Birdscaping for Wisconsin and the Great Lakes Region: The 50 Best Native Plants to Attract Birds to Your Midwestern Garden

Want to turn your yard into a bird paradise? Mariette Nowak, gardener, educator, and ecologist, has a simple suggestion: think beyond bird feeders. Her indispensable guide for gardeners throughout the Upper Midwest and parts of the Northeast highlights the fifty best native plants for attracting such beloved bird species as Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, American Goldfinches, Eastern Bluebirds, Indigo Buntings, Cedar Waxwings, and Wood Warblers.

The book explains the value of particular plants for birds and other wildlife, not only as food sources but as nesting sites and cover. Each plant is described in depth, with details on color, height, blooming time, light requirements, and soil preferences, along with planting tips and suggested companion plants. Nowak offers closer looks at the intriguing features of these diverse plant species and their intertwined relationships with birds, complemented by more than 150 color photos that showcase the beauty of the plants and birds together. Novice gardeners will also find essential information on birdscaping basics, site preparation, management guidelines, and safeguarding songbirds.

Mariette Nowak is an active leader and volunteer for Wild Ones: Native Plants, Natural Landscapes. She is also a public speaker on landscaping, native plants, and birding, and is the former director of the Wehr Nature Center, a unit of the Milwaukee County Parks in Wisconsin. She is the author of Birdscaping in the Midwest.