Books about native plants:
Our top picks are:
- Native Landscaping for Wildlife and People by Dave Tylka (Out of print, used copies can be found on Amazon but we also have copies that can be borrowed)
- Tried and True Missouri Natives for your Yard, Missouri Department of Conservation
- Native Plants of the Midwest: A Comprehensive Guide by Alan Branhagen
- Bringing Nature Home by Douglas W. Tallamy
- Nature’s Best Hope by Douglas W. Tallamy
- The Wildflower Garden Planner by St. Louis Chapter member Besa Schweitzer
Other native plant books:
- Shrubs and Woody Vines of Missouri by Don Kurz
- Trees of Missouri by Don Kurz and Paul Nelson
- Missouri Wildflowers by Edgar Denison
- Seedling ID Guide for Native Prairie Plants jointly produced by the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Missouri Department of Conservation
- The Midwestern Native Garden: Native Alternatives to Non-Native Flowers and Plants by Charlotte Adelman and Bernard Schwartz
- Midwestern Native Shrubs and Trees: Gardening Alternatives to Nonnative Species: An Illustrated Guide by Charlotte Adelman and Bernard Schwartz
- The Living Landscape: Designing for Beauty and Biodiversity in the Home Garden by Rick Darke and Douglas W. Tallamy
- Noah’s Garden by Sara Stein
- The Humane Gardener by Nancy Lawson
- Missouri Wildflowers of the St. Louis Area by Erna Eisendrath
- Planting in a Post-Wild World by Thomas Rainer and Claudia West, keeping in mind that, for planting in our area, we recommend Missouri native plants and usually the “straight species”, not a cultivar.
- Garden Revolution by Larry Weaner
Books and publications about habitat and wildlife:
Birds
- Natural Gardening for Birds: Create a Bird-Friendly Habitat in Your Backyard by Julie Zickfoose
- Birdscaping in the Midwest: A Guide to Gardening with Native Plants to Attract Birds by Mariette Nowak with foreword by Peter H. Raven
- National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 7th Edition by Jon L. Dunn and Jonathan Alderfer
Butterflies
- Gardening for Butterflies: How You Can Attract and Protect Beautiful, Beneficial Insects by The Xerces Society
- A Photographic Field Guide to the Butterflies in the Kansas City Region by Betsy Betros (applicable to the St. Louis side of the state as well)
- Butterflies of Illinois: A Field Guide by Michael R. Jeffords, Susan L. Post, and James R. Wiker
Pollinators and Insects
- Pollinators of Native Plants: Attract, Observe and Identify Pollinators and Beneficial Insects with Native Plants by Heather Holm
- Bees: An Identification and Native Plant Forage Guide by Heather Holm
- Wasps: A Guide for Eastern North America by Heather Holm
- Attracting Native Pollinators: The Xerces Society Guide, Protecting North America’s Bees and Butterflies
- Garden Insects of North America: The Ultimate Guide to Backyard Bugs by Whitney Cranshaw and David Shetlar
- Life in the Leaf Litter pdf by the American Museum of Natural History
Dragonflies, amphibians and reptiles
- Stokes Beginner’s Guide to Dragonflies by Blair Nikula, Jackie Sones, Donald stokes, Lillian Stokes
- Amphibian and Reptiles of Missouri by Tom R. Johnson (available from MDC)
- Backyard Ponds: Guidelines for Creating and Managing Habitat for Dragonflies and Damselflies pdf by Celeste Mazzacano, Dennis Paulson, and John Abbott
- Building Natural Ponds: Create a Clean Algae-free Pond by Robert Pavlis