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About

Our Team

The people behind every plant profile

The Plant Native is a small team of writers and gardeners spread across North America. We all write, research, and strategize to bring science-backed content to a beginner-friendly audience. Our editorial standards explain how we check the facts.

Founder and editor

Emily Lessard standing among white coneflowers in a garden

Emily Lessard

Contributor · Philadelphia area

Emily started The Plant Native in 2021, after a hummingbird found the cardinal flower she had planted on a whim. She is Co-CEO of Bellweather, an advertising agency for nonprofits, a Sustainable Landscapes-certified gardener and the author of Plant Native: A Practical Guide to Over 100 Native Plants of North America (Quarto, March 2027).

Read Emily’s story · LinkedIn

Read all 232 pieces by Emily

Our writers

Rachel Toward

Contributor

Rachel keeps the site growing. She researches and edits our plant profiles, runs our written interviews with growers and gardeners, and handles the behind-the-scenes work of getting each page published.

Dawna Kelley

Contributor

Dawna writes about the plants she grows at home and photographs them in every season, including the awkward in-between weeks nobody posts.

Louise Lerner

Contributor · Chicago

By day, Louise is a science writer at the University of Chicago. On weekends, she’s a gardener and nature enthusiast.

Read Louise’s science writing

Read all 25 pieces by Louise

Becky Band Jain

Contributor · Maryland

By day, Becky is a strategic communications consultant. In her free time, she’s an active member and former VP of the Wild Ones Nation’s Capital Chapter, converting her Maryland yard to natives and rallying her community to do the same.

More about Becky

Read all 2 pieces by Becky

Kat William Hiland

Contributor · Philadelphia

Kat (or Liam) is an Ohio native who moved to Philadelphia for school. Their interest in native plants began with a fascination with floral symbolism. After a two-year vocational program, they’re now studying horticulture at Temple University. Their favorite flower is any species of magnolia.

Read all 6 pieces by Kat

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