Books

There are so many wonderful books we could recommend. Please enjoy those listed below, and let us know if there are others you think we missed!

Accounts of Local Stewardship

• City Creatures: Animal Encounters in the Chicago Wilderness
  Gavin Van Horn and Dave Aftandilian, Editors
• Hunting for Frogs on Elston: Jerry Sullivan
• In Service of the Wild: Restoring and Rehabilitating Damaged Land: Stephanie Mills| Tells the story of the North Branch Prairie Project and its efforts, including restoration of Somme Prairie Grove.
• Miracle Under the Oaks: The Revival of Nature in America: William K. Stevens | Tells the story of the birth of ecological restoration, with a focus on Somme Prairie Grove.
• Natural History of the Chicago Region: Joel Greenberg | Details the history of natural areas in the region and provides context for understanding our current landscape.
• Nature’s Restoration, People And Places on the Front Lines of Conservation: Peter Frederici | Compares the work at Somme Prairie Grove to projects in the United States and elsewhere.

Historical Accounts

• 36 Acres: Tobin Fraley
• Aldo Leopold – His Life and Work: Curt Meine
• A Prairie Grove – A Naturalist’s Story of Primeval America: Donald Culross Peattie | A narrative of the life and home of Illinois naturalist Robert Kennicott.
• A Sand County Almanac: Aldo Leopold
• Building the Canal to Save Chicago: Richard Lanyon
• Flora of the Chicago Region: Herman Silas Pepoon | One of our earliest published floras.
• Flowers – How They Changed the World: William Burger
• Henry Chandler Cowles: Pioneer Ecologist: Victor Cassidy | Cowles is regarded as the father of modern ecology.
• H.S. Pepoon: Pioneer Conservationist of Northwest Illinois: Cory Ritterbusch
• Of Prairies, Woods, and Waters: Joel Greenberg
• Pioneer Naturalists: The Discovery and Naming of North American Plants and Animals: Howard Ensign Evans
• Studying Wisconsin: The Life of Increase Lapham: Martha Bergland and Paul G. Hayes | One of the Midwest’s most eminent but lesser-known early naturalists.
• The Chicago River: A Natural and Unnatural History: Libby Hill

Plant Identification

• Plants of the Chicago Region, 4th Ed.: Floyd Swink and Gerould Wilhelm | Could also be listed as a technical reference; this was the go-to guide for plants in our region but requires some experience to use. May now be substantially superceded by Flora of the Chicago Region (see below).
• Plants of Kane County: Dick Young | Accessible and informative.
• Flora of the Chicago Region: A Floristic and Ecological Synthesis: Gerould Wilhelm & Laura Rericha, Indiana Academy of Sciences, 2017 | Could also be listed as a technical reference; this tome substantially supercedes the 4th edition of the now out-of-print Plants of the Chicago Region. More current taxonomically, this book also includes invaluable insect associates and other natural history and biographical notes.
• A Great Lakes Wetland Flora: Steve Chadde
• A Field Guide to Wildflowers of Northeastern and Northcentral North America: Roger Tory Peterson and Margaret McKenny | Excellent drawings and descriptions. Organized by color.
• Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide: Lawrence Newcomb | A key guides you quickly to the right group of plants.
• Tallgrass Prairie Wildflowers: Douglas Ladd | Excellent photographs of prairie species and many of the savanna species, as well as providing an excellent summary of prairie ecology.
• Wildflowers in the Field and Forest, A Field Guide to the Northeastern United States: Steven Clemants and Carol Gracie
• A Guide to Wildflowers in Winter by Carol Levine
• Trees of Illinois: Linda Kershaw | Good photos and narrative, great for beginners.
• Forest Trees of Illinois: Illinois Department of Natural Resources
• Oaks of North America: Miller and Lamb
• The Urban Tree Book: Arthur Plotnik
• The Sibley Guide to Trees: David A. Sibley
• Midwest Ferns: Steve W. Chadde
• Orchids of Indiana: Michael Homoya
• Orchids of the Western Great Lakes Region: Fred Case
• The Sunflower Family of the Upper Midwest: Susanne Masi and Thomas Antonio
• Field Guide to Wisconsin Sedges: Andrew Hipp
• Sedges: Carex (Illustrated Flora of Illinois Series): Robert Mohlenbrock | This entire series is great!
• Woodland Carex of the Upper Midwest & Bog and Fen Carex of the Upper Midwest: Linda Curtis
• First Book of Grasses: Agnes Chase | Ms. Chase was from Illinois, later Head Agrostologist at the Smithsonian. She has a fascinating life story.
• Grasses: Lauren Brown
• Common Mosses of the Northeast and Appalachians: Karl B. McKnight

Mushroom Identification

• Edible Wild Mushrooms of Illinois: Greg Mueller and Joe McFarland
• The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms: Gary H. Lincoff
• Mushrooms of Northeast North America: George Barron

