Gardening for Butterflies

Protect the Pollinators That Help Feed the World: Bees, wasps, butterflies, moths, flies, and some beetles pollinate more than 70 percent of flowering plants, but North 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.

"In POLLINATOR GARDENING FOR THE SOUTH, Spafford and Carley combine the latest scientific findings about the needs of plant pollinators with easily applicable landscape strategies to enable gardeners of all levels to design, plant, and maintain their perfect pollinator-friendly garden. Packing a punch by combining plant growing know-how with garden design know-how, this book will provide critical and creative information on designing, planting and managing successful pollinator gardens. And it is a book designed specifically for the garden-crazy South, covering North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, the Florida panhandle, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, very eastern Texas, southern and eastern Arkansas, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. This includes USDA Hardiness Zones 6, 7, 8 and the physiographic regions of the coastal plain, the Piedmont, the Blue Ridge Mountains, the southern Appalachian Mountains and Appalachian Plateau, and the southern end of the interior low plateau"-- Provided by publisher.

"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. Pollinators are critical to our food supply and responsible for the pollination of the vast majority of all flowering plants on our planet.Pollinators include not just bees, butmany different types of animals, including insects and mammals. Beetles, bats, birds, butterflies, moths, flies, wasps, and even some mosquito species, can be pollinators. But, many pollinators are in trouble, and the reality is that most of our landscapes have little to offer them. Our residential landscapes, and many commercial landscapes, are filled with vast green pollinator deserts, better known as lawns. These monotonous green expanses are ecological wastelands for bees and other pollinators. By planting a bit differently and by tweaking your landscape aesthetic, you can transition your landscape into a pollinator haven. By using proper cultural practices in your garden, choosing the right plant for the right location, and by attracting "nature's pest control" (beneficial insects that act as natural enemies), you can keep nature in balance and give pollinators a fighting chance. The time is right for a new gardening movement. Every yard, community garden, rooftop, porch, patio, and corporate landscape can help to win the war against pollinator decline with The Pollinator Victory Garden"-- Provided by publisher.

A quick-reference guide to attracting birds and butterflies for gardeners with little experience and time. In the eye of a bird or butterfly, the typical suburban landscape resembles an unfriendly desert. Closely mowed lawns, tightly clipped shrubs, raked-up borders, and deadheaded flowers mean no place to nest, no food to eat, and nowhere to hide. To the humans who live there, this means no bird songs, no colorful butterflies, no dazzling hummingbirds, no night-sparkling fireflies. Creating a garden that welcomes these creatures may seem like a confusing and complicated task, but the principles involved are relatively simple. Essentially, wildlife needs food, water, and shelter, just like we do, and this lavishly illustrated guide shows which plants attract which creatures, and how to plant and care for them.

This book presents instructions on designing a butterfly garden and planting wildflower seeds in a sunny spot to attract butterflies.

You can grow a garden -- and it's easier than you think! Will, Violet, and Basil must be the unluckiest students at the Garden Gnome Academy. They've been stuck with Mr. Butternut, the school's most unpopular (and unusual) teacher, Will and his friends have to learn about the soil and compost while their classmates get to study exotic plants and butterflies. Although things get a little messy (and stinky) in his class, Mr. Butternut does know a thing or two about growing delicious veggies. With the easy instructions inside this book, you can grow lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, and more. And you don't need a backyard to be a great gardener -- just a little bit of space and a lot of sunlight. Maker Comics: Grow a Garden! will walk you through each step, from seed to harvest.

Help kids create a garden full of flowers and butterflies! Kids will be able to plant in their backyard, pick plants butterflies love, make a drinking fountain for butterflies and more. Super Simple Butterfly Gardens will help them learn how. Dig into the world of gardening! Simple text, how-to photos, and garden care advice make it easy and fun.

A guide to the best plants to grow where, garden plans to suit your location, and natural gardening techniques for wildlife-friendly habitats.

Demonstrates how to transform a backyard into a sanctuary for wildlife such as birds, butterflies, and insects.

"Do you want a garden that makes a real difference? Choose plants native to our Southeast region. The rewards will benefit you, your yard, and the environment-from reducing maintenance tasks to attracting earth-friendly pollinators such as native birds, butterflies, and bees. Native plant experts Larry Mellichamp and Paula Gross make adding these superstar plants easier than ever before, with proven advice that every home gardener can follow."--Page 4 of cover

"You see them every day, whether they are flashing through your yard, perching on a limb, or gathering in a puddle. They already share your neighborhood with you, but before you know it, they fly on in search of a hearty meal or a more suitable watering hole. That's because you-even if you are already one of America's more than 68 million birders-haven't yet taken the steps needed to make birds and butterflies linger in your garden. This unique and user-friendly guide shows you how. With 350 vibrant full-color photos and concise, informative text, Backyard Birding helps you maximize your home birding experiences and attract a wider variety of birds. It helps you make the right choices the first time-and avoid costly mistakes"-- Provided by publisher.

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.

"Douglas W. Tallamy's first book, Bringing Nature Home, awakened thousands of readers to an urgent situation: wildlife populations are in decline because the native plants they depend on are fast disappearing. His solution? Plant more natives. In this new book, Tallamy takes the next step and outlines his vision for a grassroots approach to conservation. Nature's Best Hope shows how homeowners everywhere can turn their yards into conservation corridors that provide wildlife habitats. Because this approach relies on the initiatives of private individuals, it is immune from the whims of government policy. Even more important, it's practical, effective, and easy--you will walk away with specific suggestions you can incorporate into your own yard. If you're concerned about doing something good for the environment, Nature's Best Hope is the blueprint you need. By acting now, you can help preserve our precious wildlife--and the planet--for future generations."--provided by publisher.

"In Lawns Into Meadows, landscape designer Owen Wormser makes a case for the power and generosity of meadows. In a world where lawns have wreaked havoc on our natural ecosystems, meadows offer a compelling solution. They establish wildlife and pollinator habitats. They're low-maintenance and low-cost. They have a built-in resilience that helps them weather climate extremes, and they can draw down and store far more carbon dioxide than any manicured lawn. They're also beautiful, all year round. Owen describes how to plant an organic meadow that's right for your site, whether it's a yard, community garden, or tired city lot. He shares advice on preparing your plot, coming up with the right design, and planting--all without using synthetic chemicals. He passes along tips on building support in neighborhoods where a tidy lawn is the standard. Owen also profiles twenty-one starter grasses and flowers for beginning meadow-makers, and offers guidance on how to grow each one. To illuminate the many joys of meadow-building, Owen draws on his own stories, including how growing up off the grid in northern Maine, with no electricity or plumbing, prepared him for his work. The book, part how-to guide and part memoir, is for environmentalists and climate activists, gardeners and non-gardeners alike"--Amazon.com.