Wild Wings Nature Store

07/07/2025

06/22/2025

As part of National Pollinator Week (June 16-22, 2025), we want to share a story that highlights the critical role each of us plays in the survival of pollinators.

A fellow wildlife gardener recently shared a heartbreaking experience. Excited to support monarch butterflies, they purchased native milkweed from a large big-box store. The plants looked great, but the monarch caterpillars that hatched on their leaves died within days.

The likely culprit? Systemic insecticides used to keep the plants looking good for the sales floor. This is an all-too-common practice at large garden centers, and it can have disastrous results for well-intentioned gardeners.

Pesticide use is a primary driver of pollinator decline. Plants treated with these chemicals, especially neonicotinoids, become toxic from their roots to their pollen. When you bring these plants home, you're unknowingly introducing a poison that can harm or kill the butterflies, bees, and other pollinators that visit your garden.

This is why where you buy your plants truly matters.

At Garden for Wildlife, our native plants are grown without the use of harmful systemic pesticides. We are committed to providing safe, healthy plants that allow pollinators to thrive.

This National Pollinator Week, take a stand for pollinators.

🌱 Choose wisely: Support nurseries and organizations that are transparent about their growing practices.

💬 Ask questions: Inquire if plants have been treated with systemic insecticides.

🦋 Plant with purpose: Every pollinator-safe native plant you add to your garden is a vital stepping stone for pollinators.

Your purchase from Garden for Wildlife directly supports our mission to restore vital habitat for wildlife across the country. Together, we can create a network of safe havens for monarchs, bees, and all the other pollinators that our ecosystems depend on.

06/22/2025

Have you spotted any milkweed in bloom? Flowers typically last from June through August and are often visited by a variety of pollinators. Even when the flowers aren't in bloom, these plants provide food to monarch caterpillars as long as leaves are around!

📷 Jim Hudgins/USFWS

12/08/2024

The bald eagle comeback is still one of the coolest conservation stories.

In 1963, the total population of bald eagles was down to 417 nesting pairs. The nation came together to bring back this national symbol. By banning DDT, a chemical that interfered with the ability of the birds to produce strong eggshells, community action, and protections under the Endangered Species Act, bald eagle populations recovered.

Photo by Tom Koerner/USFWS

08/03/2024

Ever Wondered Where Your National Forest Permit Dollars Go?

Summertime means enjoying the great outdoors at National Forest campgrounds. Increased visitation also means a higher chance of encountering Virginia's native snakes, like the Timber rattlesnake. This venomous snake plays a vital role in our ecosystem by controlling small mammal populations.

To reduce camper/rattlesnake interactions, the Forest Service uses Forest Stamp dollars for employee training and habitat improvements. Employees are trained to safely relocate snakes away from campgrounds. Habitat improvements include creating basking areas with native stone, brush piles for cover, and prey habitat. These areas are safely distanced from campgrounds, ensuring the snakes are returned to their natural habitat.

Research in West Virginia has shown that these mitigation strategies work. Thanks to your continued support through the purchase of your Forest Stamp, the Forest Service is ensuring that both recreationists and these important predators can continue to inhabit the great outdoors.

08/03/2024

This slide demonstrates how land use has a significant impact on biodiversity.

08/03/2024

Drum roll, please! Announcing the 2025 Perennial Plant of the Year®... Pycnanthemum muticum!

Clustered mountainmint (also known as blunt mountainmint or short-toothed mountainmint) is a tough and adaptable perennial native to meadows and open woodlands across much of the eastern United States west to Texas. A must-have for pollinator gardens, heads of tiny white to light pink blooms attract butterflies, wasps, and bees from July to September. The inconspicuous flowers are upstaged by surrounding silver bracts, which give the illusion of frost in summer and persist for months. Clustered mountainmint has no serious disease issues, and its aromatic foliage is unpalatable to deer and rabbits.

Learn more about this winning plant here: https://perennialplant.org/page/2025PPOy

08/03/2024

From the Autumn 2018 issue of Living Bird magazine. Subscribe now. Shorebirds are the undisputed marathon champions among migratory birds. About 20 species of shorebirds have been recorded making nonstop flights longer than 5,000 kilometers, or 3,100 miles—about the distance from Boston to San Fr

08/03/2024

It's a good day to kill your lawn. Or at least to pick a spot and replace it with some native plants 🌿🌻