I know quite a few people who should read this book. People who like their lawns to be flat and perfectly mowed areas of sterile grass. People who want to cut down every plant and rake every leaf in the fall, leaving their yards barren of food and shelter for native insects over the winter. People who want neatly groomed gardens filled with flowers chosen for their beauty but not their benefits to the local ecology. People who see every indication of insects in their yard as a failure to be mitigated by harsh chemicals. People who seek out foreign plants, filling their lawns with ornamentals that often prove to be invasive and destructive to native plants and wildlife.

Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants is a well-written, thoroughly researched book for anyone who wants their yard to matter, whether it's small or large, or if their plans are ambitious or not. Author Douglas W. Tallamy explains the benefits of native plants and the insects they sustain, as well as the many harms done to a region by the widespread use of invasive plants that, like it or not, spread far beyond each individual showcase garden, with seeds spread by wind and birds so they can devastate the native plants that are so important to local wildlife.

Bringing Nature Home is detailed, easy to read, heavily illustrated and, perhaps most importantly, persuasive. I hope people give him a chance to convince them of his case.

Although tailored mostly for a North American audience, the book is useful for guiding a global perspective toward gardening. It's particularly beneficial for the likes of me, since the author also lives in Pennsylvania, and many of his examples are specific to this region.

Later chapters in the book get very specific about the qualities of native insects and the importance of native trees. But it's the first 144 pages I wish everyone -- and I do mean everyone -- should read. Tallamy provides a very thorough explanation of biodiversity and the reasons why gardeners, no matter how big or small their space for planting might be, should do whatever they can to restore native plants to their community. He explains in simple terms why alien plants are a bad idea, no matter how pretty they are, and provides convincing arguments for making a little extra effort when it comes to choosing plants for your property.

This is a topic that has concerned me for years, and sometimes it feels like I am waging a losing fight to convince people in my immediate sphere about the importance of this issue. Maybe if I can convince a few of them to read this book -- or, at least the first 144 pages -- Tallamy will make the argument for me.

First published in 2007, the book was updated and expanded in 2009. (Presumably it has been revised in the years since, but I'm content with my copy -- although I am eager to read some of Tallamy's more recent work.

This is a vitally important book that anyone who cares about birds, bees, flowers and the world should read. Let's hope Tallamy can inspire the next generation to be better caretakers of the world ... starting with their own backyards!