A Backyard Prairie: The Hidden Beauty of Tallgrass and Wildflowers

“Cultivating and learning about the rich life of the prairies, grasslands that once occupied most of the Midwest, inspired in Fred Delcomyn and James L. Ellis a love and appreciation that they transmit beautifully through the pages of this lovely book. Their adventures come alive here, providing a model for others eager to understand the plants and animals, the original inhabitants of the lands where we live and farm today.”—Peter H. Raven, coauthor, Biology of Plants   “For anyone even remotely interested in nature, A Backyard Prairie provides a wide-ranging view of prairies and prairie ecology. More important, it includes the very personal experience of creating from scratch a landscape that once dominated Illinois. Delcomyn and Ellis are to be applauded for providing readers with an intimate glimpse into the wild heart of the state.”—Michael R. Jeffords, coauthor of Illinois Wilds “What a terrific documentation of the joy, wonder, consternation, and eventual gratification that come from a personal prairie restoration project! This book is a great read for anyone who is considering restoring a prairie, has already done so, or is just prairie-restoration curious.”—Chris Helzer, Nebraska director of science, The Nature Conservancy   “A Backyard Prairie is more than a well-written story about how two people planted a diverse prairie on a small piece of land in northern Illinois. It is also a rich accounting of where North American prairies came from, what comprises them, how they change through the seasons, and what their destruction has meant to biodiversity and to us. A Backyard Prairie is meant to be inspirational—and it succeeds!”—Doug Tallamy, author of Bringing Nature Home and Nature's Best Hope