Hi Rich, I inquired in class last night about recommendations for native plant field guides relevant to the area of Middle/Eastern Tennessee, and you had mentioned that you might be able to share a couple with me. We have fairly recently transplanted ourselves to the Cumberland Plateau, about an hour north of Chattanooga, from the Southwest. Discerning what is actually native here can be a little tricky, as much of the land we're working with has been sites for past plant/tree nurseries (with remnants of imports) or been used for growth and harvest of timber. Although I find almost all plants rather lovely and fascinating, I want to encourage more of the native flora and be more conscious of what I'm cultivating. Thank you for your time, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts. Sincerely, Shana

Rich said: Hi Shana Thanks for the question! I don't know this book but it seems like it may be worth checking out given what you shared: https://utpress.org/title/gardening-with-the-native-plants-of-tenn/ In a more general sense, here are some recommended floras and botany books for your region - this is probably more than you wanted! The first two or three is a good start! Plants of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States A lan S. Weakley (highly technical, best used in conjunction with other books, but available as a free PDF download from: http://www.herbarium.unc.edu/flora.htm) Guide to the Vascular Plants of the Blue Ridge Eugene B. Wofford Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas, Radford et al. Also check out this list from the Tennessee Native Plant Society: https://www.tnps.org/publications/ **this one in particular looks good but I don’t have a copy: Guide to the Vascular Plants of Tennessee, Edward Chester Also might be helpful: Wildflowers of North Carolina: Also Covering Virginia, South Carolina, and Areas of Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Maryland and Delaware, William S. Justice & C. Ritchie Bell Trees of the Southeastern United States Wilbur H. Duncan & Marion B. Duncan Wildflowers of North Carolina: Also Covering Virginia, South Carolina, and Areas of Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Maryland and Delaware William S. Justice & C. Ritchie Bell Wildflowers of the Southern Appalachians Richard M. Smith
 Wildflowers of Tennessee Jack B. Carman
 Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Southern Appalachians Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, and Duhl A Field Guide to the Trees and Shrubs of the Southern Appalachians Robert E. Swanson Appalachian Wildflowers: An Ecological Guide to Flowering Plants from Quebec to Georgia Thomas A. Hemmerly

Holy Moly - the Mother Lode … Thank you so much!! Looking forward to exploring these!