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    Jon Steele 9780399158742

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Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens

Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens Cover

ISBN13: 9780881928549
ISBN10: 0881928542
All Product Details

 

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

With the accelerating pace of development and subsequent habitat destruction, the pressures on wildlife populations are greater than they have ever been in our nation's history. Fortunately, there is still time to reverse this alarming trend, and gardeners have the power to make a significant contribution toward sustaining biodiversity.

As this revelatory book eloquently explains, there is an unbreakable link between native plant species and native wildlife. Indeed, most native insects cannot, or will not, eat alien plants. When native plant species disappear or are replaced by alien exotics, the insects disappear, thus impoverishing the food source of birds and other animals. In many parts of the world, habitat destruction has been so extensive that local wildlife populations are in crisis and may well be headed toward extinction.

By favoring native plants, gardeners can provide a welcoming environment for wildlife of all kinds. This doesn't necessarily entail a drastic overhaul of existing gardens. The process can be gradual and can reflect both the gardner's preferences and local sensitivities. To help concerned gardeners, this clearly reasoned account includes helpful lists of native plants for different regional habitats.

Healthy local ecosystems are not only beautiful and fascinating; they are also essential to human well-being. By heeding Douglas Tallamy's affecting arguments and acting upon his practical recommendations, gardeners everywhere can make a difference.

Book News Annotation:

By growing native plants, suburban gardeners can play an important role in helping create sustainable ecosystems. Believing that knowledge will generate interest in being part of the solution, Tallamy (entomology and wildlife ecology, U. of Delaware in Newark) explains why biodiversity is crucial and what to plant to encourage beneficial insects. The gently persuasive book includes color photos; a listing of landscape-worthy, wildlife-attracting native plants by U.S. region; summary table of host plants of butterflies and showy moths; and experimental evidence for the ability of native as vs. alien plants to attract beneficial insects. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Synopsis:

The pressures on wildlife populations today are greater than they have ever been and many gardeners assume they can remedy this situation by simply planting a variety of flowering perennials, trees, and shrubs. As Douglas Tallamy points out in this revelatory book, that assumption is largely mistaken. Wild creatures exist in a complex web of interrelationships, and often require different kinds of food at different stages of their development.

There is an unbreakable link between native plant species and native wildlife. When native plant species disappear, the insects disappear, thus impoverishing the food source for birds and other animals. Fortunately, there is still time to reverse this alarming trend, and gardeners have the power to make a significant contribution toward sustainable biodiversity. By favoring native plants, gardeners can provide a welcoming environment for wildlife of all kinds.

Healthy local ecosystems are not only beautiful and fascinating, they are also essential to human well-being. By heeding Douglas Tallamy's eloquent arguments and acting upon his recommendations, gardeners everywhere can make a difference.

About the Author

Douglas W. Tallamy is Professor and Chair of the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware. Chief among his research goals is to better understand the many ways insects interact with plants and how such interactions determine the diversity of animal communities.

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 2 comments:

mrc, April 12, 2010 (view all comments by mrc)
I found this book to be excellent. Dr. Tallamy is an entomologist studying the relationship of plants to insects to birds. The need for plants native to the area is clear, and I have never seen it so dramatically demonstrated. As he explains Gardening For Life: "chances are, you have never thought of your garden - - indeed, of all of the space on your property - - as a wildlife preserve that represents the last chance we have for sustaining plants and animals that were once common throughout the U.S. But that is exactly the role our suburban landscapes are now playing and will play even more in the near future."

Well worth the time and effort. I read an updated edition, third printing 2009. It has been recommended by the California Native Plant Society - though it emphasizes East Coast plants, but the theories and explanations remain the same no matter what part of the world you live in.

More about the book at my blog: http://slotoday.blogspot.com of April 12, 2010.
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7springs, March 11, 2008 (view all comments by 7springs)
I have not read this book but an article in the New York Times newspaper piqued my interest. We live in the county and we are always looking for ways to attract more birds. This book sounds like it would be very useful to us.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780881928549
Subtitle:
How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens
Publisher:
Timber Press (OR)
Author:
Tallamy, Douglas
Author:
Tallamy, Douglas W.
Subject:
Ecology
Subject:
Plants
Subject:
Ornamental Plants
Subject:
Plants - General
Subject:
GARDENING / Ornamental Plants
Subject:
Natural landscaping
Subject:
Native plants for cultivation
Subject:
NATURE / Ecology
Subject:
Landscape
Subject:
Native plants for cultivation -- United States.
Subject:
Natural landscaping -- United States.
Edition Description:
Hardback
Publication Date:
November 2007
Binding:
Hardcover
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Y
Pages:
288
Dimensions:
9.30x6.36x.97 in. 1.69 lbs.

Related Subjects

Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens
0 stars - 0 reviews
$ In Stock
Product details 288 pages Timber Press (OR) - English 9780881928549 Reviews:
"Synopsis" by , The pressures on wildlife populations today are greater than they have ever been and many gardeners assume they can remedy this situation by simply planting a variety of flowering perennials, trees, and shrubs. As Douglas Tallamy points out in this revelatory book, that assumption is largely mistaken. Wild creatures exist in a complex web of interrelationships, and often require different kinds of food at different stages of their development.

There is an unbreakable link between native plant species and native wildlife. When native plant species disappear, the insects disappear, thus impoverishing the food source for birds and other animals. Fortunately, there is still time to reverse this alarming trend, and gardeners have the power to make a significant contribution toward sustainable biodiversity. By favoring native plants, gardeners can provide a welcoming environment for wildlife of all kinds.

Healthy local ecosystems are not only beautiful and fascinating, they are also essential to human well-being. By heeding Douglas Tallamy's eloquent arguments and acting upon his recommendations, gardeners everywhere can make a difference.

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