Books Our Members Love

A Guide to the Wildflowers of South Carolina (2022) by Patrick D. McMillan, Richard D. Porcher Jr., Douglas A. Rayner, and David B. White

A comprehensive and indispensable reference for identifying and appreciating native flora

From its summits to its shores, South Carolina brims with life and unparalleled beauty thanks to its abundant array of native and naturalized flora, all carefully documented in this revised and expanded edition of A Guide to the Wildflowers of South Carolina. Dramatic advances in plant taxonomy and ecology have occurred since the guide’s publication 20 years ago; new species have been discovered while others struggle to survive in the face of vanishing habitats and climate change.

The authors, all experienced botanists, offer essays on carnivorous plants, native orchids, Carolina bays, the roles and effects of fire and agriculture on the landscape, and detailed descriptions of the plant communities throughout the state’s major natural regions. This expanded edition catalogs nearly 1,000 species organized by habitat, with descriptions, color photographs, range maps, and comments on pharmacological uses, suitability for garden cultivation, origin of common and scientific names, and conservation status.

Caterpillars of Eastern North America (2005) by David L Wagner

This lavishly illustrated guide will enable you to identify the caterpillars of nearly 700 butterflies and moths found east of the Mississippi. The more than 1,200 color photographs and two dozen line drawings include numerous exceptionally striking images. The giant silk moths, tiger moths, and many other species covered include forest pests, common garden guests, economically important species, and of course, the Mescal Worm and Mexican Jumping Bean caterpillars. Full-page species accounts cover almost 400 species, with up to six images per species including an image of the adult plus succinct text with information on distribution, seasonal activity, foodplants, and life history. These accounts are generously complemented with additional images of earlier instars, closely related species, noteworthy behaviors, and other intriguing aspects of caterpillar biology.

Edible Wild Plants of the Carolinas: A Forager's Companion (2021) by Lytton John Musselman and Peter W. Schafran

Foraging edible plants was once limited to specialists, survivalists, and herbalists, but it’s become increasingly mainstream. Influenced by the popularity of the locavore movement, many restaurants feature foraged plants on their menus, and a wide variety of local foraged plants are sold at farmers markets across the country.

With Edible Wild Plants of the Carolinas, Lytton John Musselman and Peter W. Schafran offer a full-color guide for the everyday forager, featuring:

– Profiles of more than 100 edible plants, organized broadly by food type, including seeds, fruits, grains, and shoots

– Details about taste and texture, harvesting tips, and preparation instructions

– Full-color photos that make it easy to identify edible plants

Edible Wild Plants of the Carolinas is designed to help anyone enjoy the many wild plants found in the biodiverse Carolinas.

Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas, 1968, Albert Radford, Harry Ahles, and C. Ritchie Bell

This illustrated manual describes and discusses the unusually rich and varied flora of the Carolinas, from the semi-tropical coast of South Carolina to the northern forests of the high North Carolina mountains.

The manual treats in detail and in a concise format more than 3, 200 species of trees, shrubs, vines, herbs and ferns that grow without cultivation in this two-state area. Special features include diagnostic illustrations, keys for identification, detailed descriptions, flowering and fruiting dates, habitat data, distribution data, and pertinent synonymy for each species. County dot maps show the distribution of each species if found in more than five counties throughout the two-state area, and general ranges beyond our borders are given in the text.

First published in 1968, Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas is an established reference for professionals, students, and plant enthusiasts throughout the Southeastern United States. It is based on the collection and examination of more than 200,000 live specimens. Many of these specimens are now housed in the herbarium at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Botany in a Day, The Patterns Method of Plant Identification, An Herbal Field Guide to Plant Families of North America, 2013, Thomas J. Elpel

