This is a list of my top books regarding native plants and/or the environment. Some of these books I have read in their entirety, others I use as reference books but did not read all the way through, and a couple are still on my "to be read" pile, although I have at least browsed through them. If I have written in more detail about any of these books I will link to those blog posts for further reading. As I grow my library of native plant books I will add to this list.

2. Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants by Douglas W. Tallamy
​​This book is ​great for anyone interested in learning more about the benefits of native plants to the environment, particularly in regards to feeding insect life, which in turn feeds birds. For more information, including a summary of the book, please see my blog post here.

3. Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
Although this book was written in 1962, much of the information, particularly its warnings about overuse of pesticides and their ability to bioaccumulate, is still relevant today. Rachel Carson meticulously collected data on the side effects of DDT and as a direct result of this book its use was eventually banned.

5. The Midwestern Native Garden: native alternatives to nonnative flowers and plants by Charlotte Adelman & Bernard L. Schwartz
​This book is a great reference if you wish to replace non-native or invasive plants with similar looking native plants that also have similar growing conditions to their non-native counterpart. 

6. The Nature of Oaks: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Trees by Douglas W. Tallamy
This book follows a year in the life of an oak tree, specifically focused on the insects found on that tree each month of the year. If you are unaware that Doug Tallamy is an entomologist, this book will make that clear. Each chapter, which is a different month, focuses on what insects are present on the tree, their specific adaptations to survive on an oak tree, and why these native insects are important in maintaining a balanced environment. Doug chooses to focus on the oak because it harbors more insects than any other native tree, which is extremely important for maintaining bird populations, which continue to decline each year.

​The book Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants by Douglas W. Tallamy is a great introduction to why native plants matter and what you can do to help increase native biodiversity. Below I discuss some of the take-aways from his book.

​Plants are a key food for many animal and insect species. You may think that the type of plant does not matter but it is becoming increasingly clear that many bees, butterflies, and other insects can feed only on certain plants (see my post on the endangered Karner Blue Butterfly), generally, the plants they evolved with, which are the native plants in that region. These types of insects are called specialists. Furthermore, many birds depend on the seeds of native plants as a food source and insects are also a key food for birds. You cannot discuss planting natives without bringing up invasive and non-native plants. Many invasive plants, trees, and shrubs were initially planted as ornamental plants, but occasionally they grow aggressively and outcompete native plants. Therefore, removing invasive species often goes along with planting native ones. You do not need to remove every non-native species in your garden (although feel free to if you want), many non-natives do not spread aggressively or harm the environment.

​Many native plant gardens are meant to mimic the natural environment and unfortunately, many people find these gardens messy and unkempt. However, you can landscape native plant gardens just like landscaped ornamentals. Mowing paths with sharp edges through your native garden can impact on how your garden is perceived. However, native gardens do best with dense plantings (less mulched areas) to provide cover for insects and other wildlife.

​Many homeowners start by removing invasive or non-native species on their property and then replace them with similar native plants. I have used this technique on my property, although we have 75 acres covered in glossy buckthorn, so this will be a lifetime commitment. Another method recommended by Doug Tallamy is when a non-native plant dies, replace it with a native one. If you want to make a difference more quickly you can carve out a part of your lawn, kill the grass, and replace it with a native flower garden. Alternatively, you can leave your non-native plants (assuming they are not invasive) and add more native trees and shrubs to your lawn and landscaping, space permitting.

​What you should plant depends on many factors, such as sun, soil type, moisture, etc. Many native plant nurseries have filters that allow you to focus on plants native to your area that fit your specific requirements. The other option is to focus on keystone species. Doug Tallamy gives a list based on the current, but incomplete, research of what native plants host the most herbivorous insects. The idea is that the more species that can live on that plant the more diversity you are supporting by planting that species and the more birds are also helped by providing food sources in the form of insects. His book focuses on plants native to the Eastern United States because that is where he lives, this information is much less complete for other areas. However, he concluded that oaks provide the most support for insects, as many as 534 species. Following oaks are willows, cherry/plum (Prunus), birch, poplar/cottonwood, crabapple, blueberry/cranberry (Vaccinium), box elder maple, elm, pine, hickory, hawthorn, alder, spruce, ash, basswood/linden, filbert/hazelnut, walnut/butternut, beech, and last chestnut, which supports 125 species.

