Are you interested in learning how to take steps to create a home landscape that is not only beautiful, but also provides ecological benefits for the environment? If so, join us as we start our 2025 book study.
We're excited to announce a deep dive into considering conservation minded additions to the home landscape through a reading series. This journey will take us through seven books, each offering unique perspectives on different aspects of habitat gardens.
2025 Book List:
- Nature’s Best Hope by Doug Tallamy. Nature's Best Hope shows how homeowners can convert their yards into conservation corridors for wildlife, emphasizing individual efforts on their home landscapes. The practical guide offers actionable ideas for gardens, enabling readers to positively impact the environment and protect wildlife for future generations.
- The Living Landscape by Rick Darke. Many gardeners want to create landscapes that support wildlife while also being beautiful and functional. "The Living Landscape" provides strategies for designing a diverse, layered garden that includes play areas, edible plants, and habitats for wildlife. It combines design expertise with ecological knowledge to help gardeners meet both human and wildlife needs.
- The Humane Gardener: Nurturing a Backyard Habitat for Wildlife by Nancy Lawson. The Humane Gardener illustrates simple principles for both attracting wildlife and peacefully resolving conflicts with all the creatures who share our world. Nancy Lawson explores the importance of inviting wildlife into your backyard.
- A New Garden Ethic: Cultivating Defiant Compassion for an Uncertain Future by Benjamin Vogt. Benjamin Vogt advocates for a new gardening ethic, highlighting the urgent need for wildness in our structured, concrete-dominated lives, which negatively impact well-being. He explores the psychological effects of climate change and mass extinction, emphasizing that our failure to cultivate native plants in gardens hinders our response to global crises.
- Noah's Garden: Restoring the Ecology of Our Own Back Yards by Sara Stein. Released in 1993, "Noah's Garden" highlights how manicured gardens harm suburban ecology by destroying habitats and food sources for plants and animals. Realizing her gardening's negative impact, Stein began to "ungarden." The book intertwines her experiences with garden ecology insights and has become a cornerstone of the environmental gardening movement, with Stein as a key advocate.
- Garden Allies by Frederique Laviopierre. In Garden Allies, Frédérique Lavoipierre highlights the essential roles of birds, mammals, reptiles, and insects in our gardens, emphasizing their contributions to pollination and pest control. The book provides profiles of these creatures, tips for attracting them, and features beautiful pen-and-ink illustrations by Craig Latker. It encourages readers to connect with garden inhabitants, fostering appreciation for nature and creating vibrant, active gardens.
Share your insights and discoveries:
- Join our Facebook group to discuss your thoughts, ask questions, and share learning experiences with fellow bookworms.
- Connect with others in a virtual meeting on November 13, 2025 to engage in deeper discussions.
Why participate?
- Enhance your appreciation for conservation minded home landscapes and their role in our environment.
- Gain deeper knowledge about native plants, wildlife support resources, smart water management, etc.
- Connect with nature and like-minded individuals who share your passion.
- Learn new skills in creating yards that provide ecological benefits throughout the year.
Ready to join the group?
Read one book, all the books or somewhere in between, and share your insights in the online groups. Stay tuned for updates on virtual meeting details. We encourage you to start gathering the books or borrowing them from your local library. We are also looking to have some copies of some of the books in the local extension offices. Spread the word to your friends and family who might be interested in joining this reading journey!
Follow us on social media for more information and connect with other participants:
Let's embark on this exciting exploration of the world of habitat gardens together! We can't wait to connect, learn, and discover how the choices we make for home yards and gardens can positively impact the environment.
2025 Book Study Flyer
MEET THE AUTHOR
Nicole Flowers-Kimmerle is a Agriculture and Natural Resources (Horticulture) Educator for Fulton, Mason, Peoria and Tazewell counties. She completed a bachelors of science degree in crop science at the University of Illinois, and a master’s of science degree in agronomy with an emphasis in weed science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has also worked at Montana State University as a research associate where she worked on weed control in sugar beets and barley. She taught high school chemistry and other science classes where she was able to teach students in both the school garden and greenhouse. She works with both the Extension Master Gardeners and Extension Master Naturalists.
ABOUT THE BLOG
ILRiverHort is a blog that helps people connect to nature and grow.