Love Creek Nature Center to Host Book Launch for Native Plant Guide
Love Creek Nature Center to Host Book Launch for Native Plant Guide
Love Creek County Park, in partnership with Wild Ones South Bend, will host a special book launch event celebrating the publication of Native Plants for Michiana: Planting with Nature and Beauty in Mind—a locally focused guide designed to help residents create landscapes that support native pollinators and wildlife.
The event will take place on April 11, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at the Love Creek Nature Center, 9292 Huckleberry Road, Berrien Center, Michigan.
Attendees will have the opportunity to purchase the book and hear from regional experts:
- 1:30 pm: Derek Pelc, Berrien County chief naturalist, presenting ““What are Invasive Species and Why Should We Care?”
- 2:00 pm: Connor Wetzel-Brown, educator at Leslie Science Center in Ann Arbor, presenting “Top Five Native Plants to Benefit Birds”
Native Plants for Michiana: Planting with Nature and Beauty in Mind is a 64-page, full-color book produced by Wild Ones South Bend. It features practical tips from local experts on starting and maintaining native plant gardens. The book includes more than 120 entries covering perennials, grasses, sedges, ferns, shrubs, and trees native to eight counties across northern Indiana and southwest Michigan, including St. Joseph, Elkhart, Marshall, Kosciusko, LaPorte, and Starke in Indiana, and Berrien and Cass in Michigan.
Each plant profile highlights growing conditions and wildlife benefits. A quick-reference table provides “at-a-glance” information and custom maps show where each species is locally native.
“Many native plant books take a broad approach, featuring species from across the country,” said Lamanda Hilty, Berrien County naturalist and project steering committee member. “We chose to focus on plants native to our region because they provide the greatest benefit to local insects and wildlife.”
Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the event for $8 (cash or check); fees apply for credit card purchases. Additional sales locations and upcoming events can be found atsouthbend.wildones.org.
The book is also available at Wild Ones South Bend chapter meetings, held on the first Monday of each month at 5:00 p.m. at Pinhook Park Community Center, 2801 Riverside Drive, South Bend, Indiana. Meetings feature presentations by regional experts on native gardening and habitat conservation.
The publication is the result of a two-year collaboration among regional botanists, ecologists, naturalists, educators, public garden professionals, and native plant nursery owners. Wild Ones South Bend is a chapter of Wild Ones, a national nonprofit dedicated to promoting environmentally sound landscaping practices using native plants.
