SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Wild Ones South Bend has announced the release of its new book Native Plants for Michiana: Planting with Nature and Beauty in Mind. 

The book is a locally focused guide designed to help area residents create landscapes that support native pollinators and wildlife.

The 64-page, full-color book features practical tips from local experts on how to start and maintain native plant gardens.

It 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 information, and custom maps show where each species is locally native.

“Many native plant books are more general, often highlighting species native elsewhere in the United States,” said Dr. Deb Marr, professor of biology at Indiana University South Bend and a contributor to the book. “What makes this book unique is that it focuses on plants that are locally native,” she added.

Native Plants for Michiana: Planting with Nature and Beauty in Mind will be available for purchase beginning April 6, at Wild Ones chapter monthly meetings, which are held at Pinhook Park Community Center.

Meetings take place on the first Monday of each month at 5 p.m. and feature presentations by regional experts on native gardening and habitat conservation.

Books are $8 or $8.86 if paying with PayPal. Additional purchase locations and bulk order information are listed on the organization’s website.