Invertebrate Identification

• Insects: Their Natural History and Diversity: With a Photographic Guide to Insects of Eastern North America: Stephen Marshall
• Butterflies of Illinois: Michael Jeffords, Susan Post, et al.
• Caterpillars of Eastern North America: David L. Wagner
• Common Spiders of North America: Richard A. Bradley
• Field Guide to Crayfishes of the Midwest: Christopher A. Taylor, Guenter A. Schuster, and Daniel B. Wylie
• Field Guide to Freshwater Mussels of the Midwest: Kevin S. Cummings and Christine A. Mayer
• Field Guide to Grasshoppers, Katydids and Crickets of the United States: John L. Capinera, Ralph D. Scott, and Thomas J. Walker
• Fieldbook of Illinois Land Snails: Frank Collins Baker

Vertebrate Identification

• A Birder’s Guide to the Chicago Region: Lynne Carpenter and Joel Greenberg
• Birding Illinois: From the Regional Birding Series: Sheryl De Vore
• Birds of Illinois: Sheryl De Vore, Steve Bailey, Gregory Kennedy
• Birds of North America: Kenn Kaufmann
• Illinois Birds: A Century of Change: Jeff Walk, et al.
• Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of Illinois: Christopher Phillips, Ronald A. Brandon, and Edward O. Moll
• Mammals of Illinois: Donald F. Hoffmeister

Geology

• Geology of Illinois: R. Kolata and C. K. Nimz, eds., Prairie Research Institute, 2005
• Geology Underfoot in Illinois: Raymond Wiggers

Ecology

• Atlas of the Wisconsin Prairie and Savanna Flora: Wisconsin DNR
• Biodiversity Recovery Plan: Chicago Wilderness
• Canaries in the Catbird Seat – The Past, Present, and Future of Biological Resources in a Changing Environment: John Taft
• Forest and Thicket: John Eastman
• Life on a Little Known Planet: A Biologist’s View of Insects and Their World: Howard Ensign Evans
• Reading the Landscape: May Thielgaard Watts
• Restoring Oak Ecosystems: Stephen Packard, Restoration & Management Notes, Volume 11, Number 1, Summer, 1993.| Summarizes more than a decade of woodland restoration and responds to critics who recommend a “hands off” approach.
• Tallgrass Restoration Handbook: Stephen Packard, ed.
• Vegetation of Wisconsin – An Ordination of Plant Communities: John T. Curtis
• Where the Sky Began – Land of the Tallgrass Prairie: John Madson
• Wisconsin’s Natural Communities: Randy Hoffman

Ecologically Sound Human Habitats

• Bringing Nature Home, How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants: Douglas Tallamy
• Native Plants in the Home Landscape: Keith Nowakowski
• Nature and Nurture: The Art and Science of Living the Good Life: Brad Woodson
• Nature’s Second Chance: Restoring the Ecology of Stone Prairie Farm: Steven I. Apfelbaum
• The Midwestern Native Garden: Charlotte Adelman, Bernie Schwartz
• Rantings of a Mad Botanist: Bill McKnight
• The Sunflower Forest: Ecological Restoration and the New Communion with Nature: William Jordan

Art Inspired by Ecology

• The Art of Migration; Architecture by Birds and Insects – A Natural Art: Peggy McNamara
• Illinois Insects and Spiders: Peggy McNamara
• My Journey into the Wilds of Chicago: A Celebration of Chicagoland’s Startling Natural Wonders: Mike MacDonald | A loving and breathtaking photographic and literary tribute to Chicago’s glorious natural landscape and rich biodiversity.

Technical References

• Ecological Restoration in the Midwest: Christian Lenhart, Peter C. Smiley, Jr., University of Iowa Press, 2018
• Habitat Establishment, Enhancement and Management for Forest and Grassland Birds in Illinois. Herkert, James R., Robert E Szafoni, Vernon M. Kleen, and John E. Schwegman. Division of Natural Heritage, Illinois Department of Conservation, Natural Heritage Technical Publication #1, Springfield, Illinois. Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, 1993. | A good reference for understanding habitat size requirements.
• Rediscovering the Tallgrass Savannas of Illinois in Proceedings of the Tenth North American Prairie Conference, Denton, Texas, 1986.
• Restoring the Herb Layer in a Degraded Bur Oak ‘Closed’ Savanna: Stephen Packard and John Balaban in Proceedings of the North American Conference of Savannas and Barrens: James S. Fralish, Roger C. Anderson, John E. Ebinger, Robert Szafoni, eds. Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois, 1994.
• Steyermark’s Flora of Missouri (in three volumes): George Yatskievych
• Tallgrass Restoration Handbook: For Prairies, Savannas and Woodlands: Stephen Packard and Cornelia Mutel, eds., Island Press, 1997.
• Vascular Flora of Illinois: Robert Mohlenbrock, Southern Illinois University Press, 2013