Dancing with Bees: A Journey Back to Nature

by Brigit Strawbridge Howard

Overview

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2020 WAINWRIGHT PRIZE

The Sunday Times Best Nature Writing Books 2020

A naturalist’s passionate dive into the lives of bees (of all stripes)—and the natural world in her own backyard

Brigit Strawbridge Howard was shocked the day she realised she knew more about the French Revolution than she did about her native trees. And birds. And wildflowers. And bees. The thought stopped her—quite literally—in her tracks. But that day was also the start of a journey, one filled with silver birches and hairy-footed flower bees, skylarks, and rosebay willow herb, and the joy that comes with deepening one’s relationship with place. Dancing with Bees is Strawbridge Howard’s charming and eloquent account of a return to noticing, to rediscovering a perspective on the world that had somehow been lost to her for decades and to reconnecting with the natural world. With special care and attention to the plight of pollinators, including honeybees, bumblebees, and solitary bees, and what we can do to help them, Strawbridge Howard shares fascinating details of the lives of flora and fauna that have filled her days with ever-increasing wonder and delight.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781603589864
Publisher:	Chelsea Green Publishing UK
Publication date:	06/19/2020
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.60(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Brigit Strawbridge Howard is a bee advocate, wildlife gardener and naturalist. She writes, speaks, and campaigns to raise awareness of the importance of native wild bees and other pollinating insects. She lives in North Dorset with her husband, Rob.

Read an Excerpt

PREFACE: REALISATIONS

I was quite shocked the day I realised I knew more about the French Revolution than I did about our native trees. The thought stopped me, quite literally, in my tracks.

I was in my early forties at the time, and remember thinking, in my state of shock, that I was lamentably no more aware of life outside the bubble that was my world than the inner-city children I'd read about who don't know that milk comes from a cow, or that an acorn grows into an oak tree. In fact, it wasn't quite that bad, but I was alarmed nevertheless that I could not confidently name more than half a dozen of the trees I had just walked past on my way to work. What about the rest? Which was which? I tried frantically to remember the names of all the trees I did know, working my way mentally through the alphabet from 'ash' to 'yew' and attempting to visualise the bark, twigs, and leaves of any of them. It was a sobering exercise.

The shock for me was not so much that I was unable to name the trees, as you don't need to know the given name of something to love and appreciate it. Rather, I was shaken by the fact that I had stopped noticing them. And it wasn't just the trees I'd stopped noticing. My three-times-weekly walk to work took me up and over the Malvern Hills from West Malvern to Great Malvern, along well-trodden paths edged with wild flowers; past large expanses of tussocky grass, bare ground, and low-growing shrubs; through areas of sparse vegetation amongst ancient granite stone; above the tree line, and there, beneath a ceiling of vast, ever-changing skies. But I was so preoccupied with the chattering in my own mind, and getting to work on time, that I was oblivious to the abundant and diverse wildlife afforded by this wonderful mosaic habitat that surrounded me.

How had I fallen so out of touch with the natural world that I now noticed the changing seasons more by how many layers of clothing I needed to wear to keep me warm (or cool) than by how many leaves the trees were wearing? When had I stopped seeing what colour they were, where in the sky the sun was setting, and which wild flowers were blooming in the hedgerows?

What had happened to the little girl who yearned, with every cell in her body, that she might close her eyes one night and wake up the next morning in Moominvalley, where she could and would sit on the edge of a bridge and dangle her feet in the river whilst Snufkin piped in the spring, then look at all the new and exciting wild flowers through a real, grown-up magnifying glass with the Hemulen? Where had gone the slightly older child who used to dream of living with Laura, Jack, and Black Susan in their 'Little House in the Big Woods' of Wisconsin, all safe and tucked up in their trundle beds whilst the wind and the wolves howled through the night outside their windows? And where was the curious ten-year-old who would have given her right arm, not to mention a year's supply of sherbet dips and Black Jacks, to spend just one day in the shoes of the young naturalist Gerald Durrell? Did that little girl still exist? If so, I needed to find her.

I scanned back through the years, searching for clues, wondering if there had been some particular event or moment when the child who used to be me had quietly drifted away. Having rediscovered a perspective on the world that had somehow been lost to me for the past three decades, I was determined not to let it slip away again. I vowed to nurture this fragile thing - this reawakening, this precious treasure - to help it grow and become fully conscious once again, and to protect it from whatever ill wind had caused it to bury itself under the blankets of my psyche, where it had hibernated and hidden for all these years.

