I go to books and to nature as a bee goes to the flower, for a nectar that I can make into my own honey.
John Burroughs
I have loved books from a very early age, and cherished each one I brought home from the library. But it was when I actually owned my first book, that the addiction was complete. I would read and re-read each page until they were worn thin.
Then when I started buying my own books, the addiction turned into an obsession. So much so that I had piles and piles of 
books everywhere, mostly mysteries. I knew I would never read them all, but I couldn’t help myself, and I would just buy more and more.
There is a word in Japanese for this obsession. It is called tsundoku (tsoon-doh-koo). I fit the description perfectly- buying books and not reading them; letting books pile up unread on shelves or floors or nightstands.
And just like books, I have equally adored and been obsessed with nature, flowers and digging in the dirt from a very early age. So it is no surprise that my most recent (within the last 5-7 years) book acquisitions have been about gardening. And with my passion for native plants and wildflowers, I have especially loved reading books on these topics.
You can imagine how thrilled I was when blogger friend Heather Holm@Restoring the Landscape with Native 
Plants contacted me about a new book she was writing dealing with pollinators of native plants. She asked if she could send me a copy to read and review. Without any hesitation I said, ‘Yes’. I love reading Heather’s blog, and have learned so much from it, that I knew I would learn from her book as well. And Heather gladly included a copy of her book to be given away. More on that at the end of the post.
Every year I do a special book review for Earth Day. I like to pick a particularly important book that talks about how we can and should do our part to help our home, the Earth. This year I couldn’t think of a more fitting book to review, for Earth Day, than Heather’s especially given the plight of our pollinators, in particular our native pollinators.
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Pollinators of Native Plants: Attract, Observe and Identify Pollinators and Beneficial Insects with Native Plants
Author: Heather Holm
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Pollination Press LLC (January 1, 2014)
Amazon Price: $22.95
In A Few Words
Heather Holm is a landscape designer and horticulturist who transformed her suburban home in Minnesota using only native plants. Her expertise, with native plants, runs 15 years where she has been using, studying and photographing these plants. And during her observations she encountered the world of insects. She focused on those insects that visited her native plants which in turn led to her discovery of how native plants support wildlife.
Heather’s study of native plants and pollinators led to her writing this book. As Heather says:
With its publication, my goal is to inspire readers to plant for, observe, attract and foster pollinators in their landscape, ultimately helping to sustain pollinator populations.
The book is divided into six chapters, the first three exclusively about pollination, pollinators and pollinator conservation. 
Some of the topics include the different floral resources (pollen, nectar, resin and oil), flower features, floral visitors, general pollinator types, where they nest and how they collect pollen.
The next three chapters deal with the native plants, specifically those that are found in the prairie, woodland edge and wetland edge. Heather has included over 65 perennial native plants found throughout the Northeast, Great Lakes, Midwest and southern Canada. Each native plant profile includes: flowering times, habitat, range, notes on the plants, notes on the insects that visit the plant, plant/flower information, complementary plants and plant-insect interactions showing which pollinators usually visit the specific plant.
The last section of the book has extensive references: websites, numerous charts dealing with flowering timelines and insect-native plant interactions, a visual glossary, information about bees, garden plans for different types of pollinators and soil types and a visual index.
What I Liked
What stands out first for me are the gorgeous color photographs of native plants and pollinators. These are a great resource in and of themselves. Then there are the scores of wonderful illustrations that show such things as how pollination occurs and what a ground bee nest looks like.
Next I really liked all the information that Heather provides not just about the plants and pollinators, but their back story. It makes for fascinating reading when you get an up close and personal introduction to how pollination really happens and who is doing the pollinating. Who knew that plants gave more than pollen and nectar. I had no idea that some plants excreted oils and resins that bees used to line their nests.
I was glad Heather included the Pollinator Conservation section. This section, in my opinion, is the most important part of the book. If we are to help pollinators, we need to understand the issues that impede them, and what we can easily do to assist them to thrive.
The book also contains a couple of pages that helps the reader know how the book is set up. It is rare to see this type of guide, and I appreciated it so I could fully utilize the information in the book.
