Native Plant Resources
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Landscape companies that specialize in native plants
Riverview sells native plants and provides on-site consultation. We do not create designs, install or maintain native gardens. However, there are a few landscape companies in our region that know natives. Of course, we hope that you specify they use Riverview's plants if possible!
These are some of the resources we use as we dig into using native plants in home gardens and landscapes.
Books
Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants by Douglas W. Tallamy
The Living Landscape: Designing for beauty and biodiversity in the home garden by Rick Darke & Doug Tallamy
Planting in a Post-Wild World: Designing Plant Communities for Resilient Landscapes by Thomas Rainer and Claudia West
Native Plants of the Midwest: A Comprehensive Guide to the Best 500 Species for the Garden by Alan Branhagen
The Midwestern Native Garden: Native alternatives to non-native flowers and plants by Charlotte Adelman and Bernard L. Schwartz
The Monarch: Saving Our Most-Loved Butterfly by Kylee Baumle
The Humane Gardener: Nurturing a Backyard Habitat for Wildlife by Nancy Lawson
Bees: An Identification and Native Plant Forage Guide by Heather Holm
Bird in the Yard month by month: What’s There and Why, and How to Attract Those That Aren’t by Sharon Sorenson
Websites and online articles
Doug Tallamy's perspective on why we should plant natives
Tallamy research on which native plants support the most insect species
The Biota of North America Program (BONAP) gives the native status at county level. Select the genus on the alphabetical list and it will show all species and the native status.
The USDA also has a database that shows native status by county and you can use common names, but it is not as reliable as BONAP.
The Missouri Botanical Garden has an excellent plant database geared to gardeners wanting to use native plants. A lot of plants are native to both states but you should check the native status on BONAP.
Illinois Wildflowers has detailed botanical information and an excellent section on faunal associations, but you have to know the habitat to search for a specific plant. We have found it easier to do a Google search with plant name and the "Illinois Wildflower"
Midwest Graminoids - Grasses, Sedges and Rushes, Oh my! is a facebook group (ask to join) of botanists that focus on these difficult-to-identify plants.
List of Indiana native plants for Indiana native pollinators
Creating Pollinator Gardens is an excellent summary of what is needed for bees and butterflies. Although it references honey, only produced by the non-native honey bee, these tips work for Indiana's 416 native bees also.
Catching Rain Fort Wayne includes rain garden workshops, manual and other resources.
Master Rain Gardeners is a Facebook group (just ask to join) from Ann Arbor that shares information about rain gardens
Indiana Native Plant Society Facebook group has over 40,000 members discussing Indiana native plants. Just ask to join..
Invasive Plants
Official list of Indiana invasive plants
Great Lakes Early Detection Network (GLEDN) is an invasive species early detection and warning system for the Great Lakes region developed through funding provided by the National Park Service. GLEDN is an online system that collects invasive species reports from casual observers, verifies these reports and integrates them. The system then uses this integrated information to send customized early detection email alerts.
Plant this, not that, alternatives to invasive species: The Nature Conservancy, Keep Indianapolis Beautiful and Grow Native Missouri Prairie Foundation. Note that some recommended species are not native to northeastern Indiana, but there are a lot of excellent suggestions in these links.
Indiana Invasive Plant Advisory Committee is a Facebook group to keep you updated on the latest invasive species information.
Certification and Signs
IN Native Plant Society Grow Indiana Native certification and sign
National Wildlife Federation certifies wildlife habitat.
Learn how to create a certified monarch waystation
Xerces Society pollinator habitat sign
Citizen Scientists
Report your monarch sightings at Journey North.
iNaturalist lets you share your observations of the natural world.
A list of Citizen Science projects collected by The National Geographic.
Organizations
IN Native Plant Society's mission is to promote the the appreciation, preservation, scientific study, and use of plants native to Indiana and to teach people about their beauty, diversity, and importance to our environment. Once you join, you will be assigned to a regional chapter. The Northeast Chapter is very active with hikes, lectures, tours, picnics and many stewardship activities.
The Northeast Chapter of IN Native Plant Society has a Facebook page to communicate the chapter's activities and share native plant information.