Many of us are familiar with traditional ornamental plants but not, perhaps, with the challenges and rewards of working with native plants.   Some of us may be new to gardening, while others may have years of experience growing things and making beautiful gardens.  In either case, we must expand our knowledge in order to implement the best management practices that will help heal the lake at the local and personal level, while at the same time fostering the right conditions to support biodiversity and combat climate change at a broader, more universal level.   So curl up with a good book, or take some time to watch a fascinating video or listen to a podcast.  Become a curious naturalist.  Keep on learning!

Books and Articles

https://grownativemass.org/Great-Resources/best-books

https://wildseedproject.net/recommended-reading/

Highly Recommended Reading:

• Three books by entomologist Dr. Douglas Tallamy:
  • Nature’s Best Hope:  A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard, Douglas Tallamy, Timber Press, 2020.
  • Bringing Nature Home—How You Can Sustain Wildlife With Native Plants, Douglas Tallamy, Timber Press, 2009.
  • The Nature of Oaks—The Rich Ecology of our Most Essential Native Tree, Douglas Tallamy, Timber Press, 2021.

Tallamy lectures widely and audio recordings of many of his talks are available on line.

• We Are The Ark:  Returning our Gardens to Their True Nature with Acts of Restorative Kindness,   Mary Reynolds, Timber Press, 2022.
• Braiding Sweetgrass—Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Milkweed Editions, 2013.
• Finding the Mother Tree:  Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest, Suzanne Simard, Alfred A. Knopf, 2022.
• Reading the Forested Landscape: A Natural History of New England, Tom Wessels, The Countryman Press, 1997
• Forest Forensics:  A Field Guide to Reading the Forested Landscape, Tom Wessels, The Countryman Press, 2010.
• Peterson Field Guide to Eastern Forests, John C. Kricher and Gordon Morrison, Houghton, Mifflin Co., 1988.
• Native Plants for New England Gardens, Mark Richardson and Dan Jaffe, Globe Pequot Press, 2018
• The Hidden Life of Trees:  What They Feel, How They Communicate, Peter Wohlleben, Greystone Books, 2015.
• What a Plant Knows:  A Field Guide to the Senses, Daniel Chamovitz, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2012.
• The Humane Gardener:  Nurturing a Backyard Habitat for Wildlife, Nancy Lawson, Princeton Architectural Press, 2017.
• Wildscape: Trilling Chipmunks, Beckoning Blooms, Salty Butterflies, and other Sensory Wonders of Nature, Nancy Lawson, Princeton Architectural Press, 2023.

Videos and Webinars

• https://nhlakes.org/webinars/
• https://grownativemass.org/Great-Resources/experts-videos

 Links to Other Organizations

• New Hampshire Lakes
• Lake Winnipesaukee Association
• Backyard Ecology
• Grow Native Massachusetts
• Home Grown National Park
• Lady Bird Johnson Wildlife Center
• Plant lookup by common or scientific name
• Maine Lakes
  • Resource Library with links to brochures:  https://www.lakes.me/library
• Massachusetts Audubon
• National Audubon Society
  • https://www.audubon.org/bird-guide
• National Wildlife Federation
  • https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide
  • https://www.nwf.org/natureguides
• Native Plant Trust
• GoBotany: Identify plants and look up if they are native to our region
• New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services
• Northeast Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change Management Network (RISCC)
• Perfect Earth Project
  • https://perfectearthproject.org
  • https://perfectearthproject.org/resources/what-is-prfct
• The Humane Gardener
• University of Massachusetts Extension
• University of New Hampshire Extension
• Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation
• Wild Seed Project
• Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation