backyards.

Here’s how it works:
Take a short online educational course
Complete the quiz/application
Receive a rebate voucher
Spend it like cash for an immediate $50 discount on native plants at participating nurseries (including Leaves for Wildlife 😊)

Why are communities funding this?
Because native plants:
Absorb stormwater runoff
Reduce erosion and flooding
Filter pollutants
Support pollinators and wildlife
Help restore healthy ecosystems

A few important notes:
• Vouchers are limited and first-come, first-served
• One rebate per household per year
• Sunbury/Shawnee Hills eligibility is based on your TAX DISTRICT, not mailing address
• Delaware County’s program is currently a pilot, with hopes to expand into additional communities in the future

This is a great opportunity to add beautiful native plants to your landscape while helping birds, pollinators, waterways, and biodiversity at the same time.

You win. Nature wins. Everyone wins. 😊
For Franklin County’s Community Backyard voucher program:
https://www.communitybackyards.org/participate

For Del-Aware Backyard Rebates Pilot Program:
https://soilandwater.co.delaware.oh.us/del-aware-backyard-rebates/

04/30/2026

Want some fronds with benefits? Meet the toothed wood fern (Dryopteris carthusiana), the most robust fern we’ve ever potted up from division. Those vase-like, finely divided fronds are already halfway to their mature height of 2-3’ tall in their pots!

Other reasons to love this fern:
Thrives in part to full shade (tolerates deep shade)
Prefers moist, humusy, acidic soil but does great in average, well-drained soils
Great for wet woods, rocky slopes, swamps, or shady native gardens
Deer and rabbits are not partial to rough-textured fern leaves

Use it to mass in shady borders, under oaks, or paired with spring ephemerals for a lush woodland look.

To read more about this gorgeous, vigorous fern, check out its dating profile here: https://www.leavesforwildlife.com/product-page/fern-eastern-wood-dryopteris-carthusiana

Come fo**le our ferns!

04/28/2026

Bernadett's Spring Medicinal Herb Walk was such a hit, we're offering it again this coming Saturday at 10:30 am. Click the link for more info and to register.

All attendees will receive $10 toward plants!

Join herbalist & grower Bernadett Szabo of Bernadett’s Farmacy for a guided walk through the landscape, where plants become both teachers and medicine. Bernadett will share insights on identification and traditional uses and practical applications from her studies with renowned herbalists.

04/28/2026

Had to share this second-year red buckeye blooming right here at the nursery! It’s been a nonstop show for about three weeks, patiently waiting for the hummingbirds to return.

We’ve got lots of these little cuties, grown from seed collected in Ohio in fall 2024 by a naturalist friend of the nursery. This shrubby little tree reaches 10–20' and does well in full sun to part shade across a wide range of soils.

Learn more and grab yours here: https://www.leavesforwildlife.com/product-page/copy-of-buckeye-red-aesculus-pavia

(Share your hummingbird photos if you spot them!)

04/28/2026

Leaves for Wildlife made the list of Midwest Living magazine's 12 Best Native Plant Nurseries in the Midwest!

Native plants are the natural choice for low-maintenance, healthy gardens that work with nature instead of against it. These nurseries can help you start restoring your own little patch of the planet. Our favorites include Sow Wild Natives in Kansas City, Missouri, and Native Roots Nursery in South....

04/23/2026

Join us for a Spring Ephemeral Wildflower Walk
Saturday, April 25, 4-5pm
Cost: $10 (comes right back to you as a plant credit)

Catch the magic of early spring during this guided walk focused on ephemeral wildflowers and simple, practical ways to support wildlife right when it needs it most, just after winter dormancy.

We’ll cover:
• Smart spring clean-up (what to cut back and what to leave)
• The fascinating relationship between ants and spring ephemerals
• Early-season gardening tips and Q&A

This is our first time offering this class, so you'll be guided by two experienced land stewards and our owner/founder, Patty Shipley, as we move through the landscape, demonstrating, exploring, and answering questions along the way.

Come see what’s here today and gone tomorrow...our ephemerals are at peak bloom!

04/20/2026

We Want to Pay You for Plant Therapy

If you have good plant-tuition, enjoy working outdoors in varying conditions, and know how to hustle, we want to hear from you!

Tasks include: potting, watering, organizing, weeding, plant Jenga ;) and other landscape and nursery work

Before hiring, we ask folks to come in for a few volunteer hours to see if it’s a good fit both ways. We’ll pay you in plants for your time! Tuesdays are the best volunteer day because we’re closed, but most of our crew is here.

Interested? Send us an email that includes:
Why you want to work at a native plant nursery
A bit about your gardening and native plant experience
Your ideal workdays/times

Come and help us Plant with Purpose!