Click on topic below…annotated for you reading pleasure.

• Absolutely, Positively Must Reads
• Some of Our Favorites
• The Big Apple
• Jerseyana
• Field Guides
• Aesthetics
• Biodiversity & Extinction
• Evolution
• Class Insecta & Pollination
• Natural History Museums & Herbaria
• Everywhere & Nowhere
• Invasive Plants
• Kingdom Fungi
• Plant Databases
• Farm & Food Issues
• Regional Parks
• Native Plant Societies, Botanical Clubs, et al.
• Heritage Programs
• Land Trusts & Conservancies
• Soils & Geology
• Pinelands of NJ & NY
• Urban Ecology & Restoration
• Building & Preserving Communities
• Native Plant Gardening Resources

Absolutely, Positively Must Reads

Nature does nothing uselessly. - Aristotle (384-322 BCE)

Ehrenfeld, David. 1981. The Arrogance of Humanism. New York: Oxford University Press. 286 pp.

Read and heed. Ehrenfeld documents and expounds upon the failings of humanism, "the guiding philosophy of the modern world", which has blinded us to our own limitations. Especially recommended for those who look to new technologies as the answer to our environmental ills. Should be mandatory reading for the Western world. The book ends with a quote from the Bible, Isaiah 47:10 "It was your skill and your science that led you astray. And you thought to yourself, 'I am, and there is none but me'." Dr. Ehrenfeld is a professor at Rutgers University, founder of the journal Conservation Biology (see below), and Contributing Editor to Orion Magazine (see below).

Lasn, Kalle. 1999. Culture Jam: How to Reverse America's Suicidal Consumer Binge - and Why We Must. New York: Quill. 247 pp.

Founder of Adbusters Magazine, he really nails it. From page 112:

We recycle beer cans, newspapers and vodka bottle, we join carpools and food co-ops, we turn down the thermostat at night. We do all the right things. So why do environmental problems get worse? Maybe its time we stopped expending our energies on small, do-goody gestures and faced the fact that many of the paradigms within which we live are outdated and dysfunctional. Most of our environmental "solutions" are red herrings. They deflect energy from the essential work at hand. What we need is not fewer cars on the road, but new cities designed chiefly with pedestrians, bicycles and public transport in mind. Not just new eco-friendly products, but new consumption patterns and new lifestyles. Not just a Carbon tax, but a global, across-the-board pricing system that tells the truth. Not just a new measure of economic progress more accurate than the GNP, but a radical rethinking of the neoclassical paradigm we've been teaching in Economics 101 for the past few generations.

Orr, David. 1994. Earth in Mind: On Education, Environment and the Human Prospect. Washington, D.C.: Island Press. 213 pp.

A call for an educational paradigm shift away from "educat[ing] the young for the most part as if there were no planetary emergency" and an overemphasis on success and careers, and instead fostering "healthy, durable, resilient, just, and prosperous communities." "The world does not need more rootless symbolic analysts," says Orr. "It needs instead hundreds of thousands of young people equipped with the vision, moral stamina, and intellectual depth necessary to rebuild neighborhoods, towns, and communities."

"A sane civilization," he says, "would have more parks and fewer shopping malls; more small farms and fewer agribusinesses; more prosperous small towns and smaller cities; more solar collectors and fewer strip mines; more bicycle trials and fewer freeways; more trains and fewer cars; more celebration and less hurry; more property owners and fewer millionaires and billionaires; more readers and fewer television watchers; more shopkeepers and fewer multinational corporations; more teachers and fewer lawyers; more wilderness and fewer landfills; more wild animals and fewer pets."

Quammen, David. 1996. Song of the Dodo. New York: Touchstone.

This book is nothing short of dazzling in its ambition, scope and craft. Weighing in at 702 pages, it is long, but aren't epics supposed to be lengthy? Deftly weaving personal observation, history and scientific theory (gleaned both from literature and interviews with many of Drosera's heroes), this book discusses a tenet of ecology that keep us up at night - extinction. More specifically, the phenomenon of island biogeography. This theory outlines how the number of species waxes and wanes on an isolated landmass. These islands mirror our fragmented natural areas, which are isolated from each other by the developed, urban matrix. This book is a brilliant, stirring, breathtaking, utterly fascinating alarm bell. We are in the hands of a master. Be warned, this book will make you weep for humanity's future.

Quammen, David. October 1998. "Weeds Shall Inherit the Earth". Harper's Magazine.

Read the article here. Something of a companion piece to the above, here Quammen speaks with a paleontologist about the "sixth extinction": "The consensus among conscientious biologists is that we're headed into another mass extinction, a vale of biological impoverishment commensurate with the big five. Many experts remain hopeful that we can brake that descent, but my own view is that we're likely to go all the way down. I visited David Jablonski to ask what we might see at the bottom." Another uplifting read. What can we say; conservation biology can be really depressing.

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Some of Our Favorites

A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in. -Greek proverb

Kingsolver, Barbara. 2000. Prodigal Summer. London: Faber and Faber. 444 pp.

Trained as a biologist before becoming a storyteller, Kingsolver deftly weaves the two in this lovely book, set in the forests and small farming towns of southern Appalachia. The three main characters, a reclusive wildlife biologist studying coyotes in the solitude of the national park, a lepidopterist marooned on foreign soil determined to keep her farm, and an retired teacher gamely attempting to breed blight-free chestnuts, are trying to keep at bay the sex that is in the air. A fun and educational read.

Orlean, Susan. 1998. The Orchid Thief. New York: Ballantine Books. 282 pp.

Does a great job of describing the intoxication derived from immersion in the plant world. Very enjoyable, easy read. In some places misrepresents evolutionary theory, but gets most of the details right.

Sacks, Oliver. 2002. Oaxaca Journal. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society. 159 pp.

A thrilling find! His trip to Mexico with the American Fern Society (see below) resulted in this jewel. His writing sparkles with an inquisitive mind and love of learning. Disappointing as a public speaker, however.

Schumacher, E.F. 1989. Small Is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered. New York: Harper Perennial. 324 pp.

First published in 1973, but sadly remains relevant today. The author challenges us to consider how to define progress. Schumacher points out that "...economists, for all their purported objectivity, are the most narrowly ethnocentric of people..since their world view is a cultural by-product of industrialism, they automatically endorse the ecological stupidity of industrial man and his love affair with the terrible simplicities of quantification." The author fashioned an economic model that considers ethics, ecology and metaphysics. Present measures of GNP do not include such components that are missing from the statistical models that solely measure GNP. He urges us to contemplate "how much further 'growth' will be possible, since infinite growth in a finite environment is an obvious impossibility".

Whitman, Walt. 1973 (Original printing 1855). Leaves of Grass. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. 1008pp.

"Poetry?", you wonder. "What does that have to do with conservation?" Everything! We will work to save what we love, and love always seems best expressed in verse. A walk in the woods can make you exclaim "O the joy of my spirit - it is uncaged - it darts like lightening!" With child-like glee, Whitman is perpetually enraptured with all he observes, and isn't shy about sharing his joy. We hope to always follow his example.

Wilson, Edward O. 1995. Naturalist. New York: Warner Books. 380 pp.

Brimming with a "holy cow" take on nature, Dr. Wilson's memoir is a treat. This book charts his development as a scientist, capturing the pleasures of field biology, while describing the nascent field of 'ecology' as seen by one of its architects. Catapulted the term "biodiversity" to fame and coined "biophilia" (see Drosera's About page). Dr. Wilson was one of the two authors of "The Theory of Island Biogeography" (see above). The writing skills that earned him two Pulitzer Prizes in Literature are on display here, an engaging recounting of an extraordinary life.

Plant Talk

Love this publication! Love it. Our solitary complaint is that it is only published quarterly. No animals, no crop science, no plants for human use. Just plants, in all their organismal splendor. What is a $28 subscription fee for such unadulterated joy?

Electrofork

The creative brain trust behind this gorgeous website. Click and be marveled.

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The Big Apple

New York is a sucked orange. - Ralph Waldo Emerson, poet, essayist (1803-1882)

Barlow, Elizabeth. 1971. The Forests and Wetlands of New York City. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. 160 pp.

A lyrical account of bona fide nature in the Big Apple. A blend of natural and human history, the book begins with an overview of the geophysical characteristics of our city, its topography and geology, its wetland and forest systems, and how these attracted human settlement. Particular attention is paid to Inwood Hill Park, Pelham Bay Park, Staten Island Greenbelt, Jamaica Bay and Roosevelt Island. It is especially interesting in its documentation of how humans have changed the face of the city, for good and ill.

Blanchard, Peter P., Paul Kerlinger, and Mark Stein. 2001. An Islanded Nature: Natural Area Conservation and Restoration in Western Staten Island. New York: The Trust for Public Land and the New York City Audubon Society. 224 pp.

A product of the Harbor Herons Project, this book evaluates the open space conservation in western Staten Island. Chuck full of maps, photographs, drawings, plant lists, factoid boxes (e.g., in 1870, there were 5,600 acres of salt marshes. In 2000, 1,800 remain, with 60% filled to provide buildable land), and profiles of the parcels in the Harbor Heron region.

Burrows, Edwin G., and Mike Wallace. 2000. A History of New York City to 1898. New York: Oxford University Press. 1416 pp.

