Saving the Wild South by Georgann Eubanks
The group’s book for April is a trek through the Southeast to learn about endangered native plants and the people working to save them.
The University of North Carolina Press, 2021, www.uncpress.org.
The Sustainability Book Club met on April 6 to discuss Saving the Wild South: The Fight for Native Plants on the Brink of Extinction by Georgann Eubanks. This book profiles 12 plant species that are endangered and quickly disappearing from wild areas in the Southeast. Besides providing details about each species and its habitat, Eubanks offers stories about the individuals who discovered the plants and those who are fighting to save them today.
Throughout the book, Eubanks and the experts she interviews point out the importance of preserving biodiversity and how native plants are part of an interconnected chain of species. Many are being threatened by land development and climate change and could go extinct without intervention. As one botanist says, ecosystems are intricate webs; if we keep pulling strands, eventually the web will collapse. Determining what species to protect and how to do it, however, is a complex and contentious issue.
During the book club meeting, members talked about some of the locations we might see endangered plants featured in the book, such as Schweinitz’s sunflower at Latta Plantation, Yadkin River goldenrod below two dams on the Yadkin River, Florida Torreya trees at Biltmore Forest, and River Cane along a highway near Cherokee. The North Carolina Zoo and various botanical gardens around the state also have some examples on display. Everyone agreed that the book could have included some additional photos of the plants to help with identification.
Book club members also discussed how much of the Southeast, including our area, was grassland before European colonization. In the book, experts explain how native people once managed the grasslands with fire and by encouraging the grazing of large animals. One supporter of grasslands restoration noted how this type of ecosystem can support native species, improve water quality and sequester carbon. You can see an example of a Southeastern grassland landscape in the Piedmont Prairie exhibit at Duke Gardens in Durham.
So how can you help endangered plants?
Eubanks offers these ideas:
Donate to organizations that protect biodiversity.
Learn about and support the conservation organizations in our community.
Help remove invasive plants from wild areas.
Reduce grass lawns and plant native species instead.
Support organic farmers and avoid using pesticides and herbicides.
Raise awareness of the value of native plants with elected officials.
Support local nurseries that sell native plants.
Pick up a copy of Saving the Wild South to learn more. Book club members also recommend another title by Georgann Eubanks, The Month of Their Ripening: North Carolina Heritage Foods through the Year.
The Sustainability Book Club
Join a group of avid readers who meet monthly to engage in lively discussions focused on books about sustainability. The club meets at 6:30 p.m. on the first Thursday of every month on Zoom. Contact us to join!
May 4: Fen, Bog and Swamp: A Short History of Peatland Destruction and Its Role in the Climate Crisis by Annie Proulx