Table of Contents

Preface: Realisations
Introduction: The Honey Trap
1. Spring on the Wing
2. A Nest of One's Own
3. What's in a Name?
4. The Boys Are Back in Town
5. Bees Behaving Badly
6. The Upside-Down Bird
7. The Cabin by the Stream
8. Cuckoo, Cuckoo
9. On Swarms and Stings
10. To Bee, or Not to Bee
11. Seeking the Great Yellow Bumblebee, Part 1
12. Seeking the Great Yellow Bumblebee, Part 2
13. On Bovey Heathfield
14. In Praise of Trees
15. Sedgehill, a Natural History
16. Cotton Weavers
17. Time for Tea
18. Evergreen
19. Amongst the Snowdrops
Epilogue. Reflections
Acknowledgements
List of Illustrations
Selected Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

Kirkus Reviews—

A British naturalist offers crisp essays on her relationship with bees. In her debut book, Howard, a devoted bee advocate, pens a lengthy, knowledgeable, and occasionally poetic tribute to honeybees, bumblebees, and other buzzy creatures . . . [She] provides a nice balance between the very real science of studying bees and their function in nature and her cleareyed and eloquent observations about the natural world. Because of that balance, what might have sounded like a dry lecture turns into something far more interesting. Whether she's explaining how different bee species are classified, describing her mother's deteriorating health (and eventual death), or simply ruminating on the beauty around her, Howard creates a text that is compelling and worth your time even if you're not a fellow bee advocate."

Library Journal—

"[A] fascinating and wide-ranging exploration of nature. . .This satisfying memoir of a woman’s reawakening to the importance of nature in her life will appeal to fans of natural history memoirs, bees, the natural world, or ecology."

Booklist, Starred Review—

“[An] engaging, richly descriptive tale of natural discovery."

“In this delightful book, Brigit Strawbridge Howard brings us into the fascinating and often overlooked world of bees. She introduces us to solitary nesting bees that lay their eggs in empty snail shells, cuckoo bees that make other bees take care of their eggs, and the amazing social lives of bumblebees and honeybees. Her curiosity and wonder at these small creatures are infectious and will inspire a greater appreciation of our natural world.”—Nancy J. Hayden, coauthor of Farming on the Wild Side

“Hovering through Brigit Strawbridge Howard’s remarkable encounters with bees, alighting on beautiful and often unexpected descriptions of bumblebees, miner bees, and even parasitizing cuckoo bees, one dips into a world most of us have forgotten. By leading us gently and discretely into the minutiae of nature, Brigit shows how rewarding it is to reconnect—how the world’s tiniest beings can not only lift our spirits, but signal the way to a richer, wilder future.”—Isabella Tree, author of Wilding

“Dancing with Bees is a passionate hymn to nature, a joyful celebration not just of bees, but of the power of paying attention. Strawbridge Howard’s rediscovery of the natural world is infused with a sense of wonder both irresistible and infectious. And the promise of this beautiful book is that if we take the trouble to notice our natural surroundings, we too can find a way to reconnect not just to nature, but to a deeper sense of ourselves.”—Caroline Lucas, MP, former Green Party Leader

“I devoured this book as I would a jar of exquisite honey. I was as fascinated by it as I would be watching a hive of bees at work. I may read another nature book this year, but not a better one. Or a more important one. As is made so manifestly clear in these pages, we need our bees. Thank God, then, for Brigit Strawbridge Howard, our queen bee-advocate.”—John Lewis-Stempel, author of Still Water and Meadowland

“Dancing with Bees is one of the most important and accessible and entertaining books I’ve ever read. Brigit has poured meticulous detail and research into her book, which has left me with even more respect for our precious bees than I ever thought possible. What’s more, it’s a touching, sensitive account of what makes us human and how we connect to the natural world. Everyone should read it.”—Kate Bradbury, author of Wildlife Gardening and The Bumblebee Flies Anyway

“A beautiful book and one that hums with good life. Brigit Strawbridge Howard came late to bees but began noticing them at a time when their going was being widely announced. Her attention has been clear-sighted but also loving. By looking closely at the hummers and the buzzers, she has begun to take in the whole of what Charles Darwin called the ‘tangled bank’ of life, where there are bees (and Brigit’s winning descriptions will help you know them) and there are plants, and there are other pollinators and nectar-seekers, including Homo sapiens. No other insect—surely no other animal—has had such a long and life-giving relationship with humans. Bees may well have shaped our evolution; our continued well-being is certainly dependent on them. Bees have long been part of our consciousness and art, buzzing in parables and fables and ancient and modern poems made out of their industry and their organisation and their marvellous sweet products. All that is in this book: It is ambrosia.”—Tim Dee, author of Landfill

“While the plight of our overworked honeybees elicits much hand-wringing, the rest of Earth’s splendorous apian diversity has remained unjustly obscure. In this winning tribute to our black-and-yellow fellows, Brigit Strawbridge Howard celebrates the virtues of dozens of less heralded, but no less crucial, wild species—mining bees, leaf-cutting bees, mason bees, cuckoo bees. Like a bee herself, Strawbridge Howard is at once pragmatic and whimsical, flitting lightly between practical advice for crafting a bee-friendly garden and wise digressions about our manipulative relationship with nature. By the end of Dancing with Bees, you’ll wholeheartedly agree that these indispensable creatures should be extolled as ‘our equals, not our minions.’”—Ben Goldfarb, author of Eager

“A joy-filled voyage of discovery through the wonderful world of bees.”—Dave Goulson, author of Bee Quest and A Sting in the Tale

“Sprinkled with moments of pathos, this exquisite book is the perfect introduction to the often neglected world of wild bees—and the beautiful plants with which they dance an ecosystem into life.”—Hugh Warwick, author of Linescapes and Hedgehog

