'The definitive go-to wildlife guide for all 16 million British gardens.' – Mike Dilger Even the smallest garden can be an important haven for wildlife, and this authoritative guide enables everyone to explore this wealth on their back doorstep. It covers all the main animal groups – including pond life – likely to be found in a garden in Great Britain and Ireland. Detailed descriptions and information on life history, behaviour and occurrence are provided for more than 500 species, as well as practical information on creating a pond for wildlife, making nestboxes and feeding birds. Richard Lewington, acknowledged as one of the finest natural history artists in Europe, has teamed up with his brother Ian, one of our most respected bird artists, to provide nearly 1,000 superbly detailed colour artworks to complement the text. Presented in an accessible, easy-to-use format, this fully updated and expanded edition covers everything from blue tits to bumblebees and hedgehogs to hawkmoths.

A complete practical introduction to observing, understanding and investigating the natural world written by an experienced and well travelled naturalist. Nick Baker's fascination with the natural world began at an early age, inspired by Gerald and Lee Durrell's classic book The Amateur Naturalist. Whether you want to understand what makes an insect and insect, rear a family of frogs for your garden pond, or record bird songs and calls, Nick can give you all the advice and information you need. Fact-packed and brimming with practical tips, techniques and activities, The Complete Naturalist offers a rich source of new ideas for more experienced naturalists, as well as sparking the natural curiosity of a whole new generation. From communicating with wild animals to setting up an aquarium, this is the naturalist's guide no family bookshelf should be without. Nick is an experienced and well-travelled naturalist, and his book includes his international experiences.

One of the greatest pleasures of having a garden is being able to identify the great number of different bird species that may feed, bathe and nest there, or simply fly over, particularly during migration. This bestseller combines full identification and behavioural features of over 70 common garden bird species with detailed information on attracting birds to your garden. The clear illustrations and text are presented in an easy-to-use format and provide practical bird identification information to the novice birdwatcher. A concise introduction covers ideal garden habitats, binoculars, bird behaviour and feeding birds. Stunningly illustrated, yet simple to use, The Complete Garden Bird Book will ensure that you get the maximum pleasure from your garden whatever its size or location.

Five years after the first edition of Landscape Restoration Handbook was published, its natural landscaping and ecological restoration techniques have become standard-and successful-practice throughout the nation. Now, the Landscape Restoration Handbook: Second Edition substantially widens the scope of the original work. Approximately 250 pages larger than the first edition, new and expanded chapters offer guidance on: Development of natural landscaping and ecological restoration programs Education, regional planning, and increased biological diversity Ecological communities species listings Scientific and common plant names associated with ecological communities Nurseries that propagate and sell native plants throughout the United States Naturalization has proven to be a "win-win" situation all around. Monetary costs that landowners are saving on maintenance and chemicals also translates to environmental benefits for the greater community. Landscape and golf course architects, urban planners, horticulturists, golf course superintendents and consultants have already put the Landscape Restoration Handbook to the test. Let the Second Edition bring you up-to-date on the numerous benefits of naturalization.

Whether you are planting a yard from scratch or modifying an existing area, Landscaping for Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest will help you select, arrange, and maintain plants and other landscape elements that fulfill wildlife needs. Homeowners, property owners, professional wildlife managers, landscape architects, and garden designers will all find it invaluable. A wealth of information is provided on: --Wildlife habitat and landscaping basics --Birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and insects likely to be attracted to your property --Specialty gardens for butterflies and hummingbirds --How to plant and maintain woodlands, grasslands, wetlands, and waterways --Feeders and nest boxes --Ponds and birdbaths --Potential problems --Wildlife viewing tips --Extensive plant lists

A study of urban nature that draws together different strands of urban ecology as well as insights derived from feminist, posthuman, and postcolonial thought. Postindustrial transitions and changing cultures of nature have produced an unprecedented degree of fascination with urban biodiversity. The “other nature” that flourishes in marginal urban spaces, at one remove from the controlled contours of metropolitan nature, is not the poor relation of rural flora and fauna. Indeed, these islands of biodiversity underline the porosity of the distinction between urban and rural. In Natura Urbana, Matthew Gandy explores urban nature as a multilayered material and symbolic entity, through the lens of urban ecology and the parallel study of diverse cultures of nature at a global scale. Gandy examines the articulation of alternative, and in some cases, counterhegemonic, sources of knowledge about urban nature produced by artists, writers, scientists, as well as curious citizens, including voices seldom heard in environmental discourse. The book is driven by Gandy’s fascination with spontaneous forms of urban nature ranging from postindustrial wastelands brimming with life to the return of such predators as wolves and leopards on the urban fringe. Gandy develops a critical synthesis between different strands of urban ecology and considers whether "urban political ecology," broadly defined, might be imaginatively extended to take fuller account of both the historiography of the ecological sciences,and recent insights derived from feminist, posthuman, and postcolonial thought.

