Urban Jungle
National Audubon Society Mushrooms of North America
Staff Picks

New in Science

  • Bland L.
  • Thursday, May 04
Ben Wilson is a historian and the subject of much acclaim for previous books such as Metropolis.  Now he has ventured into science with Urban Jungle: The History and Future of Nature in the City, an intriguing look at how human c
Blog
Richland Library Ballentine

Pollinator Gardening with Native Plants

  • Melissa S.
  • Tuesday, April 18

Come visit the Pollinator Garden at Ballentine to see what one can look like. Read this blog post to learn why it's important to use native plants in your garden!

Native Plant Gardening for Birds, Bees & Butterflies. South
Attracting Native Pollinators
Staff Picks

Gardening for Butterflies

  • Melissa S.
  • Wednesday, February 15
Learn how to garden for all kinds of wildlife - butterflies, bees, birds, and more - using these books! 
Before the Big Bang
The Seed Detective
Staff Picks

New in Science

  • Bland L.
  • Wednesday, December 14
Among the latest science titles are two from award-winning authors whose books regularly appear on the nonfiction best-seller lists.  Unlike most previous books on Covid-19, which have focused on the medical drama of the pandemic, David Quammen’s Breathless takes a purely scientific perspective on the struggle to understand the virus.  Siddhartha Mukherjee’s
An Immense World
Bird
Staff Picks

New in Science

  • Bland L.
  • Monday, June 06
Atlantic staff writer Ed Yong is a rising star in the science-writing world.  He received a Pulitzer in 2021 for his reporting on the pandemic, and his first book, I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life, was a best seller.  Now his second book,
Blog
Richland Library Ballentine

Can YOU Identify Poison Ivy? (Part 2)

  • Melissa S.
  • Wednesday, May 25

This is Part 2 of this series. Are you confident that you can identify poison ivy when you see it? Play along with this guessing game to learn about several native plants - and which ones are poison ivy!

Blog
Richland Library Ballentine

Can YOU Identify Poison Ivy? (Part 1)

  • Melissa S.
  • Wednesday, May 25

Are you confident that you can identify poison ivy when you see it? Play along with this guessing game to learn about several native plants - and which ones are poison ivy!

Blog
Richland Library Ballentine

Caterpillar Gardening

  • Melissa S.
  • Monday, August 29

Do you want to see more butterflies? Then feed caterpillars by creating a backyard caterpillar garden of your own! Visit Ballentine Library and see how many caterpillars you can find!

Blog
Richland Library Main

On the Streets Where We Live

  • Bland L.
  • Wednesday, April 27

If you’ve ever walked or biked around downtown Columbia, you’ve probably encountered impatience from drivers waiting for you to clear a crosswalk or pedal through an intersection.  The unspoken assumption in this scenario is that streets are primarily for cars, and any other uses take a back seat (so to speak) to this imperative.

The Heartbeat of Trees
National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Trees of North America
Staff Picks

Arbor Day Reads

  • Bland L.
  • Friday, April 22
National Arbor Day is observed annually on the last Friday in April (4/29 this year), although South Carolina marks its own Arbor Day on the first Friday in December, since saplings planted at that time of year will have a better chance of becoming established before the brutal heat of summer arrives.
No More Plastic
Reuse This Book!
Staff Picks

Read All About It: Taking Care of Mother Earth

  • Heather M.
  • Monday, April 18
"She took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and decided to make a change."--No More Plastic | Alma Fullerton Discover how pollution and litter damage the air, land and seas and what you can do each day to take care of our planet.  Earth day is every day when you read one of these books.  Find more great stories when you Read All About It:  This Land is Our Land.   
Blog
Richland Library Southeast

Switching to LECA: Another Way to Grow Houseplants

  • Brianna K.
  • Tuesday, March 15

In the fall of 2021, I decided to change my houseplants' growing medium from soil to LECA (Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate). At that time, I had over 30 houseplants and found it challenging to keep up with their watering schedules and pest control. Then, one day, I came across a video on YouTube about LECA.

