The Wildlife Gardener

by Kate Bradbury

The Wildlife Gardener is a book of two parts, offering itself as the perfect companion to creating a wildlife paradise in your outdoor space. The first half is all about creating wildlife habitats in your garden and is split into sections on shelter, food and water. Kate gives advice on what to grow, do's and don'ts of bird feeding and organic methods of pest control. Kate has also devised 10 step-by-step projects that will help encourage wildlife into your garden, such as creating a bumblebee nester, making green roof and building a bird box. These are all achievable in a weekend and suitable for even the smallest gardens. The second part of the book is a mini yet comprehensive field guide to identifying wildlife in your garden. From birds to insects, butterflies to pond-life, nocturnal wanderers to daytime gatherers, Kate provides helpful tips on particular species, telling you what to look out for and how you can create the perfect environment for them. Whether you want to attract the honeybees, create a busy habitat for hundreds of species or simply want to learn more about the fascinating wild world on our doorstep, this modern guide to gardening with nature is a must.

• ISBN10: 0857831577
• ISBN13: 9780857831576
• Publish Date: 25 April 2013
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 8 March 2017
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Octopus Publishing Group
• Imprint: Kyle Books
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 144
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

The wildlife gardener by Kate Bradbury, published by Pen and Sword, UK is filled with wonderful advice and tips and usable information to attract a wide variety of wildlife to our gardens. The book is filled with beautifully photographed wildlife from insects to mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles.

The book begins with an impassioned and well reasoned introduction making the case for counterbalancing in some small way the loss of habitat and unchecked pesticide use which is devastating our natural environment and having such a terrible impact on our ecosystem. I've been a beekeeper and gardener for years and I've personally seen the effects in the dwindling numbers and varieties of insects and wildlife which I've experienced on my property. I have been moving toward a more natural setting in my own gardens and was looking for tips on expanding my own use of native food plants for more species. The advice included in this book is usable and not too intimidating for a casual gardener to implement. There are many small projects in the book which could easily be built in a short amount of time (several in a single weekend). Many of the projects are not invasive or costly and make a lot of sense, such as a shady rock or wood pile for habitat for insects, amphibians or small mammals, plans for building a shallow pool or a bug house for insects. The projects and coordinated planting suggestions take up roughly the first half of the book.

The second half of the book continues the theme with a lavishly photographed introduction to common types and species of wildlife including birds, mammals, amphibians & reptiles, insects, and butterflies and moths. Each entry has a description, including proper nomenclature for most of them, along with specific advice for 'How to attract them'. The species included are slanted toward mainland Great Britain, but there are many species which are common to a much larger range.

Roughly the last 25% of the book is a listing of appropriate plants which are valuable food or habitat resources for indigenous species. There are planting recommendations with explanations of why they're useful and for which species they provide food or shelter.

The author also makes a very good case for using native plants which aren't overly bred for extreme displays, but provide nectar and pollen which are usable and accessible.

At the end of the book is a troubleshooting guide on how to deal with injured or sick wildlife (call the experts) and a listing of potential occurrences for each season. The reference section is also full of links for further research and reading. It's slanted toward the UK, but includes resources which are also valuable for non-UK gardeners.

The book is quite short, at 120 pages, but packed full of usable, well written, beautifully photographed advice.

Highly recommended. Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher.