Books
There are lots of great books out there for adults and children on pollinators, habitat health, planting a native garden, and more. Check out our list below and then visit your library or bookstore.
The Xerces Society co-authors many books about pollinators. Attracting Native Pollinators is an excellent guide to conserving bees and butterflies and their habitats. More book selections from Xerces can be found on their website.
The Bee Friendly Garden by Kate Frey and Gretchen LeBuhn. Everything you need to know to create a dazzling garden that helps both the threatened honeybee and our own native bees. From an award-winning garden designer and a bee expert.
Bringing Nature Home by Doug Tallamy describes the positive effects to our environment of growing plants native to your region, and how even small changes can be beneficial.
Pacific Northwest Insects by Merrill A. Peterson is a great resource for identifying the insects of the Pacific Northwest. Filled with vivid photographs and information on more than 3,000 insect species.
Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest by Suzanne Simard. Relates the author’s discovery of forests as interdependent societies with the mother tree at the center of the community. A moving narrative by one of the world’s leading forest ecologists.
Part of the Princeton Field Guides collection, Common Bees of Western North America is a full color photographic guide to the bees in Western North American. This book identifies and details some of the more than 3,000 species.
Tiny Space Gardening by Amy Pennington. No matter how small your gardening space, you can plant delicious and healthy vegetables to cook at home. Includes recipes for delicious fresh meals.
The Pollinator Victory Garden: Win the War on Pollinator Decline with Ecological Gardening by Kim Eierman. Use this book to win the war against the decline of pollinators and learn how to save bees, butterflies, beetles and bats.
In 50 Ways to Help Save the Bees by Sally Coulthard, the author points out that the very species that relies on bees for their survival (humans) is also destroying them. She has suggestions and easy instructions on the little things we can all do to make a big impact.
The Bees in Your Backyard by Joseph S. Wilson and Olivia Messenger Carill. A fascinating introduction to the roughly 4,000 different bee species found in the United States and Canada. Learn about their history, where they live, how they gather food, and their important role as pollinators.
In Bea’s Bees by Katherine Pryor and illustrated by Ellie Peterson, a young girl named Beatrix discovers a bumblebee nest on her way home from school. This begins her adventure in rescuing the nest and learning all the fascinating facts about bees and how they make the world go around. This is a wonderful resource for children.
Also by Doug Tallamy, the young reader’s version of his book, Nature’s Best Hope. Aimed at middle schoolers, Tallamy encourages kids to get out in their back yards and create gardens that benefit the environment. He breaks down the science of climate change and info on pollinators into simple terms and shows how everyone can do their part.
Videos and Podcasts
Let Your Garden Grow Wild is a wonderful 12-minute TED talk from Ecological Horticulturist, Rebecca McMackin. She posits that the vast majority of gardens are ecological deserts and a great deal of damage has been done in the name of making a pretty garden, and she offers solutions.
Joe Lamp’l aka Joe Gardner, is the producer and host of a PBS show called Growing a Greener World. The videos and podcasts on his website offer lessons and advice on growing an organic garden and how the steps we take in our garden will impact the environment. His topics are varied and detailed and designed to teach, coach and inform. Among his topics are all the steps involved in planting and growing an organic garden (done in a series of podcasts), how to tell one ladybug species from another or what’s causing white spots on your zucchini foliage. Tune into Joe today and learn how to Grow Like a Pro. It will be time well spent.
Bug Banter is a series of podcasts offered by the Xerces Society. Each episode delves into the mysteries of invertebrates and discusses their contributions and the dangers they face. Past episodes include the life of the monarch butterfly, how invertebrates are disappearing from our planet, and what it means to be an endangered species. Connect now and watch online or wherever you view your podcasts.