And the information in the resources section was equally fascinating. I really loved the charts: when the flowers in each section blooms so you can compare them all at once; the illustrated glossary that shows different roots, leaves and fruits as well as bee anatomy; and the pictures and information about many different pollinators. The best bonus for the gardener is the garden designs included that attract specific pollinators.
Not So Much
This is such a comprehensive book that there was nothing I did not like about this book. It is important to note that the pollinators and plants are specific to certain regions so this book may not be useful if you live in the Pacific Northwest or the desert regions.
Final Thoughts
The book is very useful for anyone who is looking to add more native plants, thinking about adding native plants for the first time or is looking for more information about attracting pollinators.
And this is the perfect book to learn more about the pollinators in your garden and the vital role they play in our lives. As anyone who grows veggies and fruits will tell you, pollinators are necessary for our food supply and livelihood. And if you are a flower lover, then you have many visitors stopping by to sip a bit of nectar or spread pollen to keep your flowers growing. Without the pollinators, you can forget about having many flowers.
When the flower blooms, the bees come uninvited. ~Sri Ramakrishna
Earth Day Pledge
I was contacted recently by RedEnvelope about their #redgoesgreen Give Back to the Earth Awareness Project. They want to spread awareness, about the idea of “giving back to the Earth,” by asking bloggers to post their Earth Day pledge on 
their blogs for their readers to then do the same in a pay-it-forward fashion. In other words, what are you going to do/would want others to maybe do that would in some way, big or small, give back to the Earth? I wholeheartedly agreed to participate.
So here is my pledge-I will be adding more natives this year again and keeping my pledge of no chemicals in the garden by gardening organically.
I am encouraging folks to also do their part for their native pollinators especially by not using chemicals in your gardens and adding more native plants for native pollinators.
I hope you will join me in my pledge. And if you want to be part of the #redgoesgreen Give Back to the Earth Awareness Project, just Tweet your post using the #redgoesgreen. I will also be posting to Facebook with the same hashtag. I might even dust off my Twitter account.
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The Giveaway
To win a copy of Heather’s book simply leave a comment telling me :
- what your Earth Day pledge will be.
- If you do not have one, let me know about your favorite pollinators
- or native plants
- or simply just say hello.
A name will be drawn at random. I will close the giveaway on Sunday, April 27th at 6pm. The winner will be contacted by email and announced in my post on April 28th.
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Next up on the blog: Thursday I hope to have another Simply The Best Natives post.
I am linking in with Michelle@Rambling Woods for her Nature Notes meme. It is a great way to see what is happening in nature around the world every Tuesday.
I hope you will join me for my posts once a month at Beautiful Wildlife Garden. My most recent post is up already. Next post is April 29th.
I can also be found blogging once a month at Vision and Verb. I will be posting again on April 30th.
As always, I’ll be joining Tootsie Time’s Fertilizer Friday.
I am also joining in I Heart Macro with Laura@Shine The Divine that happens every Saturday.
All original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Gardens Eye View, 2010-2014. Any reprints or use of content or photos is by permission only.
This sounds like my kind of book-comprehensive. For me every day is Earth Day. I celebrate by trying to work with nature and keeping the land clean and free of trash by picking up trash alongside the roads mainly near my property, I plant flowers for the pollinators (all and not just honey bees), I try to create plant communities and diversity for all fauna, and I just try to enjoy the beauty the earth has for us all. It’s a wonderful thing.
What you are doing is truly wonderful Tina and I agree that every day is Earth Day.
I’m with Tina–every day is Earth Day to me! I just received my first hives of bees because I feel and know pollination is the key to life. Over the past few years I have been adding native plants to the garden. They are by far the most hardy in our up and down weather. Not only do they attract bees but also butterflies which is one of my favorite pollinators.
I agree Brenda that natives live in our crazy environment and bring in so many pollinators…good luck with your bees and here’s to every day being Earth Day.
This sounds like a wonderful book.
My Pledge: In my attempt to replace a garden that was destroyed by the previous owner of our antique house, we are determined to use native plants and those that will sustain and take this garden on to the next generation. We will use recycled materials to build structures, as well as opening the back yard to our neighbors so that they will be able to enjoy and share in this rejuvenation. ( Volunteer blackberry canes that are out of control are akin to having a barb wire fence.)