A tome that weighs nearly five pounds - making New Yorkers who read it on the subway veritable beasts of burden. But it's worth shlepping around. This Pulitzer Prize winning book reviews the many highs and lows of the Big Apple before it became the Five Boroughs. The authors delve into the City's past with verve and wit, making for a compelling read. The many illustrations are a boon.

Caro, Robert. 1975. The Power Broker. New York: Vintage Books. 1246 pp.

The subtitle "Robert Moses and the Fall of New York" says it all. And yes, it is incredibly long. But if you could see our colleagues' fits of rage at mention of this man's name, you would understand why it is a must-read. Moses single-handedly changed the face of NYC, and destroyed much of our open space and native flora in the process. To be fair, he also started the first statewide system of parks in the country. The ramifications are endless, but here is one example - his predilection for Norway maples, which are now considered invasive pests. He planted them everywhere, to the chagrin of our forest managers. His hubris will make your hair curl. And it won the Pulitzer Prize.

Davis, William T. 1994 (3^rd ed.). Days Afield on Staten Island. Staten Island Institute of Arts and Sciences. 122 pp.

A co-founder of SI Institute of Arts and Sciences (see below), Davis lived to see much change, even in 1894, commenting "...I have to abandon a little of my rambling every year." Yet back then there were still 22 species of wild orchids, along with minks and flying squirrels. Today, Davis would be distraught at the loss of open space. The minks and flying squirrels are gone, and orchids have dwindled to only six remaining species.

Jacobs, Jane. 1961. The Death and Life of Great American Cities. New York: Vintage Books. 458 pp.

Groundbreaking when it was written, this book remains relevant today. Instead of capitulating to the theorists who ruled regarding urban theory, Jacobs, an amateur, simply looked out her window. Based on her shrewd observations, she described how people use cities and the dynamics that make them work. Examples include NYC, Boston and Philadelphia. (Little known fact, Jacobs, et al. was responsible for preserving SoHo. If Robert Moses had had his way, we would now be driving over it, en route to the West Side Highway or the FDR. See what we mean about Moses?). Should be required reader for all city planners, including those of NYC, who seem ignorant of its existence.

Kahn, Robert (ed.). 2002. City Secrets: New York City. New York: The Little Bookroom. 582 pp.

Not your standard travel guide. Filled with unusual recommendations borne of the rich experiences of NYC cultural insiders.

Kieran, John. 1959. Natural History of New York City. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 428 pp.

Love the subtitle, "A book for sidewalk naturalists everywhere". Like a divining rod, the book will enable its reader to feel the call of the wild, pulling them off the pavement and onto the organic forest floor. The author grew up in the City, and recounts the plants, animals and minerals he seems to know intimately. Like a walk in the woods with an old friend.

Kershner, Bruce. 1998. Secret Places of Staten Island: A Visitor's Guide to its Scenic and Historic Treasures. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company. 148 pp.

A great resource, sharing the places to go, what you will see, how to get there and trail maps to get around.

Mittlebach, Margaret & Michael Crewdson. 1997. Wild New York. New York: Three Rivers Press. 196 pp.

This book is Drosera's take home message - NYC is more than skyscrapers, neon lights and taxicabs - it's also a treasure trove of biological riches. A guide to nature in the five boroughs, including plant and animal profiles (and fungi!), weather and geology, with site recommendations for each borough.

Sante, Luc. 2003. Low Life: Lures and Snares of Old New York. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 460 pp.

Tour Manhattan's underclass circa 1840-1919 with an gifted guide: the city's topography, vice and entertainment, forces of law and order and their effectiveness, and revolt and idealism.

Tancredi, John. 1995. Gateway: A Visitor's Companion. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. 192 pp.

Recounts the history, ecology, plants, wildlife, and human uses of the first urban national recreation area.

Tiner, Ralph W. 2000. Wetlands of Staten Island, NY: Valuable Vanishing Urban Wildlands. Hadley, MA: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. 20 pp.

Waldman, John. 1999. Heartbeats in the Muck: A Dramatic Look at the History, Sea Life, and Environment of New York Harbor. The Lyons Press. 178 pp.

It would be unimaginable, if it weren't true - the indignities heaped on the New York Harbor. Despite the decades of dumping, the harbor has made a comeback of sorts, with resident populations of ospreys and similar ilk now calling it home. Makes you wonder how Exxon, who can't seem to keep its oil contained, decided that it's 1990 spill extravaganza was not a big deal, since the waters were "already so degraded".

Bicycle Network Development

Information regarding bikeways and greenways throughout NYC. You can view and download the 2005 New York City Cycling Map, the New York City Bicycle Master Plan, as well as more information about the Bicycle Network Development program. Also included in this site is the New York City Greenway Plan, outlining the city's vision of a 350-mile greenway system and the Schematic Greenway Plan, a map showing current, nearly completed, and proposed greenways throughout the five boroughs.

Green Apple Map

Highlights the natural sites and culturally significant places that make NYC's environment special. The map includes: natural areas, cultural and historical resources, farmers markets, bicycle paths, et al.

The Metro Forest Council

A not-for-profit organization providing leadership for protection, research, restoration and management of forested ecosystems in the metropolitan New York region.

The Metropolitan Flora Project

While most of the botanical community concentrates on tracking the threats to biodiversity in the tropics, scientists at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden are undertaking the most comprehensive study ever of the plant biodiversity in metropolitan New York. Studying the vegetation changes in highly populated areas is critical to understanding the future of life in our rapidly urbanizing world. The project has uncovered two major trends: the decline of native species and the spread of nonnative plants. Why is that not surprising?

New York Bioscape

An area encompassing a 100-mile radius from midtown New York City, the "Tri-State Region". The Bioscape's 28,000 square miles is a complex mosaic of human-use areas and natural lands and waters that supports both a diverse variety of plants and animals and is the home to nearly 24 million people - 8% of the U.S. population.

NYC Streets Renaissance

New York is a city best enjoyed on foot. Its streets are the soul of its neighborhoods and the pathways to some of the world's most in-demand destinations. Instead, our streets are being managed almost entirely for traffic flow. Streets are more than just car corridors; they are valuable civic spaces and resources that need to be wisely allocated. The New York City Streets Renaissance Campaign is building the movement to re-imagine our streets as lively public places.

Natural Areas Initiative

A joint program of New Yorkers for Parks and NYC Audubon, the initiative promotes cooperation among nonprofits, communities and government to protect and manage natural areas and raise awareness about the value of these open spaces.

Protectors of Pine Oak Woods

Formed in 1972 to fight the development of what is now Clay Pit State Park in Staten Island; hence the group's name. They focus on conservation issues throughout the island, having helped save thousands of acres from the bulldozer.

TreeBranch Network

New York City's internet portal to environmental and urban quality-of-life issues, supported by the Neighborhood Open Space Coalition & Friends of Gateway. NOSC is dedicated to improving New York life by expanding and enhancing its infrastructure for public health: parks, waterfronts, community gardens, and open spaces, through advocacy, research, education, and planning. FoG works to ensure the preservation of Gateway National Recreation Area's significant natural and historic areas, while encouraging the addition of appropriate recreational, educational and cultural programs and facilities

Trees New York

Their mission is to plant, preserve, protect, and care for New York's trees through education and action. They are active in all five boroughs of New York City and the surrounding region.

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Jerseyana

I think having land and not ruining it is the most beautiful art that anybody could ever want to own. - Andy Warhol, painter, filmmaker, publisher (1928-1987)

Burger, Joanna. A Naturalist Along the Jersey Shore. 1996. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press. 304 pp.

Filled with personal observations derived from years of field work, Dr. Burger provides us with an overview of the shore community, and its changing faces through the seasons. While most of the book focuses on birds, the reader is also treated to ecological relationships with other birds, other animals and plants. Cute illustrations by the author.

Collins, Beryl Robichaud and Karl H. Anderson. 1994. Plant Communities of New Jersey: A Study in Landscape Diversity. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press. 287 pp.

First published in the early 1970s as Vegetation of New Jersey, this update reflects the environmental challenges faced by the Garden State. Still, New Jersey has retained areas of great beauty and bountiful native vegetation. As always, the greatest threat to these is development, with invasives not far behind. The book reviews factors influencing species distribution (geology, soil, climate, humans) and plant communities. The bulk of the book examines in detail plant community types throughout the state.

Gillespie, Angus K. and Michael A. Rockland. 1992. Looking for America on the New Jersey Turnpike. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.

"Counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike - they've all come to look for America"...Simon and Garfunkel sing the premise of this book - that as one of the most heavily travelled roadways in the country, this highway is "All-American" - the epitome of efficiency over aesthetics. Sadly, this road is the reason behind all those Jersey jokes - directing drivers past the least attractive parts of the state. The constant barrage of anti-Garden State-isms can result in the feelings in John Gorka's wonderful song - "I'm from New Jersey, I don't expect too much. If the world ended today, I would adjust."

Hough, Mary Y. 1983. New Jersey Wild Plants. Harmony, NJ: Harmony Press. 414 pp.

Features over 2600 vascular plants with information on nativity, habitat, bloom time, frequency, taxonomic notes, plant uses and distributions mapped by county. An incredible resource.

