Attracting Native Pollinators: The Xerces Society Guide to Conserving North American Bees and Butterflies and Their Habitat,The Xerces Society, Storey Publishing, 2011 (
Book Description
February 26, 2011
The recent decline of the European honey bee and other pollinators in North America poses a serious challenge to maintaining our food supply and ecological health. According to the National Academy of Sciences, close to 75 percent of all flowering plants rely to some degree on pollinators in order to set seed or fruit. From these plants comes one-third of the planet's food, including fruit and vegetable crops, as well as forage seed crops such as alfalfa, which are critical to dairy and meat production.
Attracting Native Pollinators is a comprehensive guidebook for gardeners, small farmers, orchardists, beekeepers, naturalists, environmentalists, and public land managers on how to protect and encourage the activity of the native pollinators ofNorth America . Written by staff of the Xerces Society, an international nonprofit organization that is leading the way in pollinator conservation, this book presents a thorough overview of the problem along with positive solutions for how to provide bountiful harvests on farms and gardens, maintain healthy plant communinities in wildlands, provide food for wildlife, and beautify the landscape with flowers.
Full-color photographs introduce readers to more than 80 species of native pollinators -- including bees, flies, butterflies, wasps, and moths -- noting each one's range and habits. The heart of the book provides detailed garden plans and techniques showing how to create flowering habitat to attract a variety of these pollinators, help expand the pollinator population, and provide pollinators with inviting nesting sites. Readers will also find useful instructions for creating nesting structures, educational activities for involving children, and an extensive list of resources.
Attracting Native Pollinators is an essential reference book and action guide for anyone who is involved in growing food or is concerned about the future of our food supply.
The Xerces Society, a nonprofit conservation organization, is a leader in the effort to conserveNorth America ’s native pollinators. Founded in 1971, the society has its headquarters in Portland , Oregon
Attracting Native Pollinators is a comprehensive guidebook for gardeners, small farmers, orchardists, beekeepers, naturalists, environmentalists, and public land managers on how to protect and encourage the activity of the native pollinators of
Full-color photographs introduce readers to more than 80 species of native pollinators -- including bees, flies, butterflies, wasps, and moths -- noting each one's range and habits. The heart of the book provides detailed garden plans and techniques showing how to create flowering habitat to attract a variety of these pollinators, help expand the pollinator population, and provide pollinators with inviting nesting sites. Readers will also find useful instructions for creating nesting structures, educational activities for involving children, and an extensive list of resources.
Attracting Native Pollinators is an essential reference book and action guide for anyone who is involved in growing food or is concerned about the future of our food supply.
The Xerces Society, a nonprofit conservation organization, is a leader in the effort to conserve
Editorial Reviews
From the Back Cover
Protect the Pollinators That Help Feed the World
Bees, wasps, butterflies, moths, flies, and some beetles pollinate more than 70 percent of flowering plants, butNorth America 's native pollinators face multiple threats to their health and habitat. The Xerces Society offers a complete action plan of protecting these industrious animals by providing flowering habitat and nesting sites.
Providing Healthy Habitats for Pollinators:
Supports bountiful farm and garden harvests
Maintains healthy plant communities
Provides food for other wildlife
Beautifies your landscape with flower plants
"Precise, elegant, and thoughtful, the recommendations offered by the Xerces Society will become essential to advancing a healthy and diverse food-production system." - Gary Paul Nabhan, The Forgotten Pollinators and Renewing America's Food Traditions
"Here is the most comprehensive treatment yet of native pollinators, detailing natural history, ecological importance, taxonomy, conservation, and restoration of native pollinator communities. Attracting Native Pollinators belongs on the bookshelf to everyone who values the future of the natural world." - Douglas W. Tallamy, author, Bringing Nature Home
Bees, wasps, butterflies, moths, flies, and some beetles pollinate more than 70 percent of flowering plants, but
Providing Healthy Habitats for Pollinators:
Supports bountiful farm and garden harvests
Maintains healthy plant communities
Provides food for other wildlife
Beautifies your landscape with flower plants
"Precise, elegant, and thoughtful, the recommendations offered by the Xerces Society will become essential to advancing a healthy and diverse food-production system." - Gary Paul Nabhan, The Forgotten Pollinators and Renewing America's Food Traditions
"Here is the most comprehensive treatment yet of native pollinators, detailing natural history, ecological importance, taxonomy, conservation, and restoration of native pollinator communities. Attracting Native Pollinators belongs on the bookshelf to everyone who values the future of the natural world." - Douglas W. Tallamy, author, Bringing Nature Home
Customer Reviews
I purchased this book to use as guide and information for planting a natural area close to my home. I found it to be very factual and helpful. I have shared it with other residents in my home area. I would recommend it to others.
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This Xerces Society Guide is long overdue in my opinion! The book contains sound information on pollinator conservation, gardening, and community action. As if that weren't enough, it has garden design templates and tips, AND is the first book with native bee identification material that's actually accessible to all knowledge levels! Combine all this with beautiful photos and it's a must-have for your library! Visit my blog to read an interview with one of the authors, watch a video review of the book, and to learn more about the fascinating world of pollinators!
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This book is really amazing! It talks about different pollinators, why they're important, what their threats are, and how we can help. The last section is all about the different plants you can plant to attract different kinds of pollinators, and which ones are appropriate for different areas.
There are also great pictures of bees in this book!
There are also great pictures of bees in this book!
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The Xerces Society is a must for those of us who are concerned about our vanishing bees and other pollinators. The society and the pollinators both need our support. Join the society and begin purchasing their timely and informative publications. We need to care about what's happening to our invertebrates, especially those who pollinate our fruits and vegetables. When they're gone, so is our food supply!
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Attracting Native Pollinators: Protecting North America 's Bees and Butterflies offers keys to attracting pollinators through better farm and garden choices, and comes from the Xerces Society which offers an action plan for providing optimum flowering habitats and nesting sites. The society protects insects through advocacy and education: their handbook is packed with insights on what beneficial insects need ad how gardeners and growers can beautify their landscapes with habitats that lend to native pollinator health. Gardening collections won't want to miss this!
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This is a most wonderful book. Great photography, great illustrations, great graphic design, and great info! For many folks, its easy to love butterflies coming to flowers, but too often all the wonderful bees and flies and other pollinators which are so crucial to pollination get ignored or feared. This book will change their minds as it opens up the wonderful world of native bees and other pollinators to them. Whether your garden consists of a flower pot on the apartment porch or many acres, you will enjoy and learn from this book on how to make and keep our world a better place for us and the bugs!
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