Star-shaped flowers, short-tempered snapping turtles, and clusters of chicken-flavored mushrooms are just a few of the many fascinating things awaiting discovery just beyond the typical North American backyard. In Heartland Habitats: 265 Midwest Nature Walks, Mary Blocksma guides readers through North American terrain, introducing them to the land and its thriving wildlife of Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. From birds of all kinds to fungi of both the tasty and deadly varieties—Chicken of the Woods, Death Caps, Jack-O-Lanterns—Blocksma gradually uncovers a world rich with breathtaking beauty. Adventures filled with swan-on-goose battles, squirrel squabbles, and forays into forests all lead to a deeper understanding of the world around us. A lively and detailed guide in befriending the great outdoors, Heartland Habitats showcases the natural wonders thriving just outside our homes with full-color illustrations and vivid descriptions.

In today’s South, where fine gardening is a tradition, many homeowners and professional gardeners are discovering a vast “new” palette of plant materials—native plants. They are realizing that these native wildflowers, trees, shrubs, groundcovers, vines, and grasses are far better suited, and therefore easier to grow and maintain, than most of the imported plants that populate traditional landscapes. In this book, the authors offer an exciting vision of the many possibilities and advantages of “going native.” Lavishly illustrated with more than 250 gorgeous color photographs, this book is both an introduction to more than 200 of the most familiar and easiest-to-find native plants of the South and a basic primer on how to use them effectively.

Medical and Veterinary Entomology, Second Edition, has been fully updated and revised to provide the latest information on developments in entomology relating to public health and veterinary importance. Each chapter is structured with the student in mind, organized by the major headings of Taxonomy, Morphology, Life History, Behavior and Ecology, Public Health and Veterinary Importance, and Prevention and Control. This second edition includes separate chapters devoted to each of the taxonomic groups of insects and arachnids of medical or veterinary concern, including spiders, scorpions, mites, and ticks. Internationally recognized editors Mullen and Durden include extensive coverage of both medical and veterinary entomological importance. This book is designed for teaching and research faculty in medical and veterinary schools that provide a course in vector borne diseases and medical entomology; parasitologists, entomologists, and government scientists responsible for oversight and monitoring of insect vector borne diseases; and medical and veterinary school libraries and libraries at institutions with strong programs in entomology. Follows in the tradition of Herm's Medical and Veterinary Entomology The latest information on developments in entomology relating to public health and veterinary importance Two separate indexes for enhanced searchability: Taxonomic and Subject New to this edition: Three new chapters Morphological Adaptations of Parasitic Arthropods Forensic Entomology Molecular Tools in Medical and Veterinary Entomology 1700 word glossary Appendix of Arthropod-Related Viruses of Medical-Veterinary Importance Numerous new full-color images, illustrations and maps throughout

This book is devoted solely to hummingbird gardening and is a practical guide to cultivating flowers and other plants that will attract the hummingbirds of North America to your home and garden. You will be able to grow flowers in profusion and provide nectar for these smallest of birds, which hover on fast-beating wings while they drink from flowers including pink Chinese lantern, bladderpod, woolly blue curls, scarlet sage, penstemon, columbine, long strips of fuschia, and many others. The Hummingbird Garden is packed with pertinent information, from a description of what hummingbird gardening is all about to how hummingbirds can be conserved and protected. Tekulsky explains the extraordinary way hummingbirds live and behave, the regions they inhabit throughout the year, and their migrating habits. He discusses how to start your own garden by recommending what to plant and then outlines what interesting events will take place in it. The valuable appendixes give complete information on hummingbird and plant varieties, bird and conservation organizations, and mail-order sources, as well as an extensive bibliography. Beautiful color photos throughout show many different types of hummingbirds enjoying their wonderfully active lives in gardens created expressly for them.