Born in Pennsylvania, I have been a resident of South Florida for 26 years. For many years I have been an avid gardener & grower who once grew flourishing gardens of Exotic Plants. I am a past member of the Ft. Lauderdale Orchid Society who received blue ribbons on outstanding Orchids and who's passion has always been plants and native woodlands.

I became interested in Florida Native Plants when I moved from Ft. Lauderdale back to the country in Palm City Farms on 10 acres in 1994. I began to hike and study Florida Native Plants extensively. In 1998 I came across a brochure of the FEPPC (Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council) which explained the crisis of exotic pest plants invading natural lands. Immediately, I understood its impact and devastation because I was coming across the damage these plants created in woodlands. It didn't take long before I realized how out of place they were. 

Immediately, I went out in my gardens and hand pulled the listed Category I & Category II plants on my property only to discover how several of them defiantly returned. A few required more than one herbicide treatment to kill them. It became clear to me as a naturalist the magnitude of this crisis. 

Today, continued education is a daily part of my life, as well as my commitment to teach others about the dangers of these "Wildland Weeds" as the FEPPC refers to them.

On the other hand, I have learned to love and appreciate Florida's abundance of beautiful native plants. So much so, that the thought of an exotic plant is no longer a part of my landscape. From time to time I have used non-native plant species in landscape jobs because of the customers request- but only those which have not demonstrated any chance of reproducing and surviving on their own.

WildThing Landscape, Inc., was named for my love of WildThings. All WildThings. Since childhood I have been fascinated with nature and all she holds. Yes, I love snakes and bugs too! They are all an intricate part of this beautiful planet we know as home. Today I live coastal on only 1/4 acres. Yet my yard is full of bio-diversity, habitat, food, shelter, space and is home to a bounty of creatures and critters that are welcome. As I watch it and learn, it teaches me just how sterile the landscapes of my neighbors are.

I need to point out here that my yard is not wildly grown in and messy. It passes every test in good landscape design. At the bottom of each web page you will find one of my favorite quotations which I hope inspire you. And I ask that you send me your favorites. Most of all I hope you explore the fascinating natural world and plant only native plants. I promise you a journey so much more rewarding then the enticement of just picking out a pretty plant or flower at your local garden center, then you ever imagined.

For all our wonderful wildthings,
Shawnee Biernat