Quinn, John. 1997. Fields of Sun and Grass : An Artist's Journal of the New Jersey Meadowlands. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press. 342 pp.

This book captures the spirit of this marsh, 5 miles from Times Square. The Meadowlands has been abused and degraded by dams and dumping, roadways and runoff. Yet it is still home to an array of flora and fauna, which is the focus of this book. The author describes in tender detail the site's ecology, geology, human and natural history, and factor's that continue to impede its restoration.

Sullivan, Robert. 1998. The Meadowlands. New York: Scribner. 220 pp.

There must be something about this mix of grass and trash that acts like a magnet. Here, the author focuses more on the cultural than natural aspects of the Meadowlands, interjecting anecdotes from colorful local characters. Our favorite chapter is "Walden Swamp", about the majestic freshwater Atlantic white cedar swamp that once occupied this spit of land. We have borne witness to these stumps and felled logs; a sad sight.

Meadowlands Environmental Research Institute

MERI 's scientists monitor environmental conditions, conduct research and develop and apply technology to address the environmental problems of the Hackensack Meadowlands District.

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Field Guides

What use is the knowledge of things if you know not their names? - Carl von Linne (Linnaeus)

For the beginner...

Barnard, Edward Sibley. 2002. New York City Trees: A Field Guide for the Metropolitan Area. New York: Columbia University Press. 239 pp.

An excellent introduction, this pocket guide provides information on the identification process, the best places to see trees, official NYC "Great Trees" and 10 tree walks. Wonderfully informative with first-rate photographs.

Brown, Lauren. 1979. Grasses: An Identification Guide. New York: Houghton-Mifflin. 240 pp.

A soft and welcoming entree to the intimidating world of graminoids. Gorgeous drawings by Ms. Brown.

Cobb, Boughton; Cheryl Lowe, Elizabeth Farnsworth. 2005 (2nd edition). A Field Guide to the Ferns and Their Related Families of Northeastern and Central North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 304 pp. (Peterson's series)

An update to the late Boughton Cobb's classic field guide by New England Wild Flower Society. This second edition includes revised text and color photographs.

Lotowycz, G.E & B.H. Conolly.2004. Illustrated Field Guide to Shrubs and Woody Vines of Long Island. Waterline Books; Hardwick, MA. 202 pp.

This book focuses on the woody plants that most field guides gloss over. An unexpected but welcome inclusion is the sub-shrubs, mostly of the Ericaceae, such as Chimaphila and Pyrola. The text also reflects the changing nature of our natural areas through its listing of species’ frequencies and inclusion of naturalized exotics. All of this is filtered through the geographic scope of Long Island.

Levine, Carol. 1995. A Guide to Wildflowers in Winter: Herbaceous Plants of Northeastern North America. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. 329 pp.

For those of you who like a challenge.

Martine, Christopher T. 2003. Trees of New Jersey and the Mid-Atlantic States. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Forest Service, Trenton. 114 pp.

The pocket guide includes descriptions of 149 tree species-plus a glossary of terms, a simple identification key, and regional maps. For more information, visit NJDEP's website

Martine, Christopher T. and R. A. Figley. 2003. Shrubs and Vines of New Jersey and the Mid-Atlantic States. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Forest Service, Trenton. 114 pp.

The shrub/vine version of above.

Montgomery, J.D. and D.E. Fairbrothers. 1992. New Jersey Ferns and Fern Allies. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press. 293 pp.

Begins with a review of fern structure, classification, ecology and distribution. There is a key that covers all 83 species. The bulk of the book is devoted to individual species, each illustrated, with comments on taxonomy, habitat, growth habit and rarity status. Distribution maps show collection sites and the plant's spread or depletion.

Newcomb, Lawrence. 1989 (2^nd ed.) Newcomb's Wildflower Guide. New York: Little, Brown. 490 pp.

While more involved than the "flower by color" keys, this is worth the extra effort. Also includes woody vines and shrubs. An indispensable field reference.

Peterson, Roger Tory and M. McKenny. 1968. A Field Guide to Wildflowers, Northeastern and Northcentral North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 448 pp. (Peterson's series)

After determining basic leaf shape, one then looks to flower color. Unfortunately, this means that plants that are closely related are often far apart from each other, which makes understanding taxonomic relationships difficult. But a good place to start.

Petrides, G. A. 1972 (2nd edition). A Field Guide to Trees and Shrubs. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 428 pp. (Peterson's series).

Filled with drawings that compare and contrast similar species.

Rhoads, Ann, Timothy Block, and Anna Anisko. 2004. The Trees of Pennsylvania: A Complete Reference Guide. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press. 520 pp.

Fully illustrated with drawings and color photographs, the book contains information on the 134 trees native to Pennsylvania and 62 additional species that have become naturalized in the state. The bulk of the book is descriptive information on each tree, including growth form, leaf, flower, fruit, and bark characteristics. Information is also included on fall leaf color, the size of the largest reported specimen, wildlife utilization, and uses by Native Americans and early European settlers. Introductory chapters cover basic tree biology and the nature and history of Pennsylvania's forests. Identification keys are included as are lists of trees by habitat, geographic distribution, and potential human uses.

Symonds, G. W. D. 1958. The Tree Identification Book. New York: William Morrow & Company Inc. 272 pp.

Extremely useful for the neophyte, identification is based on photographs of twigs, leaves, fruits, flowers and bark. Also see the companion volume from 1963, The Shrub Identification Book.

Tiner, Ralph W. 1987. A Field Guide to Coastal Wetland Plants of the Northeastern United States. Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts Press. 286 pp.

Tiner is the master of wetland field identification in the northeast. Opens with an overview of tidal wetland habitats. Diagnostic key uses easy to recognize field characteristics. For each plant, there is a brief description of morphology, habitat, similar species, range and drawings.

Tiner, Ralph W. 1988. A Field Guide to Nontidal Wetland Identification. Maryland Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 283 pp.

See above.

Uva, Richard, et al. 1997. Weeds of the Northeast. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. 416 pp.

Excellent general book on our most common "weeds", including natives and non-natives. Each species has multiple photographs illustrating different life stages, with keys based on vegetative characteristics (instead of reproductive parts as is the norm). Very user friendly.

For the more advanced (these are technical books)...

• Before you slog through these, may we recommend a visual dictionary to aid in deciphering botanical taxonomic linguistics?

Hickey, Michael and Clive King. 2001. The Cambridge Illustrated Glossary of Botanical Terms. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. 220 pp.

The book is arranged in two sections: the glossary, which defines over 2400 terms, and illustrations, which can be cross-referenced to the glossary.

Harris, James G. and Melinda Woolf Harris. 2001. Plant Identification Terminology: An Illustrated Glossary (2nd edition). Spring Lake: Spring Lake Publishing. 216 pp.

Illustrates with line drawings the meanings of more than 1, 700 taxonomic terms used in plant keys and descriptions.

• Then you have to ask yourself, "Am I a splitter or a lumper?" The below are the preeminent texts for the vascular flora of the northeastern U.S. and Canada.

Fernald, Merritt Lyndon. 1950. Gray's Manual of Botany. 8th edition. New York: American Book Company. 1632 pp.

This revision of Asa Gray's original makes it essentially a new work. Fernald was a "splitter". If you are tentatively entering the world of plant taxonomy, this means you are apt to pull out more hair using this manual. However, the increased number of choices for species can often result in new ways of seeing familiar plants. The dichotomous key is also quite different from the other two. The guiding force behind the arrangement of specimens in many herbaria.

Gleason, H.A. 1963. The New Britton and Brown Illustrated Flora of the Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. 3 volumes. The New York Botanical Garden. New York: Hafner Publishing Co. 595 pp. [fully illustrated with line drawings].

Nathaniel Lord Britton, renowned botanist, was one of the co-founders of the SI Institute of Arts and Sciences (see above) and co-author of the original. We treasure our 1913 set from the first publication, replete with field notes by the original owner. The Dover reprints make these books affordable. Revised by Gleason, this edition is similar to Gleason and Cronquist below.

Gleason, H.A. and A.C. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of the Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. 2nd edition. New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York. 910 pp.

The "green bible", this is the first book we open once back in the office (too heavy to lug in the field, what with all the other field books, tape measures, camera and lenses, plot frame, bug spray, water bottle...). This revision, by the late Dr. Arthur Cronquist of the NY Botanic Garden in the Bronx, is more ambitious in lumping species.

• To answer the ever-burning question, "Is it native?"

Hough, Mary Y. 1983. New Jersey Wild Plants. Harmony, NJ: Harmony Press. 414 pp.

Contains distributions maps for the native and naturalized plants of New Jersey as well as information on frequency, family, growth forms and habitats.

Mitchell, Richard S. & Gordon C. Tucker. 1997. Revised Checklist of New York State Plants. New York State Museum Bulletin 490.

Has information on varieties, family and nativity.

Rhoads, Ann, William Klein and Janet Klein. 1993. The Vascular Flora of Pennsylvania: Annotated Checklist and Atlas. Philadelphia, PA: American Philosophical Society. 636 pp.

Contains distributions maps for the native and naturalized plants of Pennsylvania as well as information on growth forms and habitats.

Advanced texts on special plants

Hitchcock, A. S. 1950. Manual of the Grasses of the United States. 2nd edition, revised. U.S. Government Printing Office: Washington D. C.

