Bringing nature home : how native plants sustain wildlife in our gardens / Douglas W. Tallamy.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 263-271) and index.

Restoring natives to suburbia -- The vital new role of the suburban garden -- No place to hide -- Who cares about biodiversity? -- Why can't insects eat alien plants? -- What is native and what is not? -- The costs of using alien ornamentals -- Creating balanced communities -- Gardening for insect diversity -- Blending in with the neighbors -- Making it happen -- What should I plant? -- What does bird food look like? -- Answers to tough questions -- Afterword: The last refuge -- Appendix 1: Native plants with wildlife value and desirable landscaping attributes -- Appendix 2: Host plants of butterflies and showy moths -- Appendix 3: Experimental evidence.

In Bringing Nature Home, Doug Tallamy encourages the use of native plants in gardening. This book asks and answers questions for modern gardeners inclined to good stewardship. How can we adjust our planting palette to be both beautiful and envitonmentally useful? How much more does a local oak species contribute to habitat richness then an out-of-ecological-context exotic tree? What do violets and fritillary butterflies, or pawpaws and zebra swallowtails have in common? Where might tomorrow's species come from?

English