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"It would be hard to imagine a book more chock full of the information we need to save our native bees. From helpful ID tips, to body size ranges, to seasonal distribution, to 99 species of the trees, shrubs, and perennials preferred by 27 genera of our most common bees, Heather Holm covers it all. This is the book pollination biologists and homeowners alike have been waiting for!"
Douglas Tallamy, author of Bringing Nature Home |
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"If you have any interest in our native pollinators, Heather Holm’s new book, Bees: An Identification and Native Plant Forage Guide, is for you. This exceptional book is filled with gorgeous full-colour photographs and illustrations that will get you excited about the bees in your garden or favorite park, and help you attract more of them. You may be amazed to see the true diversity of species that we have in the Northeast and Great Lakes Regions. Far more than just the European honeybee, Heather highlights five different families of bees and over two dozen genera, from the small metallic green sweat bees to the large fuzzy bumble bees. She includes information on their distinguishing features, life cycles, nest locations, active periods, notes of interest, as well as common forage plants. Another section of the book highlights the other side of the pollination story: the native trees, shrubs, and perennials that provide resources for pollinators, and that benefit from pollinator visits.
Over one hundred individual plant profiles will make you aware of the values of the plants you currently have in your garden and pique your interest in other species to consider. A range map for each plant is provided as well as information on its habitat, bloom time, floral resources, common bees attracted, as well as other connections to the world around us, such as value to birds and other insects. Use the handy comparison tables to choose the right plant for the right space. There is something in this book for everyone, whether you are completely new to the world of pollination or have been studying bees for years. It is a valuable reference book and compendium of photos that is a must-have for gardeners, naturalists, farmers, students, biologists, photographers, teachers, and more." Victoria MacPhail, Pollination Biologist and Co-Chair, Pollination Guelph |
"The book is amazingly detailed and so full of information that my expectations have been exceeded. Chapter 1 sets the stage for detail with 30 pages of background on bees: life cycle, anatomy, nesting, their relationship with flowers, and the latest issues that impact bees. All of it is beautifully illustrated with close-up photos. This section closes with a 4-page spread that illustrates key characteristics “at a glance.” I love the pictorial illustrations that highlight the sizes; they really help me envision one bee relative to others.
Chapters 2 through 6 get up close and personal with bee families: Colletidae, Andrenidae, Halictidae, Megachilidae, and Apidae. Each family is divided into several genera. I didn’t know that the Apidae family included the European honeybee as well as the native bumblebees (plus several others). Profiles vary in size but each includes basic information: size, months of activity, presence in the Eastern US, how they collect pollen (if applicable), nest details, life cycle, and common forage plants. Each profile has numerous photos of the bee, often both male and female." Link to the full review Ellen Honeycutt, author of the Using Georgia Native Plants Blog |
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Heather delivers again! She has a brand new book out about bees.
On the heels of her successful Pollinators of Native Plants book, Heather has written a detailed guide that shows readers the world of bees and the native plants that support them. The first chapter is an easily-soaked-in introduction to bees, the life cycle, the anatomy, nesting, and pollination. The next chapters are “Meet the Bees”, by family, where the pages are full of graphics representing size, time of activity, lots of photos annotated with comments to help distinguish one bee from another, the life cycle, nest collection, and more. The “Bees at a Glance” section is a side-by-side comparison of each bee genus, which helps you to begin identifying the bees in your habitat. Then come almost 100 plant descriptions, grouped by type of plant:
Plants are listed by common and scientific names, which is always good for a wide reader audience. The layout of plant and insect information is similar between the two books, but I like the wider page layout in the Bees book, with all of the information for one plant on the same page. Readers can learn about which bees are most commonly attracted to the plant, and also which bee species are specialists on that plant. This book has an extensive reference section, including a bee conservation checklist, glossary, detailed illustrations of a bee’s wings, web references, and citations of other works. In comparison to some other newly published bee books, I find that this one has a good balance of bee information, native plant information, and remembers that home gardeners who want to learn more about the bees may not have a microscope to examine some of the finer points in identifying the bees. Most of the plants in both books are native to Missouri, and there are range maps displayed with each plant to help readers identify which ones are best suited to their geographic area. I purchased the Pollinators book when it first came out and have enjoyed getting to know the insects in my yard, but I’d like to be able to better classify the bees that I’m seeing. I’m looking forward to using the Bees book this year to get to know the families better. I had the opportunity to hear Holm speak at a pollinator workshop in Ohio last year, and am really looking forward to learning more about what happens in my yard. Dawn Weber, Member-at-Large, Wild Ones – St. Louis Chapter Published March 1, 2017 - link to original review: http://stlwildones.org/book-reviews-of-heather-holms-work/ |
It wasn’t my intention to do another book review so soon, but it is an instance of hold the presses! This new book about bees and plants is so impressive if you are attached to books, you will want to get ahold of this one right away.
You can actually see the grains of pollen on the bees in some of the amazing close up photos. The organization and layout using color for tabs, background and sidebars is consistent and pleasing. The grouped comparison photos demonstrating how to differentiate between bees, flies- imitating-bees, and wasps, are outstanding; the technical body parts and features are labeled and easily discerned. She includes 27 genera of bees in 5 families with key differentiating characteristics and information on their range of sizes and activity periods during the year. Photos and descriptions demonstrate how they are outfitted to collect pollen, nest location and provisioning, and life cycle-- some with larva shots of brood cells and divisions. She lists common forage plants in each growing season. Laurie Yahr, Wild Ones – Madison Chapter, excerpt of the review in the March 2017 chapter newsletter |