And websites

The Fern Lover's Companion: A Guide for the Northeastern States and Canada

This is pretty cool, an e-book on ferns. It takes a little while to download. It's free!

Mid-Atlantic Plant Identification Guide

A multitude of e-resources for identifying plants in the Mid-Atlantic States, particularly vascular plants.

Studies of Trees

Another ebook, this one on trees. Published by the forester Jacob Joshua Levison in 1914. This "all-round book" is meant for the beginner, and "gives in a brief and not too technical way the most important facts concerning the identification, structure and uses of our more common trees, and which considers their habits, enemies and care both when growing alone and when growing in groups or forests."

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Aesthetics

What is art? Nature concentrated. - Honore de Balzac, novelist (1799-1850)

Bartram, William. 1998. The Travels of William Bartram: Francis Harper's Naturalist Edition. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press. 749 pp.

William Bartram (son of John, see above) traveled through the southern U.S. and compiled his observations in this book, originally published in 1791 as, Travels through North and South Carolina, Georgia, East and West Florida, the Cherokee Country, the Extensive Territories of the Muscogulges, or Creek Confederacy, and the Country of the Chactaws; Containing an Account of the Soil and Natural Productions of Those Regions, Together with Observations on Manners of the Indians. Embellished with Copper Plates. Phew. Bartram's romantic accounts caused quite a stir. These writings were the inspiration for many of the Romantic poets, evident in works by Wordsworth, Coleridge, Shelley and others. Bartram's writings served as a model for the sacred gardens of Xanadu in Coleridge's "Kubla Khan." Learn more here.

Giboire, Clive (ed.) 1990. Lovingly, Georgia: The Complete Correspondence of Georgia O'Keeffe and Aninta Pollitzer. New York: Touchstone. 365 pp.

"The wonderful great big sky - makes me want to breathe so deep that I'll break - There is so much of it - I want to get outside of it all - I would if I could - even if it killed me..." Georgia O'Keeffe

Raymond, George Lansing. 1906 (3^rd ed.) The Essentials of Aesthetics: in Music, Poetry, Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons (The Knickerbocker Press). 404 pp.

A gem by the prolific Professor Raymond. From the preface, "...the arts of the highest class have been traced to their sources in nature and the human mind...and have been shown to characterise the entire work of artistic imagination..." This book expounds on these virtues and, in increasing our appreciation of them, aims to bring more truth and beauty into the world. Don't we all need more of that?

Sabini, Meredith. 2002. The Earth Has a Soul: The Nature Writings of C.G. Jung. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books. 324 pp.

This book presents Jung's observations, reflections, and prophetic predictions about nature, technology, and modern life. Taken from his published writings, letters, speeches, interviews, and seminars, Sabini's book reveals an intriguing side of the famous Swiss psychiatrist, whose deep concern over the loss of an emotional and mythic relationship with Nature comes across in moving, poetic terms.

I am fully committed to the idea that human existence should be rooted in the earth . . . Nature, the psyche and life appear to me like divinity unfolded...what more could I wish for? - C.G. Jung

Silverstein, Shel. 1974. Where the Sidewalk Ends. New York: Harper and Row. 166 pp.

Listen to the MUSTN'TS, child,
Listen to the DON'TS
Listen to the SHOULDN'TS
The IMPOSSIBLES, the WON'TS
Listen to the NEVER HAVES
Then listen close to me-
Anything can happen, child
ANYTHING can be.

Geisel, Theodor Seuss ("Dr. Seuss"). The Lorax. 1971. New York: Random House. 72 pp.

"I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues." We need more Loraxes, less Oncelers.

Neil Finn/Crowded House

Far too wonderful to be absent from your music collection. Shawn Colvin, "wants to be Neil Finn," and we can't say we blame her. Lovely pop chord progression, sunny harmonies (try to resist singing along), contemplative lyrics, intelligent music. Oh Crowded House, we hardly new ye.

Stevie Wonder

We won't embarrass ourselves, but suffice it to say this man is a genius. Many of his albums are absolute must-haves. Check out the discography here.

CRM Society

Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868-1928) architect, designer and artist, a renaissance man who ostensibly began the Arts and Crafts movement. His work, based in nature, is stylistic, lyrical and celebratory. Muiccia Prada is another fan, "borrowing" his textile "Odalisque" a few collections back.

Goethe as Botanist

You may know of Goethe as a leading figure in the Sturm und Drang movement, or as the author of Faust. But did you also know that he constructed the model for floral morphology that is still taught today? "What pleases me most at present is plant-life." - Goethe (1786).

Orion: People & Nature

The Orion Society's mission is to inform, inspire, and engage individuals and grassroots organizations to become a cultural force for healing nature and community. Publish Orion Magazine, a forum for re-imagining humanity's relationship to nature, featuring America's foremost writers and artists.

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Biodiversity & Extinction

The planet loses 1 plant or animal species every 20 minutes. Biodiversity extinction is considered by ecologists to be the #1 crisis facing the planet. Find out why.

DeCandido, R., A.A. Muir & M.B. Gargiullo. 2004. A first approximation of the historical and extant flora of New York City: Implications for native plant species conservation. Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society 131(3):243-251.

Review of all plant species of the five boroughs, living and dead. The most important sentence in the article, "In the last 70 years, extirpations [local extinctions] have continued, even in natural areas protected in parks." This has to change if we are to retain the 779 native plant species that remain.

Leopold, Aldo. 1987 (originally 1949). A Sand County Almanac. New York: Oxford University Press. 228 pp.

A classic vocalization of the conservation ethos. The book consists of three parts: the observations from the sand farm retreat in Wisconsin, the sketches of ecological lessons learned through life experiences, and the essays that call for reform in our relationship with the land. Poetic, wise, welcoming.

Heinrich, Bernd. 1997. The Trees in My Forest. New York: Cliff Street Books. 237 pp.

This book is a biography of 300 acres of cut woodland that the author owned and tended, the culmination of 20 years worth of walks in the woods. A portrait of the magic and mystery harbored within the umbrage of a tree. One chapter, entitled, "Trees as Individuals", presents the personalities, quirks, and predilections of various species found in his Maine forest. Replete with wonderful drawings.

Margulis, Lynn and D. V. Schwartz. 1998. Five Kingdoms: An Illustrated Guide to the Phyla of Life on Earth. New York: W.H. Freeman and Company. 520 pp.

A catalogue of biodiversity, defining and describing the phyla of the five kingdoms. Great as a teaching tool. And we have only scratched the surface in understanding other life forms with which we share the planet.

Mayr, Ernst. 1997. This Is Biology. Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. 323pp.

Shaking off the "physics envy" that has troubled biologists for decades, Mayr celebrates the discipline of biology and how it explains the natural world. This book asserts biology's place in the larger scientific community and constructs a conceptual framework that returns its focus to its holistic, organismal, and evolutionary aspects; all winningly told.

Musch, Irmgard, et al. (eds.) 2001. Albertus Seba's Cabinet of Natural Curiosities. Taschen. 600pp.

We love this book! Albertus Seba (1665-1736) was a pharmacologist from Amsterdam who had an unprecedented collection of animals and plants from around the world. He commissioned illustrations of every specimen, publishing the entire collection in a four-volume catalog. The illustrations are gorgeously creepy and wonderful. For some species, these drawings are our only records, since they are now extinct.

Natural History

A publication of the American Museum of Natural History, the magazine delves into nature, science, and culture, often with in depth stories on the species with which we share the planet. For 20 years it was home to Stephen Jay Gould's monthly column.

Staten Island Institute of Sciences. 1997. Orchids and Orioles: Biodiversity on Staten Island. Staten Island, NY: Staten Island Institute of Arts and Sciences.

Stein, Bruce A., Lynn S. Kutner, Jonathan S. Adams. 2000. Precious Heritage: The Status of Biodiversity in the United States. New York: Oxford University Press. 399 pp.

We always hear about the biological diversity of the tropical rain forests, where we lose a species every so many minutes. The U.S. is filled with wondrous biota as well, many which are threatened with extinction. A fascinating review of all that is worth celebrating and fighting for. Includes gorgeous photographs of imperiled species and maps showing biodiversity hotspots.

Wackernagel, Mathis and William Rees. 1996. Our Ecological Footprint: Reducing Human Impact on the Earth. Gabriola Island, British Columbia, Canada: New Society Publishers. 160 pp.

How much land is required to support your lifestyle? At present levels of resource consumption in the United States - too much. If the rest of the world followed our lead (and they certainly hope to), there would need to be many more planets to sustain such gluttony. Welcome to your 12-step program toward sustainable living.

Wilson, E.O. 1992. The Diversity of Life. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. 424 pp.

Here Wilson poetically describes biological diversity in all its splendor. After he hooks you with descriptions and life histories, he details the forces that threaten these riches, largely of our doing. A passionate call to conservation.

All Species Foundation

Goal: to catalog ALL living creatures within the time span of one human generation (twenty-five years). You go, ASF!

American Society of Plant Taxonomists

Taxonomists are the folks who designate species, and are thus responsible for how we tally our diversity. Please visit this website - plant taxonomists are an endangered breed! Who will take their place when they are gone? We are losing the youth of America to mindless reality shows! To make the hard sell even easier, they have a link to "career information". Is that a whiff of desperation in the air?