Botany in a Day is now available in a full-color version. With more than 100,000 copies sold, this is a passport to identifying plants and their uses.
Looking for a faster, easier, and engaging way to identify plants? Related plants have similar characteristics, and they often have similar uses. Rather than learning new plants one-at-a-time, it is possible to learn them by the hundreds, based on plant family patterns.
Each family of related plants has unique patterns for identification. Learn to recognize these patterns, and discover them again and again in the plants you encounter. It is possible to instantly recognize a plant never before seen, and in many cases, to know its edible or medicinal properties on the spot-even before you have identified it down to the species!
Botany in a Day is changing the way people learn about plants. A one-day tutorial introduces eight of the world’s most common plant families, applicable to more than 45,000 species of plants. Master these eight patterns and have the skills to recognize an astonishing number of plants on any continent. Add to your repertoire by keying out entirely unknown plants and learning additional family patterns.
Botany in a Day is principally written for North America, but used and adored by readers all over the world. It is used as a textbook in numerous universities, high schools, and herbal schools. This book is widely used in nature programs and promoted in national parks. Botany in a Day is your passport connection to nature and discovering the amazing world of plants!

The Savage Garden, Cultivating Carnivorous Plants (2013), Peter D’Amato

Wild Orchids Of South Carolina: A Popular Natural History (2005), James Alexander Fowler

A stunning photographic guide to the Palmetto State’s native orchids

Orchids in any setting make for a beautiful sight, but native orchids growing in their natural habitats offer an especially rewarding view for plant enthusiasts, naturalists, and nature lovers of all ages. South Carolina hosts a rich potpourri of these enormously popular wildflowers, thanks in large part to its unique position as the lower boundary of more northerly species and upper boundary of species found in Florida and the gulf states. In Wild Orchids of South Carolina, James Alexander Fowler captures with spectacular photography and encyclopedic knowledge the full glory of the state’s native orchid population. From the bogs and bays of the coastal plain to the mountain woodlands, Fowler catalogs rare and widely distributed species, offering a wealth of information for identifying these prized plants.

In addition to providing photographs of each species, Fowler includes common and scientific names, flower descriptions, bloom times, ranges, habitats, pollinators, and refreshingly candid personal observations about the orchids as he encountered them in the wild. He details his experiences of coming upon a show-stopping colony of large yellow lady’s slipper orchids (Cypripedium parviflorum var. pubescens) and of locating the rare monkey-face orchid (Platanthera integrilabia).

Carnivorous Plants (1985), Adrian Slack

Adrian Slack focuses on some fifty species, using photographs, line drawings, and diagrams to illustrate their peculiarities.

The mobile tentacles of the Sundews, the snapping lobes of the Venus Fly Trap, and the slippery, baited pitfalls of the Pitcher Plants seem the stuff of science fiction, yet these amazing plants do exist. Adrian Slack focuses on some fifty species, using photographs, line drawings, and diagrams to illustrate their peculiarities. He explores in detail the wily manner in which each type of plant entices, catches, and digests its prey.

Medicinal Plants of North America, 2016, Jim Meuninck

Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants of Eastern and Central North America (1999), Lee Allen Peterson

An invaluable resource for foragers and outdoor enthusiasts.

More than 370 edible wild plants, and 37 poisonous lookalikes, are described in A Peterson Field Guide To Edible Wild Plants—plus, 400 drawings and 78 color photographs showing precisely how to recognize each species. Also included are habitat descriptions, lists of plants by season, and preparation instructions for 22 different food uses.

For more than 85 years, Peterson Field Guides have set the standard by which other field guides are measured. Comprehensive and authoritative, they are essential additions to any naturalist’s bookshelf or backpack.

Planting in a Post-Wild World by Thomas Rainer and Claudia West

Planting in a Post-Wild World by Thomas Rainer and Claudia West is an inspiring call to action dedicated to the idea of a new nature—a hybrid of both the wild and the cultivated—that can flourish in our cities and suburbs. This is both a post-wild manifesto and practical guide that describes how to incorporate and layer plants into plant communities to create an environment that is reflective of natural systems and thrives within our built world.

Gardening with Native Plants of the South

We love this beautiful introduction to the top native plants to add to your garden.