Enjoy the spring as it comes alive.
Wow Paula…so much going on with your new garden. I love the use of recycled materials and welcoming neighbors. You enjoy spring too!!
Ha ha, I didn’t know there was word for book collectors/hoarders, because that’s me too.
As much as I grow natives, I still like specialty plants for me.
My pledge is to add a few more natives I don’t already grow and to put up the mason bee box that has been sitting in the basement.
Judith I finally found the mason bee house I bought 3 years ago and it went up this past weekend. I had to laugh when I saw you too had one that was itching to go up! 🙂
It sounds like a very interesting book. I will continue growing the apples and pears in our orchard without any sprays whatsoever so that the earth growing the trees will not contain any chemicals, manmade or not.
Love that you grow fruit without chemicals Karen. Very rare to find any growers here that do that. So we cannot pick apples at local orchards and have to get the organic ones we can find at the grocers.
I’m in the book hoarding category as well. I love that there’s an actual word for it. My pledge is to continue to add more pollinator friendly plants. All are invited to my yard– bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, hawk moths. Sounds like an interesting and timely book.
Great to hear I am not alone with book hoarding Stephi. Wonderful that you have and are adding pollinator friendly plants.
Donna, that is a great pledge, and the book sounds wonderful. I have been trying to attract more pollinators to my garden, by putting up a Mason bee house this year. I hope they find it! I, too, have that same book obsession. Had no idea that the Japanese had a word for it! Ha! I’ll have to add that word to my vocabulary! Don’t enter me into the drawing, but I’m going to put this book on my wish list.
Holley I also put up a Mason bee house…great to attract as many pollinators as we can!! Glad you like the idea of the pledge. I think I will do this every year for Earth Day.
My pledge is to continue to fill in our suburban yard with natives season after season to eventually rid our small plot of blah blah lawn with the supposed ‘perfect’ green, weed-free grass! It is taking alot of convincing of DH to accomplish this…but I am determined to make him see the benefits of natives as opposed to golf greens (he gets plenty of that on the course~). Please put me in the drawing, as I am a tsundoku as well! I frequent the free shelves of our city libraries often and have found some wonderful additions to my own library. happy spring gardening fellow dirt lovers!
Sophia how wonderful to have such great goals for your garden…and I am pleased to know another book crazy person! 🙂
I think on Earth Day it is important to re-visit Rachael Carsons work!!!!
I agree Pat. I love Rachel and I think it was last year I reviewed Silent Spring. Always worth a re-read!
My pledge is to keep growing and giving away native plants, and also to keep drawing pollinators with their preferred plant. I’ve only drawn about 10 so far….
Happy Earth Day!
Great goal Betsy. I too continue to add more natives to draw in many pollinators…and I am trying to ID them. I hope to pot up some natives that need dividing or who have volunteered so I can give them to folks. Thanks for the reminder that I need to get that ready soon. Happy Earth Day Every Day!!
Thanks for reviewing such a fine book. I hope to enjoy the book as much as you did. My pledge for this year is to develop more awareness for native pollinators in my area, by giving at least one talk on the subject, and by putting in a native pollinator nectary on a local farm. Quite a few of our small sustainable farms in the area are interested in honeybees, and some partner with various beekeepers around here. My goal is to help them encourage native pollinators, and help some of them develop hedgerows and nectaries as well.
That sounds fascinating, a native plant nectary and encouraging native pollinators for farms. I would love to hear more about it and how it goes. Please let me know, OK? I think it would interest lots of folks.
A group of volunteers will be doing a clean up around Mosquito Lake in Cortland Ohio. We planted a butterfly garden a few years ago and take care and weed it every week. We also planted flowers that not only attract butterflied, but we also planted a few plants that attract bees and hummingbirds. Love going out there and just sitting and watching all of nature. The book sounds wonderful.
Cyndie I love when folks plant these community gardens to help the pollinators…great projects and the benefits for us as well.