​Light pollution is a real problem. Moths are drawn to lights at night and will not leave until the light turns off, causing them to die of exhaustion or being burned by lights. Due to light pollution, some moths, such as the royal walnut moth, can no longer be found in New England. Leaving unnecessary lights on at night may also affect fireflies which appear to be declining. Using motion-activated lights that shut off when motion is no longer detected is better than leaving lights shining all night. Bonus, you may also be able to see the stars!

If you wish to learn more there are other great books by Douglas W. Tallamy including Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard and The Nature of Oaks: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Trees.

​The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is one of the most well-known butterflies but unfortunately, populations have been declining for years (1) though they are not yet at a critical level. Although other butterflies, such as the Karner blue, are at risk of becoming extinct and deserve more attention than they currently receive, the monarch is what I consider a “gateway” insect. Just like many people consider chickens the “gateway” animal on hobby farms (once you get chickens it often leads to acquiring other farm animals), the monarch is a butterfly that receives a lot of attention and leads people to understand the importance of saving other butterflies and insects that may not be as showy or pretty but still serve an important ecological niche. I will try to focus on other important insects in future blog posts but for this post, I will focus on monarchs.

​One of the reasons monarch butterflies may be harder to conserve than other species of insects is that they are migratory. Therefore, you need to focus on habitat conservation not just where they lay eggs and live as caterpillars but also where they overwinter as adults. Monarchs that live east of the Rocky Mountains migrate to Mexico (and sometimes the southern US) in the fall (2). Monarchs that live in the Pacific states often overwinter in California, but some also migrate to Mexico (2). The overwintered butterflies lay eggs in early spring where they spent the winter, those eggs hatch, and turn into adults, who then migrate back north into the United States and Canada (2).

​Most people are aware that the larvae (caterpillars) of monarch butterflies only eat milkweed. However, many people (myself included before a few years ago) may not realize that multiple milkweed species exist that can support monarch butterflies. Milkweeds belong to the Apocynaceae family, mostly the Asclepias genus, which contains over 200 species of milkweed plants, 73 of which are native to the United States (3). The Cynanchum, Sarcostemma, and Calotropis genera also contain some milkweed species. Milkweeds are named for their milky sap, which contains glycosides, which are toxic to humans and other species but not to monarchs. The toxins accumulate in the monarch making them unpalatable to predators.

​I grew up with common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) in Pennsylvania and it is also what primarily grows around my house in Wisconsin. I started butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) from seed two years ago and planted it in my front flower beds. Also, just FYI, a great place to buy native plants and seeds, either online or in person, is Prarie Moon Nursery. I also discovered last year we have swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) growing around our pond. Even though multiple milkweed species can support monarch caterpillars, is there one or more species that are the preferred food source? This is important for homeowners who want to help increase monarch butterfly populations but may not have the space to plant multiple species in their flower gardens.

​A research study of nine different milkweed species in midwestern Iowa by Pocius et al. discovered that the greatest number of monarch eggs were found on common milkweed and swamp milkweed (4). These milkweeds also had a high level of caterpillar survival. They also discovered that monarch caterpillars that hatched from eggs laid on honeyvine milkweed (Cynanchum laeve) and tall green milkweed (Asclepias hirtella) had the lowest survival rate (4) so these species would not be recommended to be planted. Another consideration for homeowners is how easily the milkweeds can be grown and transplanted. You can access the complete chart here, but other considerations include habitat, for example, swamp milkweed requires a wet location and common milkweed tends to spread aggressively via runners and therefore may not be the best choice for homeowners who want their milkweed to stay contained in a flower bed.

​A last consideration when planting milkweed is what species is native to your area. Ideally, you want to plant native species whenever possible as they will be the most beneficial to the insects in your area and the species that will grow the best in your area. To determine this, I suggest visiting The Biota of North America Program (BONAP) website (5) where you can find plant species based on a variety of criteria including genus. Here is the link to the Asclepias (milkweed) genus maps to help you determine which milkweed species are native to your area. As you can see common milkweed is native (dark green) to much of the eastern and midwestern United States extending into some southern states as well.