“In this book, the authors offer an exciting vision of the many possibilities and advantages of “going native.” Lavishly illustrated with more than 300 gorgeous color photographs, this book is both an introduction to more than 280 of the most familiar and easiest-to-find native plants of the South and a basic primer on how to use them effectively.”  – Lyons Press

Glorious Shade (2017) by Jenny Rose Carey

The grass is always greener…. unless it’s under an oak tree!  Jenny Rose Carey, encourages gardeners to embrace their shade as a gift. In this 300-odd page treasure Carey guides you to meeting the challenge of ‘right plant right place’ by recognizing the unique characteristics in your space, through the various soil types, shade levels and seasons of the year.  This valuable and easy reading reference provides excellent design approaches and includes dozens of our own favorite native plants grouped into trees, shrubs, vines, ferns, perennials and even tropical.  One of the best features of the book are the plant lists, including plant recommendations for shade based on native plants, fragrant plants, various soil types, planting under tree canopies, seasonal interest, and deer resistant shade plants among others.  This is a wonderful book and highly recommended and it’s inexpensive and available through the Upstate library systems.

The Well-tended Perennial Garden (2017) by Tracy DiSabato-Aust

Whether you are a new gardener or a green thumb, The Well-Tended Perennial Garden is here to help you successfully plan, plant, and tend your garden. This hardworking guide includes thorough details on the essential practices of perennial care—included deadheading, pinching, and thinning—along with growing information for specific species and cultivars, on-trend garden design advice, a monthly planting and maintenance schedule, and details on native plants and gardening for wildlife. This book includes A-Z listing of plants, including many of our SC natives, with genus- and species-specific info (some cultivar-specific info) as well as useful general concepts like why the amount of delay in flowering is not directly related to the timing of the pruning, along with other factors.

Rain Gardening in the South (2009), Helen Krause and Anne Spafford

Gold Award Winner, Best Gardening Book from the Garden Writers Association

Silver Award Winner for Achievement for the prestigious Garden Writers Association 2010 Book Awards

Benjamin Franklin Silver Award for 2010

Hoffer Award, Honorable Mention, 2010

The first book for the consumer/home gardener on this important new environmental movement, Rain Gardening in the South helps gardeners wisely use our most precious resource—water. Rain gardens maximize rainwater, enhance the landscape, and promote good environmental stewardship.

Runoff contributes significantly to polluting our waterways. The rain garden, which functions as a miniature reservoir and filtration system, offers an effective, visually pleasing solution that dramatically reduces toxic runoff, resulting in cleaner rivers, lakes, and oceans.

A readable, how-to guide for creating beautiful gardens that capture, filter, and use water that runs off roofs, driveways, and other hardscapes, Rain Gardening in the South is written by North Carolina State horticulturalists Helen Kraus and Anne Spafford. The book addresses the specific environmental circumstances of southern gardens, such as climate issues, plant selection, and soil types. It includes step-by-step instruction on constructing a garden, from the design stage to post-planting maintenance.

The Living Landscape: Designing for Beauty and Biodiversity in the Home Garden (2014), Rick Darke and Doug Tallamy

“This thoughtful, intelligent book is all about connectivity, addressing a natural world in which we are the primary influence.” —The New York Times Books Review

Many gardeners today want a home landscape that nourishes and fosters wildlife, but they also want beauty, a space for the kids to play, privacy, and maybe even a vegetable patch. Sure, it’s a tall order, but The Living Landscape shows you how to do it. You’ll learn the strategies for making and maintaining a diverse, layered landscape—one that offers beauty on many levels, provides outdoor rooms and turf areas for children and pets, incorporates fragrance and edible plants, and provides cover, shelter, and sustenance for wildlife. Richly illustrated and informed by both a keen eye for design and an understanding of how healthy ecologies work, The Living Landscape will enable you to create a garden that fulfills both human needs and the needs of wildlife communities.

