Last week, The Backyard Naturalists kicked off a 2-part series on Native Plants with our, “go-to guru”, Lisa Tompkins of Carolina Heritage Nursery. Lisa, along with our hosts Debbie and Laurie, shared with us their thoughts and ideas around the benefits of including native plants in your natural wildlife habitat. They even shared a few of their favorites for both shade and sun.

This week, we receive a wealth of information about various guides, websites, resources and books on native plants. We learn where we can go for information, names, ideas and lists of native plants.

A great place to begin is the NC Cooperative Extension, NC Plant Toolbox. It “contains detailed descriptions and photographs of 4,620 plants that grow in and around North Carolina.” You might also want to check out the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center.

During the episode, Lisa mentions the importance of learning the botanical of native plants for your area and the USDA Plants database is a phenomenal resource.

If  you’re interested in a few local native plant sales in the greater Charlotte region, here’s a short list of a few upcoming events:

• UNCC is hosting a native plant sale, April 7 – 9
• The Wing Haven community is hosting their event, April 7 - 9
• UNC Chapel Hill’s NC Botanical Garden is hosting their event, May 7

Several times in this episode, Dr. Larry Mellichamp is mentioned and is credited as being an invaluable resource for native plants, especially in and around North and South Carolina. Please click here to be taken to his bio which offers details on his current position, background and professional experience.

Connect with the Backyard Naturalists on the Web, Facebook and Instagram.

Please visit and support our presenting sponsor, Backyard Birds at http://www.thebirdfoodstore.com. A mecca for bird lovers and bird watchers, Backyard Birds is an independent family-owned business located in Matthews, NC (next to Dairy Queen), just southeast of Charlotte.

Thanks for listening to The Backyard Naturalists.  We hope you have a day filled with the wonders of nature. Get outside and take a walk on the wild side! Please don’t forget to leave a 5-star review for The Backyard Naturalists podcast.

Production services for The Backyard Naturalists podcast are provided by Downtown Podcasting. To start a conversation on how you can have a podcast, simply send an email to [email protected].