Native Plants/Resources
Resources
Books, field guides, websites and groups our members turn to for learning about and growing Oklahoma’s native plants.
Books and field guides
A Naturalist’s Guide to Oklahoma
Priscilla H. C. Crawford
A biologist’s tour of Oklahoma’s ecoregions: the plants, animals and landscapes across the state, and in our own backyards.
Available from ONPS: new to the ONPS inventory; ask at a chapter meeting
- Flora of Oklahoma
Flora of Oklahoma
Ronald J. Tyrl and others, Flora Oklahoma Inc.
The state’s botanical manual, with keys and descriptions for Oklahoma’s 2,500-plus vascular plants. The book our botanists check first.
- Field Guide to Oklahoma Plants
Field Guide to Oklahoma Plants
Ronald J. Tyrl and others, Oklahoma State University (2nd ed., 2008)
Commonly encountered prairie, shrubland and forest species, with drawings by Bellamy Parks Jansen. The practical companion to Flora of Oklahoma for plant walks.
Forest Trees of Oklahoma
Elbert L. Little Jr., Oklahoma Forestry Services
The pocket guide to the state’s trees. Members used it to identify trees at Keystone Ancient Forest during Wonders of Wildflowers.
Get it from Oklahoma Forestry Services →Read: Wonders of Wildflowers 2026
The Humane Gardener
Nancy Lawson
Nurturing a backyard habitat for wildlife. Lawson spoke at the 2026 Welcoming Garden speaker series in Edmond and Tulsa.
Pollinators of Native Plants
Heather Holm
Which insects visit which native plants, with Holm’s own photographs. She also wrote Bees and Wasps, and spoke at the 2026 Welcoming Garden series.
Oklahoma Native Plant Record
Oklahoma Native Plant Society
Our annual journal of botanical research on Oklahoma’s flora, published since 2001. Every past volume is free to read online.
Available from ONPS: Volume 23 in print, or volumes 1–23 on USB
Websites and tools
USDA PLANTS Database
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Accepted names, ranges and basic facts for plants across the U.S. It’s the starting point for every plant in our database.
Keystone Plants by Ecoregion
National Wildlife Federation
Lists of the plant genera that feed the most caterpillars and specialist bees, sorted by ecoregion. Oklahoma falls in the Great Plains and Eastern Temperate Forests.
Arogos skipper survey
Oklahoma Biological Survey, University of Oklahoma
Upload your photos of the Arogos skipper, an imperiled prairie butterfly, to help document where it still lives.
Monarch Waystation program
Monarch Watch
Register a garden with milkweed and nectar plants as a certified Monarch Waystation, sign included.
Organizations
Oklahoma Native Plant Network
A program of ONPS
Professional growers who raise Oklahoma-grown native plants. Each year the network picks featured plants to grow in bigger numbers.
Okies for Monarchs
Oklahoma Monarch and Pollinator Collaborative
The statewide monarch and pollinator effort behind Oklahoma’s monarch conservation plan and the Wildlife Habitat Grant Program.
Visit Okies for Monarchs →Read: Plants in Their Hands and Garden Plans in Their Heads
The Xerces Society
Invertebrate conservation
Research and guides on native bees and other pollinators, including how many bees depend on specific plants.