Native Plant Gardening for Birds, Bees & Butterflies: Southwest

by George Oxford Miller

Overview

Plan Your Landscape or Garden to Help Beloved Backyard Visitors

The presence of birds, bees, and butterflies suggests a healthy, earth-friendly place. These most welcome guests also bring joy to those who appreciate watching them. Now, you can turn your yard into a perfect habitat that attracts them and, more importantly, helps them thrive. Professional nature photographer and botanist George Oxford Miller provides all the information you need in this must-have guide for Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, west Texas, and Utah. Learn how to landscape and create pollinator gardens with native plants, including succulents.

The book begins with an in-depth introduction to native pollinators and to birds. It’s followed by a “field guide” section to more than 100 native plants that are widely available to utilize, are easy to care for, and provide great benefit to birds, bees, and butterflies. The species are organized by level of sunlight needed and then by plant types. Each species includes full-color photographs and information about hardiness zones, what they are most likely to attract, soil requirements, light levels, and George’s notes. As an added bonus, you’ll make use of blooming charts, tips on attracting specific species, and more! Plus, the invaluable garden plans and projects show you just what to do and can be customized to suit your own specific interests.

Plan, plant, and grow your beautiful garden, with native plants that benefit your favorite creatures to watch and enjoy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781647550400
Publisher:	Adventure Publications, Incorporated
Publication date:	04/06/2021
Series:	Nature-Friendly Gardens
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	276
File size:	47 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Professional nature photographer and botanist George Oxford Miller is a lifelong resident of the West. He has lived in New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas, and he has written six guidebooks to the Southwest, including the best-selling trio Landscaping with Native Plants of the Southwest, Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas, and Landscaping with Native Plants of Southern California. He also wrote Wildflowers quick guides to Arizona&New Mexico, Texas, Southern California, and Colorado. He wrote a “Plant of the Month” column for New Mexico Magazine and is former president of the Albuquerque chapter of the Native Plant Society of New Mexico, where he still conducts workshops and programs on how to create your own backyard pollinator oasis.

Read an Excerpt

Purple Prairie-clover
Dalea purpurea

Family: Fabaceae

Plant Characteristics: Upright herbaceous perennial 1–3 feet tall; compound leaves have 3–5 narrow, linear leaflets; small, purple flowers grow in a ring around dense, hairy, cylindrical spike 1–2 inches long on the tips of erect stems.

USDA Hardiness Zone: 4a–8b

Bloom Period: Spring–fall (May–September)

Growing Conditions: Requires full sun; well-draining, sandy, loamy soil

Attracts: Bees, butterflies, and many other insect pollinators

Notes: Tall flower stalks tipped with spikes of delicate flowers wave above a vase-shaped mound of leafy stems. The small flowers have purple petals with golden anthers and bloom in a ring that progresses up the cylindrical spike. The long bloom period provides a month-long nectar and pollen buffet for bees and butterflies. Mass plant with white prairie-clover for a colorscape that’s irresistible to an amazing variety of pollinators. For added diversity, include compatible plants such as Butterfly and Horsetail milkweeds, sunflowers, and a red-flowering plant for hummingbirds. Purple Prairie-clover is striking as a border plant, a mid-garden wave of color, and an accent in wildscaped areas. Native to dry prairies, it’s drought tolerant with a deep taproot but will need regular deep watering to maintain prime condition in desert areas.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Hardiness Map

Inventorying Your Yard

When to Plant

Eliminating Existing Weeds

Plant Selection

Plant Placement

Plant Diversity

Quick Plant Reference Chart

Blooming Chart by Month

Trees & Shrubs Guide

Garden Plans

Creating Nesting Sites for Birds

Creating Nesting Sites for Insects/Bees

Caterpillar/Butterfly Host Chart

Best Plants for Butterflies, Bees, and Birds

About the Author