The Center for Plant Conservation

A cooperative network of botanic gardens, arboreta, universities, land management agencies, and conservation organizations, the CPC works to save plants from extinction through the preservation and restoration of native U.S. species.

Issues in Biodiversity

Action in Bioscience, from American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS also publishes the excellent journal, BioScience). Here you will learn more about biodiversity, endangered and invasive species, and extinction.

Metropolitan Biodiversity Program

This Program of the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation aims to enhance understanding of local and regional biodiversity and apply this knowledge to conservation. To accomplish this, the Program integrates information from the American Museum of Natural History's scientific departments and regional collections directly into conservation-related research, education, planning and management initiatives in the New York region.

National Biological Information Infrastructure

A broad, collaborative program to provide increased access to data and information on the nation's biological resources. The NBII links diverse, high-quality biological databases, information products and analytical tools from various sources. Run by US Geologic Survey

The Patrick Principle (pdf)

In 1948, Dr. Ruth Patrick published her first paper from a systematic study of rivers. In it, she demonstrated that the numbers and kinds of species (biodiversity) reflected the basic ecology of the river and its environmental stresses. In other words, biological diversity is THE indicator of environmental problems affecting an ecosystem. Learn more about Dr. Patrick's life here.

Plant Conservation Alliance

The PCA is a consortium of ten federal government agencies and over 145 non-federal organizations working to solve the problems of native plant extinction and native habitat restoration.

Pope John Paul II on world peace and nature

No matter your religious affiliation, these are words by which to live. An education in ecological responsibility is urgent: responsibility for oneself, for others, and for the earth. Finally, the aesthetic value of creation cannot be overlooked. Our very contact with nature has a deep restorative power; contemplation of its magnificence imparts peace and serenity.

Society of Conservation Biology

An international professional organization dedicated to promoting the study of the phenomena that affect the maintenance, loss, and restoration of biological diversity. Membership comprises a wide range of people interested in the conservation and study of biological diversity. Also publish the journal Conservation Biology.

The Threatened Biosphere

E.O. Wilson outlines the enormity of the problem "If future generations learn that they're going to have to wait for millions of years to repair what we are carelessly doing in the living world in our lifetime, they are going to be very peeved. But the question always arises, 'Why should they care?' I mean, can't we get along with 80 percent or even 50 percent of the biodiversity?"

Tree of Life Web Project

The Tree of Life is a collaborative web project, produced by biologists from around the world. On more than 3000 web pages, the Tree of Life provides information about the diversity of organisms on Earth, their history, and characteristics. Will make you say, "Wow!".

Wildlands Project

Works to restore and protect the natural heritage of North America.

E.O. Wilson, Living on Earth’s radio program “A Little Known Planet”

E.O. Wilson's call to field research: "It's not an exaggeration to say we live on a little known planet. The science of biology in the 21st century will depend on a closer examination of the diversity of life at the species level and an all out effort to complete the mapping of life on Earth." Transcript and audio available.

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Evolution

Nature is trying very hard to make us succeed, but nature does not depend on us. We are not the only experiment. - R. Buckminster Fuller, engineer, designer, and architect (1895-1983)

Darwin, Charles. 1964. On the Origin of Species: A Facsimile of the First Edition. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 513 pp.

First published in 1859 (under the full title On the Origin of Species By Means of Natural Selection, or The Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life), this book rocked Victorian sensibilities. We continue to feel the aftershocks. We wonder whether Darwin had the sense of humor to devise the cover, a tongue-in-cheek take on Botticelli's "The Birth of Venus".

Dawkins, Richard. 1976. The Selfish Gene. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. 224 pp.

Whether you agree or not, certainly stimulates the synapses.

Gould, Stephen Jay. 1996 (revised). The Mismeasure of Man. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. 432 pp.

It is marvelous to observe the machinations of a genius at work. Here, Gould's purpose is to debunk the status of shoddy intelligence tests as a means for gauging a person's mental worth. The reader is treated to a historical study of scientific cultural bias, with the author dissecting both the substandard science and the societal turpitude. The world is a lesser place without the prolific, inspiring mind of Dr. Gould. We especially miss his natural history essays (many of which, thankfully, were collected into books).

Lewontin, Richard C. 1991. Biology as Ideology: The Doctrine of DNA. New York: Harper Perennial. 128 pp.

A renowned geneticist and Harvard University professor is telling us that we have been duped. Social, cultural, and political forces are driving the U.S. science agenda, especially in the area of genetic research. Shoddy science of questionable applicability abounds in his accounts. For example, the human genome project, touted as the answer to humanity's ills, will fall far short of these promises, but will have made many people very rich in the process. He encourages everyone to be involved in this dialogue. A great introduction to an important topic.

Wallace, Alfred Russel. 1975 (orig. 1880). Island Life, or the Phenomena and Causes of Insular Faunas and Floras, Including an Revision and Attempted Solution of the Problem of Geological Climates. New York: AMS Press. 522 pp.

A title that isn't afraid to tell you what is contained therein.

Understanding Evolution

A wonderful resource for teachers, and those of us who are perpetual students, plumbing the depths of this science, including a primer on evolution, evidence supporting it, its relevance in our lives, common misconceptions, & the history of evolutionary thought. Brought to us by the University of California Museum of Paleontology.

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Class Insecta et al. & Pollination

To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee,-- One clover, and a bee, And revery. The revery alone will do If bees are few. - Emily Dickinson

We wonder how all our little friends are fairing in the wake of all the West Nile spraying. To put it in perspective, more people will die from the flu this year in NYC. But public (mis)perception is everything...

Buchman, Stephen L. and Gary Paul Nabhan. 1996. The Forgotten Pollinators. Washington, D.C.: Island Press. 292 pp.

For most plants, pollination is critical to seed production. Much of our food is the result of pollen transferred from one flower to another by an animal. Yet pollinators are on the decline. What are the ramifications of the loss of solitary bee habitat? Pesticide use on butterflies and moths? Deforestation on birds? The authors lay out the biological and cultural context of these human-induced changes through field observations, agronomy, botany, ecology and sociology. For more about pollination, check out this link.

Eisner, Thomas. 2003. For Love of Insects. Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. 448 pp.

As you may have guessed by now, we love brilliant, passionate scientists. Dr. Eisner is the tops. This book mixes memoir with the thrill of discovery of a field biologist and lab experimentalist. He is also an engaging public speaker and an incredibly nice person.

Imes, Rick. 1992. The Practical Entomologist. New York: Simon and Schuster. 160 pp.

A great initial foray into the wonderful world of insects.

Johnson, Kurt and Steve Coates. 1999. Nabakov's Blues. New York: McGraw-Hill. 372 pp.

Surely you have heard of Lolita, inculcated as it is in our culture, but did you know "lepidopterist"? Nabokov was one in his spare time. Despite his lack of formal training, by the 1940s he was an expert in the Blues, a sub-family of butterflies. This book examines biogeography, evolution, biodiversity, and the place of butterflies in Nabakov's writing.

General Sites

Backyard Nature

This site has a link for everything, even insect sounds!

Bug Bios

From US Geological Survey. Scroll down, past the map, for an insectivorous bonanza, in alphabetical order by state. Here are your Federal tax dollars hard at work. Is it possible to ask that your taxes preferentially fund such projects? We will have to ask.

CT Entomological Society

Founded in 1949, the Connecticut Entomological Society, encourage the exchange of ideas and experiences related to insects among its members and the general public. Amateurs welcome!

Manual of Insect Morphology

A step-by-step guide to dissecting insects to view anatomy up close and personal. Also gives hints on preservative techniques and how to capture details through drawings.

The Xerces Society

An international nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting biological diversity through invertebrate conservation.

Pollination by Insects (Entomophily)

Alternative Pollinators: Native Bees

A wonderful publication, discussing the use of solitary or native bees as pollinators. Reviews some of the larger groups of bees, including alkali bees, leafcutter bees, alfalfa leafcutter bees, bumblebees, sweat bees, squash bees, digger bees, orchard mason bees, shaggy fuzzyfoot bees, and hornfaced bees. Information is also presented on how to attract and conserve populations of wild bees for pollination purposes.

Diversity and Abundance of Insects in the United States

Here is a small-scale study you can do at home to discern the diversity of pollinator taxa in your area. Also has fact sheets on identification basics and threats to pollinators.

Entomology Index of Internet Resources

June 2001 issue of Conservation Ecology. Many excellent scientific articles on our native pollinators and threats to their continued survival.

Insect Visitors of Illinois Wildflowers

This website contains a database of insects that suck nectar or collect pollen from the various wildflowers of Illinois (most of the floral species are also found in the NYC-area). It also includes a few predacious insects that lurk near the flowers to consume other insect visitors. For each plant species, the flower-visiting insects are organized into the following groups: Long-Tongued Bees, Short-Tongued Bees, Wasps, Ants, Sawflies, Flies, Butterflies, Skippers, Moths, Beetles, Plant Bugs, and Lacewings. Within each group, the insect species are organized alphabetically within the appropriate insect family and its subdivisions. This website is not intended to be an identfication guide of flower-visiting insects and it contains no photographs.

