The Midwest

is the Best

“The beauty that surrounds us in this part of the country is so subtle that it can go unnoticed – unless we stop long enough to look around and take it all in. There are no grand gestures, just little things that, combined, create a certain splendor […] There is a sense of stability here, and the assurance that life and its routines will endure the storms that pass through.” – Larry Kanfer

The Midwest has a variety of parks and nature areas that feature many beautiful destinations and year-round outdoor activities, from gardening to bee-keeping to mushroom-hunting. As winter recedes, try to get outside and see what the Midwest has to offer.

Places of Grace: The Natural Landscapes of the American Midwest. Photographs by Gary Irving. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1999. Q.508.77 Ir1p [ACES]

Wild Mushrooms of the Central Midwest. By Ansel Hartley Stubbs. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1971. 589.222 St9w [ACES]

Trees, Shrubs, & Roses For Midwest Gardens. By Ezra Haggard. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2001. 635.9770977 H122t [ACES]

Beekeeping in the Midwest. By Elbert R. Jaycox. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1976. 638 J33b1976 [ACES]

Wild Plants in Flower – Wetlands & Quiet Waters of the Midwest. Photographs by Torkel Korling, Text by Robert O. Petty & Anne M. Petty. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2005. 581.76809772 K841w [ACES]

Swamp Thistle

On Second Glance: Midwest Photographs. By Larry Kanfer. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1992. Q.779 K131O [ACES]

For more books and resources about the beauty

of the Midwest, visit the Funk Library!