The Conservation Gardener told me to read Bringing Nature Home by Douglas W Tallamy. I wondered just what could be so great about it; I have read plenty nature books. I’ve even read books about nature gardening. But Carole is a friend of mine and she offered to send me a copy. I jumped at the chance!
Now I’m telling you, “Don’t read this book” unless…
Need One More Environmental Problem?
America is in a mess. Maybe you’ve heard of global warming, water pollution, mountain-top removal. We’re squeezing our native wildlife out, trying to feed our birds and bugs on indigestible imports, and releasing aliens into our gardens to take over our patriotic landscapes. But, who needs one more thing to worry about? Really.
Unless you’re someone who cares about nature, don’t read this book.
Who Has Time for Gardening?
As we toss kids in and out of the SUV, zoom around to dance, soccer, baseball, piano lessons and earn enough to spin the lawn mower so our kids have nice green grass to run on, who has time for planting something you can’t find at Walmart?
Unless you want to stop and visit with nature in your garden, introduce kids to cecropia moths and katydids, provide a rest-stop for migrating avian friends, and learn which tree supports 534 species of butterfly and moth larvae, don’t read this book.
Who Needs a Nature Gardening Rant?
I promise you, this book is not a rant on nature gardening, nor is it a typical garden design book, or a stuffy academic textbook. The author Douglas Tallamy might be professor and chair of the department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware but he has written a book which is readable, scientific, fascinating, and highly digestible. It’s full of amazing bug photos too, if you don’t believe me you can see 1 of them by looking inside at Amazon.com. It also comes recommended by Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods.
Unless you’re looking for a book which will lead to a true understanding of why American wildlife needs native plants and why you should be gardening with them, don’t read this book.
Get Bringing Nature Home – How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants through my Amazon.com link and contribute $0.49 to the upkeep of Loving Nature’s Garden. But if you’re not yet sure you want this book, at least go ahead and request it from your local library.
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This is a great book Alison. As a longtime wildlife gardener, I think it’s one of the best out there. Cheers- Bethe @balmeras
Alison:
I’m so glad you enjoyed this book. Doug Tallamy’s Bringing Nature Home should be a “must read” for every homeowner and gardener. We can learn to share our space with the wildlife around us.
The Conservation Gardener
[...] Kerr of Loving Nature’s Garden has written an excellent review of Doug Tallamy’s Bringing Nature Home. As you may know by now, this book is a must read for every homeowner and gardener as far as [...]