Migratory Pollinators Program

Folks at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum are studying decline of long-distance pollinators such as rufous hummingbirds and monarch butterflies and the worsening ecological conditions of their migratory "nectar corridors," patches of flowering plants where they refuel for the long journey.

North American Pollinator Protection Campaign

To encourage the health of resident and migratory pollinating animals in North America (also includes vertebrates).

Pollinator Decline

A special feature from the journal Ecology and Society.

Endangered Local Insects

Save the Pine Bush!

The Federally endangered Karner blue butterfly is the most famous resident of the Pine Bush of upstate New York. These folks are feisty and they play to win!

The Karner Blue Butterfly in Queensbury

Nature pride! The residents in Queensbury, NY have it in spades. Find out what you can do to save the blue!

Karner Blue from NYS DEC

An information fact sheet on Karner blue status in New York State, provided by NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. Here you will find the Latin binomial of our rare friend, along with its physical description, life history, range and habitat, status, and management and research needs. Here you will learn that the sandy habitat essential to the blue lupine, and therefore the Karner blue, occurs mostly along river valleys and outwash plains. These are the same areas favored by people. Entire populations of the Karner blue were driven extinct around large urban centers such as Chicago and New York City.

Vanishing Insects

A list of endangered, threatened, special concern, and rare insects of the United States. More than 845 species of insects are currently considered to be endangered, threatened, or rare within the U.S. and are listed by state natural resource departments or natural heritage agencies. Find out what you can do to save the blue!

(You're a) Gall Makers

If you have no idea what this means, start here

Gagne, Raymond. 1989. The Plant Feeding Gall Midges of North America, Cornell University Press.

Johnson and Lyon.1991. Insects That Feed on Trees and Shrubs, Cornell University Press. (This book covers some gall inducing insects).

Felt, Ephraim. 1965. Plant Galls and Gall Makers, Hafner Press. (This book could be used as a starting point, but in a number of cases the genus and/or species name of the gall maker is not accurate as the book is not very up-to-date.)

Weld, Lewis. 1959. Cynipid Galls of the Eastern United States, Privately printed, Ann Arbor MI. (A very good reference for cynipid wasp galls).

Order Ephemeroptera (Mayflies)

Mayflies of the United States

Can be organized by any state. Has checklists, distribution maps, and links to more mayfly information.

Mayfly Central

Mayfly Central is a place, a program, and an information resource. It is located in the Department of Entomology at Purdue University, where it is associated with the Laboratory of Aquatic Entomology.

Short Key to Mayfly Genera

A simple key to aid in the identification of mayfly nymphs and adults down to the genus level.

Order Hymenoptera (Bees, Ants & Wasps)

Antbase

The Social Insects www ant pages, built and maintained at the American Museum of Natural History and Ohio State University. The site provides access to all the ant species of the world, one of the most important groups of animals, ecologically speaking. The site covers systematics, bibliography, biogeography and biodiversity of ants. You can also find lists of ants found in Central Park, Long Island, and Southern New England.

Ant Colony

The definitive source for ant enthusiasts! Where else on the web can you visit an AnTropolis?

Apoidea - Bees and Sphecid Wasps

The biology, natural history, ecology, identification, taxonomy, checklists, and maps of species in the superfamily Apoidea.

Bee Alert! Bee Cams

Find out what all the buzz is about at the University of Montana's electronic observation hive, the world's first!

Bee Phylogeny of Cornell University

A primer for understanding more about higher-level bee phylogeny (taxonomy at the level of genus, tribe, subfamily and family). The site reviews the phylogeny of bees, the antiquity of bees, the historical biogeography of bees, morphological studies, and the molecular systematics of bees.

Bees of New York State

Many people would be surprised to learn that in NY state alone there are over 450 species of bees. In terms of global diversity, we have six of the seven bee families in New York state, 10 of the 20 currently recognized bee subfamilies, and 47 of the 425 genera of the world. The fauna of New York state could best be described as typical of a temperate, northern Hemisphere bee fauna. Native bees provide an extremely important service as pollinators of native and agricultural plants. For example, apple production comprises a $100 million industry in New York state, and a large number of native bee species (primarily in the genera Andrena, Osmia, and Bombus) contribute to apple pollination.

Hymenoptera Fossil Gallery

Check out cool photos of your favorite fossils here.

International Society of Hymenopterists

Publishers of the hard-hitting Journal of Hymenoptera Research - an entomological journal dedicated to the study of the bees, wasps, and ants.

Solitary Bees & Things

All about solitary bees and how to attract them to your garden.

Order Lepidoptera (Moths and Butterflies)

We want to take a moment to say that we are adamantly opposed to butterfly releases. While releasing hundreds of butterflies seems a beautiful way to celebrate nuptials (or other events), it instead destroys nature's delicate balance. These insects are not native stock. Introducing them into an area is incredibly harmful to local Lepidoptera. These illicit insects may carry new diseases and parasites. They compete for food resources. Most devastatingly, they interbreed with native populations, mixing gene pools. The next generation of butterflies thus has conflicting genetic codes that disrupt their migratory patterns. Please pass this tidbit on to the bride-to-be in your life; she doesn't want this kind of blood on her hands.

While we are on the topic of things not to do, please don't buy framed butterflies encased in glass. Such purchases create a market for an unsustainable commodity and encourage poaching of butterflies, moths (beetles, bees, etc.) from the wild.

Glassberg, Jeffrey. 1999. Butterflies through Binoculars: The East. New York: Oxford University Press. 242 pp.

One way to identify a lepidopterist in the field was to scan meadows for swishing mesh. These insect nets captured specimen that would be killed, mounted and catalogued. Identification of insects was based on such observational scrutiny. No longer! This book is the first to focus on identifying butterflies on wing. Filled with photographs that portray butterflies as they look in the wild. It is a great resource.

Gochfeld, Michael and Joanna Burger. 1997. Butterflies of New Jersey: A Guide to Their Status, Distribution, Conservation, and Appreciation. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press. 327 pp.

Discusses the behavior, status, distribution, taxonomy, ecology and conservation of butterflies in New Jersey, with a focus on protection rather than collection.

Himmelman, John. 2002. Discovering Moths: Nightime Jewels In Your Own Backyard. Down East Books. 232 pp.

Covers all facets of the fascinating creatures, their life cycle, morphology, and behavior, and how to attract, observe, and photograph them. Includes photographs.

Wagner, David L. Caterpillars of Eastern North America: A Guide to Identification and Natural History (Princeton Field Guides). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. 496 pages

Widely regarded as the most comprehensive book on Lepidopteran larvae in this region. Includes gorgeous photographs.

HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants

HOSTS brings together an enormous body of information on what the world's butterfly and moth (Lepidoptera) caterpillars eat. It offers a synoptic data set drawn from about 180,000 records comprising hostplant data for about 22,000 Lepidoptera species drawn from about 1600 published and manuscript sources. It is not (and cannot be) exhaustive, but it is probably the best and most comprehensive compilation of hostplant data available.

Connecticut Butterfly Association

The group is responsible for butterfly walks, indoor programs, butterfly habitat creation and restoration, butterfly life history chart for CT. They publish a bi-monthly newsletter for members and are involved in CT Butterfly Atlas Project (see below).

Connecticut Butterfly Atlas Project

That Peabody Museum rocks. In this latest permutation, it houses said atlas. They need some butterfly photos, so spread the love.

Moths in a Connecticut Yard

Interesting snippets and great photos. Proof that you don’t have to travel so far afield to find elements of nature!

The Lepidopterists’ Society

We love the homespun look of this one.

Monarch Watch

From University of Kansas, all you ever wanted to know about Monarchs and their migrations along the Atlantic Seaboard.

Butterflies of the Big Apple

New York City is rich in butterflies. Indeed, a single park like the Bronx's Van Cortlandt has more species inhabiting it than are found in all of Great Britain! Take that, Tony Blair! Brought to you by the North American Butterfly Association.

Butterfly Photographs (NY)

Top notch images from the New York area, plus a checklist of the butterflies of Central Park, featuring lovely drawings and basic butterfly biology.

NYS Butterflies

An informal discussion group dedicated to those that share an interest in butterflies and moths found in NYS and the Northeast.

The Mulberry Wing

Field Notes of the New York City and North Jersey Butterfly Clubs, plus information on Odonates as well.

Slug Caterpillars of New Jersey

Beautiful photographs.

North Jersey Butterfly Club

Meets in Morristown. Events, butterfly sites, and links.

NABA - SEP

Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter of NABA, based in Philadelphia, aims to increase public awareness and enjoyment of butterflies. So come out and join them for meetings, field trips, and sightings.

PA Butterfly Chat Archives

Archives and subscription management for the e-mail group for Pennsylvania butterfly and dragonfly discussion.

Order Odonata (Dragonflies and Damselflies)

Dunkle, S.W. 2000. Dragonflies Through Binoculars: A Field Guide to Dragonflies of North America. New York: Oxford University Press. 266 pp.

A field guide to the 300 species of dragonflies found in the U.S. and Canada. Includes color photographs, species descriptions, range maps, and information on habitat and mating rituals.

Lam, Ed. 2004. Damselflies of the Northeast. Forest Hills, Queens: Biodiversity Books. 96pp.