I am creating some pollinator hotels for my “garden” this year using the hollow stems of my favorite native plants (joe pye weed, milkweed, helianthus, etc.). I am also mentoring a young man as he helps our nature center restore an area for pollinators and earns his Eagle scout award.
Ruth what a great thing to mentor a young person….I would love to hear more about this project. And your native plant hotel with hollow stems is a fabulous idea.
Dear,
I am very interrested in the concept. Pitty enough, although for you of course fine, the bok is most likely about Native plant of America, which I can not apply in teh Netherlands. So if you knw a good European equivalent, i would love to know about it.
Wankja I am not sure of books for Europe about natives but I will see what I can find and let you know. Thank you for visiting and commenting.
Wankja, I did find a website that may be helpful for you:
http://www.pbase.com/rogiervanvugt/flora_of_the_netherlands
Beautiful series, the book sounds wonderful. This year I am planting sunflowers and a bed of wildflowers… in a few days when we know for sure there will be no more frost:-)
Laura it sounds lovely all those pollinator friendly flowers…can’t wait to see them.
That sounds like a terrific book. I don’t have any Earth Day pledges, but I’m excited about two native plants I was given yesterday: a native phlox and Jacob’s ladder. Between that and the spring native plant sales, this is an exciting time for gardening.
Leah how nice to be given those natives….planting them will be wonderful…happy gardening!!
We are taking the time to identify the wild milkweed plants that grow on our 1 acre property and will mow around them when the times comes to mow (probably late May). It is for the Monarch Butterflies that are dropping drastically in population due to a variety of reason including the decimation of milkweed.
Lee Ann that is excellent….I moved many different milkweed to my meadow. A worthy project indeed that you are doing.
I am “just saying hello,” because when I try to figure out what my favorite pollinator or favorite native plant is, my brain just freezes. I think the answer is, whichever one I am looking at right now. Bloodroot is the native plant nearest to blooming, and I don’t even know what pollinates it! I would love to have a copy of the book to find out.
I agree with you Kathy. My favorites change with the season and the bloom. Bloodroot and hepatica are blooming here so I adore them. I am profiling Bloodroot in May so I will let you know.
I am going to start composting this year and also hope to add a rain barrel. I continue to add native species to my garden, and especially want to get more milkweed planted in my garden this year for the monarchs!
Jennie those are wonderful goals. Both will help. And adding natives and milkweed will be fabulous for your garden.
This does look like a great book. I guess the bumblebees are my favorite pollinators, and for native plants – boy, that’s hard to choose. I guess I would say anise hyssop and butterflyweed top the list.
Jason it is hard to choose. I love watching leafcutters I think. And the anise hyssop have made a wonderful show in the last 2 years in my garden.
I am definitely taking the Earth Day pledge. I started already with my roses that crave the chemicals. It will take a lot more perseverance and watchfulness on my part, but I’ll do it. I am organic with everything else, but was holding out on my hybrid teas because they responded so poorly to the organic fertilizers. And NOW I know what happened to my book Donna…it’s on your nightstand -:)) (I totally understand btw, my nightstand is full of unread books too…)
Susie what a great way to celebrate the Earth….I would love to see your roses that are lovingly looked after….yes my nightstand is crammed with so many of Your books! 😉
Hello! I love this idea!
I cannot tell you how many natives I plant each week because of the
business I’m in, but it’s vast:) I plant so many perennials that I forget
to really consider the way they kiss the earth and give balm to it’s ills.
It makes me happy to stop and think about it for a minute:) This is
such an inspiring post, friend…thank you.
-Jennifer
Jennifer I did not realize that you planted so many natives…what a wonderful blessing for you and the earth and the critters my friend. You give them all such a healing balm yourself….I am glad to have inspired you and given you some happiness!!
It is really nice you were contacted to read the book and then review it for readers. As a real nature lover, there is nothing to pledge different than what I have been doing for years, but it is a nice thought for people new to natural gardening. It would be great if more people took the pledge, the pollinators would be most appreciative.
It was indeed an honor to be contacted by Heather to review her book. She is a very unique lady and very giving. She just contacted me to give me another copy to giveaway. You do so much for nature Donna and I hope to inspire more by pledging every year and hoping others will pledge as well.
