PAEnflowered began with me, Maria, walking in the woods and quiet countryside of Pennsylvania, where beautiful plants became companions, teachers, and endless sources of wonder and healing. That love slowly blossomed into a mission of the heart to create a space where the beauty of flora could meet accessible, meaningful botanical education — a place where learning feels like connection.

When I first began studying plants, I was surprised by how few welcoming, well-organized resources existed online for our state. That absence became an invitation and a call to create something that could nourish learning in all its forms, from first encounters to lifelong study.

With a background in software engineering, it felt natural to merge my technical skills with my passion for the natural world. Over several years of photographing plants and building a database, what began as a personal side project gradually evolved into the Flora of Pennsylvania website and, eventually, the founding of PAEnflowered, a nonprofit devoted to deepening our connection to nature and our relationship with native plants — their beauty, their stories, and the quiet wisdom they offer.

This work has been one of love and devotion — shaped by my hands and mind, guided by my heart, and sustained by a quiet trust that shared knowledge can nourish connection between people and the natural world.