Insects and Gardens: In Pursuit of a Garden Ecology

Even if you are a casual gardener and not building a wildlife habitat you should read this book. The first half is a basic Entymology 101 for the gardener with the second half covering practical application. Every gardener should have an understanding of what is happening out there. It should be on every gardeners 'essentials' list. And on top of all of the great information in this book it also is interesting enough to hold your attention.

Experienced gardeners are used to the idea that it's impossible (and not the least bit desirable) to have an insect-free garden. The main message of Eric Grissell's book is that a good garden teams with insect life, and that's how it should be. This is decidedly not a book about how to deal with insect pests. In fact, the author urges us to stop thinking of insects only as enemies to be battled. "Plants and insects have interacted for hundreds of millions of years. Why should we gardeners feel compelled to change this situation in an hour or an afternoon?" he asks. Grissell's aim is to show gardeners another way. Create a garden filled with variety, he urges. As you might guess, the ordinary yard with its swath of lawn, sprinkling of annuals, evergreen foundation shrubs and tree or two doesn't cut it when it comes to diversity. Instead, he suggests planting as many different plants as you can, and creating a variety of habitats; for example, adding water to the garden creates a new habitat that almost instantly attracts all sorts of life from frogs, toads to dragonflies and birds. If we gardeners achieve diversity, Grissell concludes, "We will have so many plants to think about that no plant will become sacred. And then we will be free of the garden and free to garden."

I found the ideas in this book to be very exciting and the author to have a great sense of humor. I have a Backyard Wildlife Habitat, but I hadn't given enough thought to the role of insects in my garden. After reading this book, I am looking at my garden with new eyes. The author has provided some very good reasons for gardening the way I tend to do anyway - pack it with as many different plants as possible, leave it a little messy, and don't use pesticides. It's very nice to have this approach validated and especially to know why it seems to work! Now I just have to get an insect identification book ...

Insects and Gardens is a double award winning book. It received two of the "Top 10" 2002 Garden Globe Awards presented by the Garden Writers Association of America -- one for Best Book and one for Best Writer, and comes highly recommend by the people who write about gardening. Author Eric Grissell, who is a research entomologist with the USDA, received Best Writing for his clear and concise look at the life of insects and how they "work" to our benefit in our gardens. Publisher Timber Press received the Best Book for an outstanding gardening book overall. Only five individuals and five companies were selected out of a field of more than 300 entries to receive a 2002 Garden Globe Award. The book was selected by a panel of garden communication experts - some Pulitzer Prize winners themselves -- who look for the best books, magazines, writers and photographers in the country. The book was evaluated on accuracy of information, ability to communicate, content, organization, style and originality. If you are interested in the relationships of insects to gardens, to each other and to humans, and how they benefit your garden, this is a must have in your library...

Eric Grissell's Insects And Gardens isn't another visual guide to insects in the garden, but an introduction to insect biology and the role of insects in garden ecology. From the various orders of insects and how they reproduce to their interactions in the garden environment, Insects And Gardens provides science readers with an excellent survey. Highly recommended!