I have tons of books, too, and have to restrain myself from buying more. This book sounds incredibly useful and well thought out.
Tammy I am working on that restraint with books too….the book is excellent and useful as you point out which makes it hard to resist. 🙂
Bloodroot! Bloodroot, hands-down, is my favorite spring ephemeral. It’s gorgeous when sunlight filters through and glows off the while petals against the forest floor. Cheers!
Oh Maria the bloodroot is just opening and I love it as well…so much so I am profiling it next month. I actually have not seen it in the wild but in my garden it is an early fabulous bloomer that the pollinators love.
I planted 6 new kinds of native plants last summer/fall. I’m thrilled that most of them are already coming up this spring!!
Ann that is so exciting. What did you plant? Isn’t it just like being a kid again to see the plants you plant growing.
Important subject and very informative. Wonderful shots of the bees on the flowers.
Thanks Carver. It is a challenge for me to capture insects in the garden, but I enjoy it. Glad you enjoyed the review.
Sounds like a fabulous read but maybe not for my area as you noted. I pledge to learn more about native plants and pollinators and am right there with you pledging to add natives to my garden this year. I have 2-3 but want to get several more. I pledge to do a better job at deep watering too, so that water consumption is more efficient and effective. Great project Donna!
Andrea that is a wonderful pledge. Whatever we can do will help….I hope to continue this pledge every year.
Not my area of the country, but it sounds like a valuable book, nonetheless. Today I planted rue, as it is an important host plant for swallowtail butterflies. I am always thinking of wildlife when I garden, and greater than 50% of my plants are natives. Not the best percentage, but I am working on it. I am learning more and more of the advantages of organic gardening. Thanks for this post and for raising awareness of this important issue!
Deborah I continue to add natives…I am not sure of the percentage at this point but at least 50% too. Whatever we do will help. This issue is near and dear to my heart and I hope to keep it going…as you said it is so important….glad you enjoyed the review.
My Earth Day pledge is to try to conserve water as much as I can. I take rather long showers sometimes and should really watch my water use when washing dishes or brushing my teeth. On a separate note, I’d love to win the book because, living in Minnesota as the author does, I think it would be a beneficial book to have so I can incorporate plants she recommends into my gardens.
Abby water is such an important issue for our environment and something we all need to conserve even here where we get so much rain. I now have 2 books from the author for the giveaway so your chances just increased!!
Donna, seems like my main interests in life is also reading and gardening, well music comes a close third. I must say that an interest for native plants is creeping in, only since I started blogging and reading articles such as your own.
I think reading and gardening do go hand in hand….nice to hear that native plant interest is creeping in Alistair. And I have read where there are more books now about UK natives. Glad to hear you will not have to reduce your garden.
Thank God for those like you, Donna, who are preaching all this Earth Goodness! As you know, Astrid and I don’t have our own garden but there’s a lovely courtyard off our front-door balcony, where we can see what the gardeners are doing here. And of course, there’s Astrid with all her orchid plants on the windowsill! No bees inside the house but I still love them and wish tem happy trails whenever I see them. 🙂
Oh Ginnie thank you! I love that even if you don’t have a garden, you can still be in gardens close by or plant containers as Astrid has…keeping the beauty around you!!
What a great sounding book! I am always fascinated by all the little bugs and critters that live in and around our gardens. My Earth day pledge is to plant a lot of natives in my new garden this year, especially a good deal of milkweed for the monarchs.
Indie, I look forward to seeing all your new natives as you create your new gardens in your new house. 🙂
I was lucky to have already won this book but I would buy it a thousand times! It is a great book and I will enjoy it for years – there is so much information but it is easily read and flipped through as well. I love the idea of an Earth Day pledge. I pledge to continue to not use pesticides and chemicals and to make others aware of the life that is all around us – we need to begin noticing in detail and we need to be aware of our impact on others!
So glad you are enjoying the book Kathy…I agree we need to be more aware of what we are doing and our impact on others. I like your pledge. I hope to continue the pledge next year and each year after.
Looks like a great book! I try to make every day Earth Day. This year I am adding another rain barrel and constructing native bee housing boxes.