​If you do not already have native milkweeds growing in your gardens, I hope you will consider planting some to help the monarch butterfly recover in population. Many people also enjoy raising monarchs indoors and releasing them. Although this is a noble idea, this practice can cause the spread of a monarch parasite, Ophyrocystis elekrtoscirrha (OE) (5, 6). According to Morris et al., wild monarchs in Arizona had a 4% infection rate overall while farm-raised monarchs had a 29% rate (7). Although this protozoan (single-celled eukaryote) parasite occurs naturally outdoors, it can contaminate the equipment you use to raise the caterpillars and prevent them from developing properly into adults. Just like many diseases spread more easily among animals in captivity, the same can occur with monarchs raised indoors in close quarters. Additionally, data from Morris et al. in which monarch butterflies, both wild and farm-raised, were tagged and then recovered following migration suggests that farm-raised monarchs are less likely to successfully migrate (7). Farm-raised monarchs may be less fit, perhaps due to a loss of genetic diversity, than wild monarchs and thereby less likely to survive (6). Therefore, if you wish to make a difference for monarchs and other native insects, plant native vegetation and refrain from using pesticides as much as possible. 

 I have recently started drying both wildflowers and cultivated flowers to sell on my Etsy and eBay sites (update, I no longer sell online). I love gardening but have minimal experience with ornamental gardening and flower gardening. I prefer vegetable and herb gardening (mostly because I like cooking and eating). When we moved into our home last summer we had so many flower beds that were only partially or not at all maintained. We did what we could last year to improve the flower beds and this Spring we bought a load of mulch to help reduce weeds and bring the beds back to life. Some flower beds have received more attention than others but hopefully, over the next few years, we will get them all back to their former glory. I have also slowly begun filling in the beds with multi-purpose herbs. Herbs are beautiful in flower beds and most can also be used in cooking or teas. I have also begun the long task of identifying all the bushes, shrubs, flowers, and ground covers in our beds. In addition, we have tons of wildflowers growing on our property some of which I am familiar with but many others are unknown to me. Pictured below are some of the wildflowers on our property which I have managed to identify. Unfortunately, many of them are invasive or not even native to my area.

The flowers and herbs below are some of the ones we cultivate on our property. Some like the black-eyed susan and Echinacea (coneflower) we find wild as well. Other flowers and herbs I have added to my collection this year but may need to wait a year or two before harvesting.

​I currently have white astilbe which dries beautifully and have planted several more colors to add to my collection. Last summer when we moved in our hydrangeas looked great but did not flower this year (our zone is iffy for most hydrangeas). I also planted lavender which I absolutely love but most varieties do not overwinter well in my zone. I purchased a hardy variety but still made sure to plant it on the south side of our house. I also planted sage, tarragon, thyme, lemon thyme, mugwort (Artemesia), catnip, more Echinacea, bee balm, zinnias, bachelor's buttons, sunflowers, Nigella (love in the mist), and pumpkins on a stick (eggplant family but the fruit looks like tiny pumpkins). Some of these are perennials and should return each year (assuming they survive our harsh Wisconsin winters) but others are annuals and need to be re-seeded each year. Some like the Violas (Johnny Jump Ups) are annuals but release so many seeds that will germinate the following year you generally never need to plant them again.

One warning about planting new flowers and herbs is that many can be invasive. Do your research before planting and make sure the plants you choose are native or at least not invasive in your area. If they are officaially invasive they are actually illegal to buy, sell, plant or even share. If they are not officially invasive but have a tendency to be agressive you may want to plant them in pot or container. For example, most members of the mint family can easily get out of control. I grow my mint and catnip in pots to keep them from spreading. However, if you allow them to go to seed they may spread to areas around the pot. Finally, if you have plants that will not overwinter well you may wish to plant them in pots as well as they can be brought in during the winter so you do not need to start from scratch the following year. I am trying this with one of the less hardy varieties of lavender that I bought.

If you would like to enjoy flowers and herbs all year long, the next step is to preserve them. The easiest method is to air dry them while hanging upside-down. There are several other methods which I have not explored yet including using a desiccant, pressing, and even the microwave. Here I will cover air drying only. Some flowers preserve very well with air drying however other flowers require one of the other methods if you wish to preserve the structure of the flower. In general, the more delicate flowers like daisies, black-eyed susan, echinacea, and violas will not air dry and keep their structure. The petals will crumple up as they dry. This still however makes beautiful flower potpourri. 

Flowers that I have air dried well include hydrangeas, astilbe, and bachelor's buttons (all three not pictured), goldenrod, yarrow, tansy, and most herbs (some exceptions include parsley which freezes better). The best plan is to see what information you can find on drying your particular flower and then experiment with various drying methods.  I listed the steps for the air drying method I use below.

This blog post was updated 01/02/2024.