Book, native vs. alien plants and insects & birds

I heard about this new book through a native plant organization. I found an excerpt on the net and found it very interesting. Another book to add to my wish list!
http://www.timberpress.com/books/excerpt.cfm/9780881928549

Hi LindaTX8, that little bit of reading really outlines why it's so important to plant native. I just bought two books. "Native Alternatives To Invasive Plants'' and ''Invasive Plants of The Upper Midwest.''

That's so cool, billyporter! I've been growing natives for years...not exclusively, but most of my plants are native. Some are hard to obtain...either I've collected seeds from the wild or gotten them from native nurseries.

A Monarch enjoying nectaring on my native White Mistflower the other day!

Your nearest USFS office or county extension agent will usually have a booklet on invasive plants.

LindaTX8, I'm just starting to pay attention to natives. I think at about the same time I wanted to start planting for the butterflies and bees around here.
Mistflower is pretty! So is the monarch. White becomes him/her LOL! I also try to get seeds, or dig one plant of many from a ditch.

Nedhudson1, I seem to have quite a list going of invasives, partly from experience, partly from research so I don't experience a bad plant again :o)

We are mostly prairie plants, so I have a lot already just because they're available, and I like them.

Sally

Hi! For anyone interested in why natives are so important, I'd like to mention a book I just finished reading called "Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens" by Douglas W. Tallamy. He's Professor and Chair of the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware.

His focus is on how important the herbivore insects are to the ecosystem, and their need for the native plants in order to survive. Fewer insects means fewer birds (almost all species of birds feed insects to their young), and the negative effects continue right up the food chain. It's a very informative book, and if insects interest you to any degree, for whatever reason, you'll find it fascinating. Personally, I have a tendency to talk to certain insects (such as bees, moths that hang on the screens, and box elder bugs), and could sit for hours watching ants. I realize that seems rather eccentric, but I don't care :o).

This is an interesting forum. I'm in central MN, and just recently started adding some native trees and bushes. We have an acre, and have been fighting a losing battle with creepng charlie. It's even crept it's way into our "wild" area at the back of the property, and it's all my fault :o(.

That book was featured by the speaker at the last San Antonio chapter of Native Plant Society of Texas meeting. Eccentric? I don't think of eccentric as a bad thing unless some kind of abuse is involved. I'm pretty darn eccentric myself. Keep fighting your invasive stuff. I've finally got the grass stickers under control after years of fighting...now I'm really shocked if one sticker plant shows up! Now if only there were a way to rid the property of nonnative KR Bluestem grass!

Laughing, glad I'm not the only one who watches ants and talks to the insects!

raccoonwoman, That book is great! I got it from the library. It really opened my eyes to a lot of issues. I had not given much thought to the insect needs of our birds to feed their babies. Very interesting and enlightening.

I found the book "Native Plants of the Northeast, A Guide for Gardening & Conservation" by Donald J. Leopold, highly useful. He lists trees, shrubs perrenials, ferns, grasses and gives the ranges of all. I notice most extend into the mid-west. Great photos and info.

I have found that a good website on natives is http://www.grownative.org/

They give a lot of information on each plant. Besides culture, size, color, hardiness zones, etc., they also list its characteristics, attributes, wildlife benefits, and even suggested companion plants.

While the website is based in Missouri, many of these plants grow in other states also.