“Brigit Strawbridge Howard is an excellent pollinator of information. Dancing with Bees is a book teeming with love: for bees but also for the natural world as a whole and, by extension, for life itself. Everyone who cares about the future of our planet should read it.”—Tom Cox, author of 21st-Century Yokel

“Dancing with Bees is an antidote to the reality of modern life that’s spent nose down in our smartphones while the wondrous stuff—nature—goes on all around us. Brigit Strawbridge Howard chronicles her own journey of reconnecting with the natural world with heartfelt eloquence. Her descriptions of the creatures, plants, and landscapes that populate her journey are made with the unabashed joy of someone for whom a veil has been lifted, revealing a world to be cherished but also in great need of our protection.”—Matthew Wilson, garden designer; author; panelist, BBC Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time

“We are handed a lens—light, bright, beautiful things come into focus. Brigit’s flare for observation and description, passion for knowledge, and ease with communication involve us in adventuring through the looking glass to explore with her the intimate life of wild bees. Gently, this timely book reminds us that nature is in trouble and that we must all join the dance.”—Sue Clifford and Angela King, founding directors, Common Ground

“Dancing with Bees is a brilliantly described journey of discovery of bees, trees, people, and places, imbued with a childlike wonderment. Learn about cuckoo bees, carder bees, bees that are not bees, the commonplace and the rare. It is never too late to reconnect with nature and rewild oneself.”—Steven Falk, author of Field Guide to the Bees of Great Britain and Ireland

“Well written and researched, beautifully illustrated, and packed with natural history detail, Dancing with Bees is a book to start you off on a journey that could well become an obsession. Even if you are well versed in the ways of bees, you will still want to wrap yourself in the warmth of this charming book. Brigit Strawbridge Howard gently shows you all the things you may have been missing; you are about to enter a macro-world of wonder and delight. I absolutely loved this book. If, due to infirmity perhaps, I am ever unable to walk in the countryside, I can now go dancing with bees whenever I choose.”—Dr. George McGavin, president, Dorset Wildlife Trust; honorary research associate, Oxford University Museum of Natural History

“Brigit Strawbridge Howard leads us on a wistful pilgrimage of awakening into the world of bees who are among the most fascinating, charismatic, and important of insects. Written in an easy, accessible style without shying away from solid facts and beguiling detail, and beautifully illustrated by renowned Devon naturalist John Walters, Strawbridge Howard’s book is the result of hundreds of hours of watching, listening, and learning in her garden and the wider countryside, wondering what the future might bring and how human excesses may be curbed.”—Stuart Roberts, entomologist

From the Publisher

08/01/2019

Stunned to realize she knows more about the French Revolution than the natural world around her, Howard resolves to rectify the situation by specializing in the study of bees. In her home garden, at her allotment, and in different wild areas of Great Britain, including the Outer Hebrides, the author observes the mating, nesting, and foraging behaviors of her favorites—bumblebees and solitary bees. She expands on her knowledge by using identification guides, reading books and scientific papers, and consulting bee experts, sharing here her observations about their lives, ecology, and the plants that attract them in this fascinating and wide-ranging exploration of nature in Great Britain. Interwoven throughout is information about Howard's life, plants, other pollinators, and birds, as Howard expertly advocates for bees. VERDICT This satisfying memoir of a woman's reawakening to the importance of nature in her life will appeal to fans of natural history memoirs, bees, the natural world, or ecology, as well as those who enjoyed Dave Goulson's A Sting in the Tale and Meredith May's The Honey Bus.—Sue O'Brien, Downers Grove, IL

Library Journal

2019-08-26
A British naturalist offers crisp essays on her relationship with bees.

In her debut book, Howard, a devoted bee advocate, pens a lengthy, knowledgeable, and occasionally poetic tribute to honeybees, bumblebees, and other buzzy creatures. She pays attention to the much-publicized, recent dearth of bees but also focuses much of her attention on bees' role in nature—to pollinate flowers, plants, and trees. As she notes, the author's husband is a professional beekeeper, but this book is a personal journey about Howard falling in love with bees while in her 40s. The narrative is frequently eye-opening and profound, marked by the author's dry wit and graceful writing. "As my interest in bees has grown," she writes, "so has my awareness of everything that surrounds them or connects them to the web of life they exist within. I feel as though I have embarked on a never-ending journey, a journey that spirals continuously outwards, gathering momentum and taking on a life of its own as it sweeps up all the wondrous, wild things that fly, swim, walk, or crawl in its wake….If I could draw the route of my journey, I suspect it might look a little like a spider's web, dotted here and there with treasures." Howard also provides a nice balance between the very real science of studying bees and their function in nature and her cleareyed and eloquent observations about the natural world. Because of that balance, what might have sounded like a dry lecture turns into something far more interesting. Whether she's explaining how different bee species are classified, describing her mother's deteriorating health (and eventual death), or simply ruminating on the beauty around her, Howard creates a text that is compelling and worth your time even if you're not a fellow bee advocate.

An eloquent love letter to bees.

Kirkus Reviews