Botany for Gardeners (2022), Brian Capon

“This should be the cornerstone of every gardener’s library.” —Jeff Gillman, Director of the UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens

What happens inside a seed after it is planted? How are plants structured? How do plants reproduce? The answers to these and other questions about complex plant processes can be found in the bestselling Botany for Gardeners. First published in 1990 with more than 260,000 copies sold, it has become the go-to introduction to botany for students and gardeners.

Now in its fourth edition, Botany for Gardeners has been expanded and updated. It features a revised interior, with new photos and illustrations that clarify the concepts clearer than ever before. Additional updates address scientific advances, changes in nomenclature and taxonomy, and more. As before, Botany for Gardeners shares accessible information about how plants are organized, how they have adapted to nearly all environments on earth, their essential functions, and how they reproduce.

Gardening for Birds, Butterflies & Bees: Everything You Need to Know to Create a Wildlife Habitat in Your Backyard (2016), Birds & Blooms Magazine

Whether you’re installing a new garden bed or trying to attract orioles for the first time, it helps to start with the right information. And here it is! In this book, experts and readers from North America’s #1 Bird and Garden Magazine, Birds & Blooms, give their tried-and-true advice.

Attracting birds and butterflies has never been simpler—plus you’ll get the latest tips and advice for supporting the dwindling bee population, which experts say is essential for the future of gardening. Inside this book, you’ll find irresistible plants for birds, butterflies, and bees, creative garden designs for year-round beauty, and our top plant lists to take the guesswork out of gardening.

Birds, butterflies and bees rely on plants, trees and shrubs to survive and thrive. That’s why doing your part for the environment by establishing critter-friendly areas in your own backyard is so crucial.

Deep South Native Plants for the Home Garden: A Journey to Discover a Selection of Winners

Perhaps…

• -you love gardening and you’re ready to do something positive for Mother Earth.
• -you’ve been hearing a lot about native plants, but those huge reference books are a little daunting.
• -you’d love a beautiful backyard that’s full of the activity of butterflies, bees, and birds.
• -you’re a newcomer to the South, and you’d like a few suggestions about plants that will most likely succeed in your landscape.
• -Or…perhaps you value gardening with a minimum of labor and expense.

If any or all of the above statements resonate with you, this book is aimed in your direction. In these pages, the author serves as a tour guide on an imaginary bus trip through South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. The goal of the journey is to identify a small selection of the thousands of perennial plants that are most at home in the Deep South.

This isn’t a comprehensive reference book though it does contain quite a bit of information. Deep South Native Plants for the Home Garden is written in a breezy, slightly playful style, with plant information and 35 color photos sprinkled with informal anecdotes. It’s light reading but it carries the weight of an important message. It’s more of a mini-guide to an A-List, a few fabulous native plant winners that can be planted at home by a beginning gardener, by a master gardener, or by anyone who cares about Mother Earth. By YOU, hopefully!

Soil by Camille Dungy

In Soil: The Story of a Black Mother’s Garden, poet and scholar Camille T. Dungy recounts the seven-year odyssey to diversify her garden in the predominantly white community of Fort Collins, Colorado. When she moved there in 2013 with her husband and daughter, the community held restrictions about what residents could and could not plant in their gardens. In resistance to the homogenous policies that limited the possibility and wonder that grows from the earth, Dungy employs the various plants, herbs, vegetables, and flowers she grows in her garden as metaphor and treatise for how homogeneity threatens the future of our planet, and why cultivating diverse and intersectional language in our national discourse about the environment is the best means of protecting it.

Nature's Best Hope

Douglas W. Tallamy’s first book, Bringing Nature Home, awakened thousands of readers to an urgent situation: wildlife populations are in decline because the native plants they depend on are fast disappearing. His solution? Plant more natives. In this new book, Tallamy takes the next step and outlines his vision for a grassroots approach to conservation. Nature’s Best Hope shows how homeowners everywhere can turn their yards into conservation corridors that provide wildlife habitats. Because this approach relies on the initiatives of private individuals, it is immune from the whims of government policy. Even more important, it’s practical, effective, and easy—you will walk away with specific suggestions you can incorporate into your own yard.