The only book of its kind, with detailed information on their ecology, range and field identification. Excellent color photographs and accurate drawings by the author.

CT Dragonfly Flight Records

Charts organized by family of species, counties and earliest/latest sightings.

Dragonflies and Damselflies of New Jersey

Odonates! They are wetland predators, meaning they eat mosquitoes! To find out more about how cool they are, check out this site.

Dragonfly & Damselfly Photographs

Top notch images from the New York area, plus a checklist of the odonates of Central Park, featuring lovely drawings and basic damselfly and dragonfly biology.

Integrated Biological Aquatics Assessment

NJDEP's study of dragonfly and damselfly decline, which serves as a bioindicator of deteriorating water quality. Stream-associated Odonata are in danger of extinction and continually threatened by water quality degradation due to fertilizer and pesticide runoff, sewage and organic wastes, and siltation due to erosion. In addition, the construction of dams often results in the replacement of rare stream dragonflies with more common pond species. There are 172 Odonata species found in New Jersey, with 43 considered rare.

OdonataCentral: Dragonflies & Damselflies of North America

A list of the 185 species of dragonflies & damselflies of New York State. This list may be further refined by county. You can click on the species to see its distribution and the camera icon to see photos and information. Put out by University of Texas at Austin (the site as a whole covers USA & Mexico), quite a wonderful site!

The Odonata of North America

Dragonfly Society of the Americas brings you this site - a current North American checklist with a list of English names.

Odonate Diversity and Sampling Effort in the Lower 48 States

Arranged by county.

Order Coleoptera (Beetles)

When J. B. S. Haldane, a British geneticist, was asked what his studies of nature revealed about God, he replied, "An inordinate fondness for beetles".

The Beetle Experience

Sights, sounds, and information on beetles native to North America.

Beetle Science

A top-notch site. Based on the work of scientists in the Department of Entomology at Cornell University, the site is a tour of the Coleopteran world in the context of biodiversity, systematic biology, invasive species, et al. Here, you can also learn more about the newly discovered species, the McLean Bog Beetle, discovered in a New York wetland.

Coleoptera

Has everything - beetle anatomy, descriptions, databases, catalogues, bibliography, art, & gossip. (Overheard, "Those scarab beetles are scandelous!")

Coleopterists' Society

Beetles, the insect order Coleoptera, are the dominant form of life on earth: one of every five living species is a beetle! Various species live in nearly every habitat except the open sea, and for every possible kind of food, there's probably a beetle species that eats it. Beetles appeared before dinosaurs existed, and now greatly outnumber the dinosaurs' descendants, the birds. Beetles include beneficial and pest species, beautiful and plain, huge and tiny. They have even had a role in human culture, most notably the ancient Egyptians revering the sacred scarab as a symbol of life and rebirth. The Coleopterists' Society is an international organization devoted to the study of all aspects of systematics and biology of beetles of the world.

Fondness for Beetles

A promotional site for a book of the same name. The site itself has lots of information & interesting links, including the ability to create a customized beetle screensaver. Now where else on the web can you find that?

Other insects

Cicada Mania

Dedicated to "the most amazing insects in the world", find all things cicada here.

New Jersey Mosquitos

A list of the Garden State's 63 mosquito species, most with pictures, so you can keep track of the varieties you swat.

Singing Insects of North America

We're not talking Beverly Sills. The site enables users to identify crickets, katydids, and cicadas north of Mexico. The males of most species in these groups make loud, persistent calls that attract sexually ready, conspecific females.

And other arthropods…which of course really means spiders

Key to Spiders of Black Rock Forest, NY

With a guide to spider morphology and a gallery of the eight-legged lovelies.

Noteworthy Spiders of Pennsylvania

You should know: Spiders are not insects. "Spiders, along with daddy longlegs, ticks, mites, and scorpions, belong to the class Arachnida. They are beneficial animals that feed on all sorts of arthropods, including insects. About 3,000 species of spiders are found in the United States. Spiders rarely bite people, and most species found in the world are harmless."

Spider Conservation

Spiders, like many other invertebrates, have generally been forgotten by the conservation community. This site promotes spider conservation including threats to spider diversity (you know who you are), current conservation actions, and challenges in protecting spiders and their habitats. Yeah, it’s called “arachnophobia!" Save the spiders!

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Natural History Museums & Herbaria

We love this stuff!! Sadly, that is not enough. Not only is biodiversity worldwide threatened with extinction, so is its study. Despite the fact that the careful and measured observation of nature has a long illustrious history, colleges and universities have dismantled their departments of botany, zoology, soils. Why? Because natural history is not a profitable enterprise. Instead, there is the reductionism of all of biology to the molecular level.

To combat this, Dr. Thomas Eisner (see above) started a class called "The Naturalist's Way" at Cornell University. Check it out here.

Forman, L. & D. Bridson (eds). 1989. The Herbarium Handbook. Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew. 214 pp.

NPR Segment: Harvard's Indispensable Specimens (August 10, 2005)

With collections dating to the late 1700s, Harvard University's Museum of Comparative Zoology is one of the country's oldest museums. Displays drawn from the collection range from the skeleton of an extinct dodo bird to more than 300 different hummingbirds.

But the back rooms are filled with millions of items that will never be displayed. This installment of the Hidden Treasures Radio Project, explains why the curators can't throw anything away.

The Academy of Natural Sciences

Founded in 1812, the Academy has been at the forefront of documenting species, interpreting their roles in the environment and restoring and preserving ecosystem health. Also has the Herbarium, which houses some of the oldest and most important plant collections in the Americas.

American Museum of Natural History

While everyone else rushes to the Hall of Ocean Life to gaze up at the blue whale (it is impressive), we start our AMNH forays here. We always wanted to live in the dioramas.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden Herbarium

Holds about 250,000 plant specimens. The collection is worldwide in scope, with concentration on plants of the greater New York area. The original collection was formed by uniting the herbaria of the Brooklyn Lyceum, the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences, and the Long Island Historical Society.

Chrysler Herbarium of Rutgers University

If RU had had their way, this collection would be in a landfill. So sad, the utter disregard for our collective natural history and natural heritage. This disdain seems to permeates every facet of society.

Anyway, the Chrysler Herbarium is the last internationally recognized herbarium still in existence in the state of New Jersey. Approximately 120,000 plant, algal, moss and lichen specimens are arranged and catalogued systematically. The collection is world-wide in scope, with an emphasis on New Jersey. It also now has a mycological herbarium with more than 40,000 specimens.

Herbarium Field Techniques

As promulgated by the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Linnaean Herbarium

Housed in the Swedish Museum of Natural History, the herbarium comprises some 4000 specimens, many of which were once distributed by Linnaeus to his disciples. There is also a guide to match handwriting samples to the appropriate god of botanical taxonomy, which makes our hearts all a-flutter.

New York Botanical Garden’s Virtual Herbarium

How cool is this? They even have native bryophytes, fungi and lichens! We wish they had native vascular plants as well, though.

The New York State Biodiversity Research Institute

Dedicated to promoting inquiry and advancing knowledge in the fields of geology, biology, anthropology, and history, through the investigation of material evidence germane to New York State's past, present and future. Lots of great publications too.

The New York State Museum Natural History Illustrations

The museum houses the above research institute. The website features botanical illustrations from the 17 volume series 'The Flora of New York'. The collection includes illustrations by notable contemporary illustrators such as Bobbi Angell, Ann Lacy, Bente Starcke King and Ted Baim. The above link also bring you to three collections of fungi images - one of illustrations, one of paintings, and one of wax mushroom models.

The Peabody Herbarium at Yale University

Founded in the mid-19th century, they have over 350,000 specimens from throughout the world. There are an estimated 5,000 type specimens (the plant on which the species description is based). The collection is particularly rich in ferns, bryophytes and grasses, as well as in historically important materials from the early botanical collectors. In addition, it is the herbarium of record for the flora of Southern New England from 1864 until 1955, when that collection function passed to the University of Connecticut in Storrs.

The Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University

Yale's earliest museum collection, a miscellaneous assortment of "natural and artificial curiosities" from around the world, was begun in the eighteenth century and was typical of college collections. The more than eleven million specimens in the Museum's collections are cared for under the supervision of curators in ten divisions: Anthropology, Botany, Entomology, Invertebrate Zoology, Invertebrate Paleontology, Vertebrate Zoology (includes Herpetology, Ichthyology, Mammalogy, and Ornithology), Paleobotany, Vertebrate Paleontology, Mineralogy, Meteorites, and Historical Scientific Instruments.

South Fork Natural History Society

SOFO is dedicated to promoting nature education through hands-on, in-the-field study of the South Fork's native flora, fauna, and ecosystems.

Staten Island Institute of Arts and Sciences

Founded in 1881, this is one of the oldest cultural institutions in the city, pre-dating the American Museum of Natural History. The museum has an incredible collection of natural artifacts, especially those concerning Staten Island. SIIAS's two naturalists are fonts of knowledge. A five-minute walk from the ferry terminal, worth the trip.

Torrey Herbarium at UCONN

The George Safford Torrey Herbarium (CONN) supports botanical research in systematics, taxonomy, biodiversity, ecology, ethnobotany, palaeobotany, evolution and education. The herbarium combines significant palaeobotanical, bryological, lichenological, mycological, phycological and vascular plants totaling over 160,000 specimens, all housed in a fully modern, state-of-the-art facility.