Naturalist
The Ants
Staff Picks

Naturalist: E. O. Wilson, 1929-2021

  • Bland L.
  • Tuesday, December 28
In his long and distinguished career, scientist and author Edward O. Wilson, who died on 26 December, wrote as much for a popular audience as he did for his academic peers.  In addition to several books on ants (on which he was a world authority), he published widely on evolutionary biology and conservation.  One of his collaborations with fellow ant expert Bert Hölldobler, The Ants, won the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction.
Taste of Home Handmade Food Gifts.
Handmade Gifts.
Staff Picks

Handmade Holidays

  • Morgan R.
  • Friday, December 03
Is there anything better than receiving a handmade gift from someone knowing they personalized it just for you and put their time, effort and thought into it? Return the favor by creating something one-of-a-kind for someone who is one-of-a-kind. 
Bicycling with Butterflies
Water
Staff Picks

Expand Your Knowledge of the World

  • Ariel H.
  • Wednesday, November 24
🌎Take a look at some titles that will continue to grow and challenge what you think you know about the world. Keep seeking to grow and learn more about the world you live in. These books will hopefully change how you see the world, and may encourage you to help build a better world for all (if you haven't already done so). Take a look below, and enjoy!
Braiding Sweetgrass
The Botany of Desire.
Staff Picks

If You Like...Braiding Sweetgrass

  • Ariel H.
  • Monday, November 08
📚Below you'll find a variety of books that share a theme or more with Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Enjoy!🌱
Unbowed
The Basics of Ecology
Staff Picks

🌍World Environmental Health Day [September 26, 2021]🌍

  • Ariel H.
  • Monday, September 20
Here is a list to jump-start your dive into learning more about the biosphere you live in, and the ecosystems surrounding you (and also living within you). In addition, for those that are familiar with environmental science, there are additional books to expand your knowledge while possibly making an activist out of you.
Blog
Richland Library Main

Celebrating National Bike Month

  • Bland L.
  • Thursday, May 20

May is National Bike Month, and although it may strike you as something that was only recently adopted, it has actually been observed since 1956.

Herb Gardening for Dummies
The Integrative Guide to Good Health
Staff Picks

Herbal Guides from the Ground Up

  • Ariel H.
  • Friday, April 16
Great Weather!  Awesome Temperatures! Spring Cleaning! Now, How About Your Garden? Dig into These Books to Get Your Herbs Up and Growing.
Martha Stewart's Organizing
Complete Guide to Natural Home Remedies
Staff Picks

Inspiration for Spring Cleaning

  • Ariel H.
  • Friday, April 16
Need a lot of pick-me-up this year to kick off your Spring cleaning? Try some of this titles to inspire your creative cleaning flow!   NEXT STOP:   
Blog
Richland Library Southeast

Mini-Retreat: Play Birdsong Hero

  • Amy A.
  • Sunday, March 28

Wish you could identify birds by their songs? Try this simple game and turn "someday" into "today" for your bird watching bucket-list daydreams. 

Miles Morales
Falcon
Staff Picks

A Little Something Extra From Hoopla

  • Helene F.
  • Wednesday, February 24
When Ten Titles Is Not Enough Would you like to check out more graphic novels than 10 a month through Hoopla?  For the month of February you are able to search for titles under More Bonus Borrows.  Check back the first day of March for More Bonus Borrows.  You can then search for only comics under the Format bar on the left side of the screen.  Call your local librarian for more suggestions. (803) 799-9084.
Tree
Wishtree
Staff Picks

An Arbor Day Celebration

  • Richland Library
  • Thursday, November 19
Arbor Day (the first Friday in December) is the beginning of tree planting season in South Carolina.  Celebrate safely by finding moments to walk among the trees and appreciate their quiet majesty. Reading can also deepen our knowledge of even every day subjects. This curated selection of books offers titles for everyone - stories about the importance of trees, the science and even hands-on activities. 
Electricity in Your Life
Buried Sunlight
Staff Picks

Read All About It: Understanding & Saving Energy

  • Heather M.
  • Thursday, September 24
How is electricity made?  And how does it get to my house?  From understanding the basics of electricity to a mystery complete with experiments, this list has all that you need to become an energy expert.   And...just in time for Energy Action Month, learn about alternative energy like solar and wind and how to conserve and save energy.   Energy expert?  You'll be an energy star!
The Floating World
Parable of the Talents
Staff Picks

Cli-Fi: Climate Change in Fiction

  • Sara M.
  • Monday, September 02
"Cli-fi" is a catch all term for fiction that in some way explores the consequences of climate change.  The Chicago Review of Books runs a monthly column, Burning Worlds, highlighting the best of these books.  Some are set in our present and some in our future; all address the impact of our climate on our stories.