If you’re concerned about doing something good for the environment, Nature’s Best Hope is the blueprint you need. By acting now, you can help preserve our precious wildlife—and the planet—for future generations.

Anthill: A Novel (2011) by E.O. Wilson

Dr. E. O. Wilson is one of the most brilliant and inspiring minds of our time, offering his keen insights in dozens of essays and books. Winner of the 2010 Heartland Prize, Anthill follows the thrilling adventures of a modern-day Huck Finn, enthralled with the “strange, beautiful, and elegant” world of his native Nokobee County. But as developers begin to threaten the endangered marshlands around which he lives, the book’s hero decides to take decisive action. Edward O. Wilson―the world’s greatest living biologist―elegantly balances glimpses of science with the gripping saga of a boy determined to save the world from its most savage ecological predator – man himself.

Half Earth (2017) by E.O. Wilson

In his final and perhaps most compelling work, this Pulitzer prize winning author and preeminent evolutionary biologist explains that biodiversity isn’t just about species; it’s about native species that co-evolved over the millennia and are now unable to evolve quickly enough to survive in today’s ecological environment. And why does that matter? In order to save our declining Biosphere we must learn how the species within it interact with one another. Yet this process has only just begun, and remains a fledgling science, with few answers and many questions. Wilson is candid and factual about how we arrived at this dilemma and points out that although we humans are the primary cause of biodiversity decline, we also have the ability to find answers and make decisions vital to our long-term existence. The many contributing factors to biodiversity decline are carefully explained, and although Wilson feels that while today’s conservation efforts are helping, they will prove too fragmented to recover the ecological balance. He recommends setting key areas as biological preserves, including our own Longleaf Pine savannah, which he describes as among the richest and most diverse on the planet.

Round About Greenville and the Carolina Blue Ridge (2020) by Pam Burgess Shucker and Bill Robertson

Created by some of our very own SCNPS Upstate Chapter Members, Pam Shucker, Bill Robertson and Janie Marlow have outdone themselves. “Round About Greenville is from two lifetime Greenville residents, who have hiked and photographed all these nature’s treasures within about 90 minutes of Greenville city limits. Photographed and beautifully described are more than 80 places to enjoy on these colorful, high quality pages and to plan to visit in person when quarantines are over. The book is coffee table quality, but conveniently planned to fit your backpack for hikes. Easy index and good map give the info you need, as well as the history and botany facts described in the paragraphs, with each double page, full-color spread featuring a different place. The perfect book for enduring being housebound, and the perfect guide when you can finally get out and About the Upstate.” ~William B. Neely III

Looking for Longleaf The Fall and Rise of an American Forest (2005) by Lawrence S. Earley

Covering 92 million acres from Virginia to Texas, the longleaf pine ecosystem was, in its prime, one of the most extensive and biologically diverse ecosystems in North America. Today these magnificent forests have declined to a fraction of their original extent, threatening such species as the gopher tortoise, the red-cockaded woodpecker, and the Venus fly-trap. Conservationists have proclaimed longleaf restoration a major goal, but has it come too late?

In Looking for Longleaf, Lawrence S. Earley explores the history of these forests and the astonishing biodiversity of the longleaf ecosystem, drawing on extensive research and telling the story through first-person travel accounts and interviews with foresters, ecologists, biologists, botanists, and landowners. For centuries, these vast grass-covered forests provided pasture for large cattle herds, in addition to serving as the world’s greatest source of naval stores. They sustained the exploitative turpentine and lumber industries until nearly all of the virgin longleaf had vanished.

Looking for Longleaf demonstrates how, in the twentieth century, forest managers and ecologists struggled to understand the special demands of longleaf and to halt its overall decline. The compelling story Earley tells here offers hope that with continued human commitment, the longleaf pine might not just survive, but once again thrive.