The book is structured as a series of essays with amazing photographs on various types of native bees, from Bombus to Ceratina. Embry travels to meet The book is structured as a series of essays with amazing photographs on various types of native bees, from Bombus to Ceratina. Embry travels to meet scientists studying and searching for bees around North America, while delving into each type of bee's habitat, behaviors, and the particular challenges in their conservation. I've done a fair amount of reading and research in this area, but there is always more to learn. Embry's discussion of some of the cleptoparasitic or "cuckoo" species that thieve their way into other bees' hives to either usurp or trick them into raising their own offspring was appreciated, as I didn't know that much about that practice before. While reading this book, I was able to attend a local lecture where we looked at dozens of native bee specimens under microscopes and magnifiers, and that heightened the experience even more....more
Informative and clear instructions on re/designing your garden space with pollinators in mind.
Great photos, graphics, and charts that offer species-sInformative and clear instructions on re/designing your garden space with pollinators in mind.
Great photos, graphics, and charts that offer species-specific info of insects as well as trees and plants for maximizing butterfly and moth pollinators....more
"The migration of a forest is communal, it's constant. It is accomplished over many generations ... It'sTHE JOURNEY OF TREES by Zach St. George, 2020.
"The migration of a forest is communal, it's constant. It is accomplished over many generations ... It's a question of the species succeeding more in one part of its range, becoming more abundant in one part of its range, and less abundant in another part of its range."
A fascinating look at forest migration over time and with the effects of climate change, invasive species encroachment, and the conservation efforts to assist migration.
A cultural and anecdotal history of the bear from French wildlife photographer and documentarian Remy Marion.
Light on science, but some intriguing noA cultural and anecdotal history of the bear from French wildlife photographer and documentarian Remy Marion.
Light on science, but some intriguing notes on biomedical research involving bear's hormones and microbiomes and the role on the active/hibernation cycles. Also some interesting notes on the evolution of the bear species, and the previous range of bears in history, now mostly ranging in the northern hemisphere with one exception of the spectacled bear in the South American Andes.
Bears in folklore, myth, and many anecdotes of Marion's field experience with bears in Europe, Asia, North America, and the Arctic.
▫️THE NATURE OF OAKS: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Trees by Douglas W. Tallamy, 2021
"No other tree genus supports so much life; oaks ▫️THE NATURE OF OAKS: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Trees by Douglas W. Tallamy, 2021
"No other tree genus supports so much life; oaks are top life-support trees in 84% of the counties in North America... There is good evidence that oaks shine brighter than other plants in their contributions to biodiversity on [all] levels: national, regional, and even of a single yard."
Starting in October of the year, Professor Tallamy walks through each month and season in the life of oak trees and the VAST life they support in each crevasse of bark, in each leaf, and under the soil and leaf litter.
From moss, fungi, microorganisms in the soil and surrounding ground, to the incredible diversity of insect life, birds, and small mammals (bats!) in the higher crown of the tree - it's a monthly journal of the oaks in his own yard, and the web of life that he studies as an entomologist and wildlife ecologist based in the Mid-Atlantic / East Coast US.
Since I also call this region home, this book was especially great to learn about things that are happening RIGHT now in the trees outside my window. The trees I see each day on walks with my dog, the leaves I rake and mow over...
Well aware of oaks in my 'hood, but this book spurred a closer look at different times of day/night to see what I could see from my low vantage point on the earth.
And that's the thing.... There is SO MUCH we don't see or grasp. There is SO MUCH that we take for granted. There's so much that we don't know.
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