Written by Rebekah Gonzalez
Bees! Butterflies! Birds! These magnificent creatures are responsible for pollinating the plants of this world. Though we depend on them to help our gardens and landscapes flourish, their populations have started to decline due to a number of environmental factors. We can help reverse some of the effects of these factors through education, the creation of sanctuaries, and mindful gardening practices.
Please find below some recommended reading to aid you in cultivating a pollinator-friendly garden.
Recommended Reading
Protecting Pollinators by Jodi Helmer
We should thank a pollinator at every meal. These diminutive creatures fertilize a third of the crops we eat. Yet half of the 200,000 species of pollinators are threatened. Birds, bats, insects, and many other pollinators are disappearing, putting our entire food supply in jeopardy. In North America and Europe, bee populations have already plummeted by more than a third and the population of butterflies has declined 31 percent. Protecting Pollinators explores why the statistics have become so dire and how they can be reversed. Jodi Helmer breaks down the latest science on environmental threats and takes readers inside the most promising conservation initiatives.
The Pollinator Victory Garden by Kim Eierman
The passion and urgency that inspired WWI and WWII Victory Gardens is needed today to meet another threat to our food supply and our environment-the steep decline of pollinators. The Pollinator Victory Garden offers practical solutions for winning the war against the demise of these beneficial animals.
The Bee Friendly Garden by Doug Purdie
A grower's handbook to attracting bees and other beneficial insects. The Bee Friendly Garden is a guide for all gardeners great and small to encouraging bees and other good bugs to your green space ... Includes: - How bees forage and why your garden needs them - A comprehensive plant guide to bee friendly plants - Simple changes anybody can make - Ideas for gardens of all sizes - Natural pest control and companion planting advice.
The California Wildlife Habitat Garden by Nancy Baur
This attractive, practical guide explains how to transform backyard gardens into living ecosystems that are not only enjoyable retreats for humans, but also thriving sanctuaries for wildlife. Beautifully illustrated with full-color photographs, this book provides easy-to-follow recommendations for providing food, cover, and water for birds, bees, butterflies, and other small animals.
The Urban Wildlife Gardener by Emma Hardy
If you would like to attract wildlife to your garden, you need to learn which plants to grow, how to provide nesting areas, when to prune shrubs or mow the grass and when to leave well alone, how to deal with weeds, how to create a pond for tadpoles and frogs and more. The choice of plants is important, including shrubs which provide berries as food for birds, tall plants to attract bees and dragonflies, trees with nesting areas for birds, flowers to provide pollen for bees, and night-scented plants to attract moths and bats. Follow the insect-friendly ways to keep weeds under control and to deter unwanted visitors such as slugs, and learn how to make organic plant feed. Discover how to turn a pile of logs into a home for ladybirds and other insects, how to plant a hedge to provide cover for small mammals, how to create a pond (no digging involved!), and how to make simple birdhouses and feeders. No matter what size your outside space - from a single windowbox to a full-sized garden - The Urban Wildlife Gardener contains hundreds of easy-to-follow tips and techniques, simple projects, and essential plant know-how.
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