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Everywhere & Nowhere

When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world. - John Muir, naturalist, explorer, and writer (1838-1914)

~Discover the soul of the place you live.~

Bissinger, Buzz. 1997. A Prayer for the City. New York: Random House. 408 pp.

The author shadows Ed Rendell (now governor of Pennsylvania) during his first term as mayor of Philadelphia and his struggle to save the city. Written with gusto and alive with details.

Kunstler, James H. 1994. The Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and Decline of America's Man-Made Landscape. Free Press 304 pp.

Explores and deplores the privatized suburban wasteland that makes up so much of the country.

Leslie, Claire W. and Charles Roth. 2000. Keeping a Nature Journal. Pownal, VT: Storey Books. 181 pp.

Nature journals are wonderful things. They root you in the here and now and grant you the excuse to slow down, observe and reflect on the natural world.

Proust, Marcel. 2002. Swann's Way. New York: Viking. 486 pp. [translated by Lydia Davis].

All the clichés of the madeleine, ignore; this book is a treasure. A swirling mélange of details through the prism of memory. "The Méséglise way with its lilacs, its hawthorns, its cornflowers, its poppies, its apple trees, the Guermantes way with its river full of tadpoles, its water lilies and buttercups, formed for me for all time the contours of the countrysides where I would like to live..."

Thoreau, Henry David. 1980 (orig. 1854). Walden: or, Life in the Woods. New York: Signet Classic. 255 pp.

Of course.

White, E.B. 1999. Here is New York. New York: The Little Bookroom. 56 pp.

White takes a stroll around Manhattan and drinks it all in, concisely, as is his wont.

White, Gilbert. 1988. The Natural History of Selborne. London: Century. 256 pp.

First published in 1788, this is the first popular natural history book. Gilbert, a country parson, recounts his wanderings in his native parish in England. The book is filled with keen observations on the flora and fauna and steeped in a sense of place.

WPA Guide to New York City: A Comprehensive Guide to the Five Boroughs of the Metropolis. 1992. New York: The New Press. 700 pp.

Love of FDR seems to bridge partisan divides. The Federal Writers' Project, part of the WPA, was conceived to provide work for journalists. Gradually, the Works Progress Administration expanded the concept as presenting to the American people a portrait of America. First published in 1939, this book brings the Big Apple's history alive while remaining a useful guide today.

WPA Guide to Philadelphia. 1988. Philadelphia : University of Pennsylvania Press. 704 pp.

Originally published in 1937, another addition to the American Guides Series. The book is a compilation of social, political, economic and cultural facets of Philadelphia. We love the walking tours and old school typeface. A must read!

Communities 21

International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives provides local government with the methodologies and practical tools to establish healthy, livable communities that are ecologically sustainable.

Foundation for Landscape Studies

Works to foster an active understanding of the importance of place in human life.

Historic Bartram’s Garden

The house and garden of John Bartram, "the greatest natural botanist in the world" as proclaimed by Linnaeus, is located in Philadelphia. Bartram, a Quaker, journeyed throughout the colonies to find and document new species. In October 1965, John and his son William (see below) discovered a beautiful flowering shrub, new to the annals of science, which they named Franklinia alatamaha after their friend back home and the river in Georgia where it grew. This plant was last recorded in the wild in 1803. Today it is extinct, growing solely in botanic gardens and at private homes, propagated from the seeds originally collected by the Bartrams. Read more about the beautiful plant here. Also note that the shrub may be seen "in person" at Fort Tryon in Manhattan and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

Long Island Maps & Their Makers

Long Island has a cartographic history reaching back almost five centuries. Here can be found a sample of the many ways in which mapmakers have shown Long Island--ranging in time from the first explorers' charts to recent digital maps.

Mütter Museum

Located in Philadelphia, this museum houses a bizarre collection of medical curiosities that are gruesomely wonderful. A must!

Place Matters

A joint project of City Lore and the Municipal Art Society, Place Matters seeks to promote and protect places that connect us with the past, sustain community life and make our surroundings distinctive.

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Invasive Plants

A morning-glory at my window satisfies me more than the metaphysics of books. - Walt Whitman, poet (1819-1892)

For more about invasive plants, see Drosera's Invasives page.

BOOKS

Elton, Charles S. 1958. The Ecology of Invasions by Plants and Animals. New York: Chapman & Hall. 181 pp.

The book that started it all. Elton was prescient in his early warning of the ecological catastrophe inherent in the issue of invasives. Still relevant today and worth reading.

Randall, John M. and Janet Marinelli (eds.). 1996. A Natural History of Exotics in America. Brooklyn Botanic Garden Handbook. 111 pp.

One of the first handbooks compiled on national invaders.

ESSAY

Quammen, David. Planet of Weeds. Harper's Magazine, October 1998, pp 57-69.

I was in graduate school when this essay came out. I was in the thick of chronicling the demise of rare plants. A depressing job, to be sure. After reading this essay, I cried. I often wonder what would happen if the opening line, "Hope is a duty from which paleontologists are exempt." were also applicable to conservation biologists.

WEBSITES

1. Federal Government

Invasive and Exotic Species of North America

A partnership of a number of Federal divisions, many of which are on this page. The site provides an accessible and easy to use archive of high quality images related to invasive, introduced and exotic species. Make sure you go to the "About" page to join up - it's free!

Invasive Grasses

From the Federal Highway Administration, an illustrated list of 10 invasive grasses that have been making their way through various parts of the country. Includes our nemeses, Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum) and common reed (Phragmites australis).

Invasivespecies.gov

The gateway to Federal efforts concerning invasive species. This site outlines the impacts of invasive species and the Federal government's response, provides species profiles and finds links to agencies and organizations dealing with invasive species issues.

National Park Service – Weeds Gone Wild

Who doesn't want to know more about weeds gone wild? And people say ecologists are out of touch with pop culture. Has many good fact sheets on invasive plants. An excellent website.

USDA Aphis Plan Protection and Quarantine Invasive Species

Provides information about invasive species and pest management. Here you can find out what kinds of critters are harbored in wood packing materials and hot topics regarding avocados.

USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species

USGS site that provides excellent information about aquatic invaders (both plant and animal). Repository for spatially referenced biogeographic accounts. Includes scientific reports, online/realtime queries, spatial data sets, regional contact lists and general information.

2. Information by State/Region

Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station’s Invasive Aquatic Plant Program

General information about the program, survey results, including colorful maps, descriptions of the invasive aquatics, information on volunteering, a form to request a lake survey, legislation concerning aquatic invasive plants, management information, publications, and links to other helpful sites.

Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group (CIPWG)

Provides information about invasive plants in Connecticut with good control information. Trend alert! Overuse of purple loosestrife as a pictorial backdrop on these websites.

Delaware River Invasive Plant Partnership

Site features brochure, invasive plant fact sheets, management planning resources and listserve.

Ecology and Management of Invasive Plants Program

Run by Dr. Bernd Blossey out of Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, this site describes the damage caused by invasive plants as well as control (especially biological) information.

Invasive Alien Species Handbook

From Maryland Native Plant Society, this publication provides information on the identification and removal of many common invasive alien species.

Invasive Exotic Plant Management Tutorial for Natural Lands Managers

From MA-EPPC (see below) - a "one-stop-shop" for natural resource managers who are interested in organizing on-the-ground efforts to prevent, manage and control invasives. The purpose is to provide sufficient background information on the problem and then provide management guidance in the form of a standard process or approach so that managers can more readily apply the information to their specific invasive plant problem.

Invasive Plant Atlas of New England (IPANE)

A comprehensive database of invasive plants in New England. Has distribution maps, site collection records and catalogs of invasive plants. Love their graphic of Oriental bittersweet with a stranglehold on New England. An excellent site.

An Overview of Nonindigenous Species in New Jersey (Adobe PDF file)

This report provides background on the numbers and origins of nonindigenous species in New Jersey, discusses problems caused by harmful invasive species, describes current state and federal programs and examines methods of control and prevention. Includes fact sheets.

Mid-Atlantic Exotic Pest Plant Council

MA-EPPC provides information about invasive species in the Mid-Atlantic States. We highly recommend the book, which you can order online.

New York City Parks' "Do Not Plant" List

Over 100 species of plants frowned upon by New York City Parks & Recreation for use in landscaping. So, maybe someone needs to explain to me why they keep planting this stuff in the middle of "Forever Wild" natural areas?

New York Invasive Plant Council

An outpost of NY Natural Heritage Program, the site provides coordination and guidance on the management of invasive plants in New York State.

New York Metropolitan Region's Worst Invasives

Compiled by our good friends at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

Northeast Aquatic Nuisance Species Panel

Information on aquatic invasive plants and animals. The NEANS Panel addresses issues and concerns relative to the freshwater and marine resources of northeastern North America.

Northeastern Weed Science Society

Serves the Northeastern United States by bringing together those who are concerned with the knowledge of weeds and their control; cooperates with other scientific societies to promote research, education, and outreach activities; and publishes scientific and practical information of value concerning Weed Science and related fields.

Pennsylvania's Invasive Plants

Brought to us by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, this site defines invasive plants, lists serious and moderate threats,