Pollinators of Native Plants: Attract, Observe and Identify Pollinators and Beneficial Insects with Native Plants

by Heather N. Holm

This comprehensive, essential resource profiles over 65 perennial native plants of the Midwest, Great Lakes region, Northeast and southern Canada as well as the pollinators, beneficial insects and flower visitors the plants attract. Beautifully designed and illustrated with over 1600 photos of plants and insects, it underscores the pivotal role that native plants play in supporting pollinators and beneficial insects.

Readers learn to attract and identify pollinators and beneficial insects as well as customize their landscape planting with native plants for a particular type of pollinator. The book includes information on pollination, types of pollinators and beneficial insects, pollinator habitat and conservation as well as pollinator landscape plans.

This is an important book for gardeners, native plant enthusiasts, landscape restoration professionals, small fruit and vegetable growers and farmers who are interested in attracting, identifying, supporting or planting for pollinators.

More information: www.pollinatorsnativeplants.com

Genres: Gardening, Nature, Nonfiction, Ecology, Reference, Plants, Science

320 pages, Paperback

First published February 5, 2014

About the author

Heather Holm is a biologist, pollinator conservationist, and award-winning author. She passionately informs and educates audiences nationwide, through her writing and many presentations, about the fascinating world of native pollinators and beneficial insects, and the native plant communities that support them.

Heather is the author of four books: Pollinators of Native Plants (2014), Bees (2017), Wasps (2021), and Common Native Bees of the Eastern United States (2022). Both Bees and Wasps have won multiple book awards including the American Horticultural Society Book Award (2018 and 2022 respectively).

Her expertise includes the interactions between native pollinators and native plants, and the natural history and biology of native bees and predatory wasps. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Minneapolis Star Tribune, and many local publications. Heather is also an accomplished photographer and her pollinator photos are frequently featured in print and electronic publications.

Heather is a National Honorary Director of Wild Ones. She also serves on the boards of the following non-profits: Friends of Cullen Nature Preserve and Bird Sanctuary, Friends of Minnetonka Parks, and her local Wild Ones chapter, Prairie Edge. In her spare time, she is an active community supporter, writing grants, and coordinating and participating in volunteer ecological landscape restoration projects. The latest project is a 13-acre oak savanna restoration that will provide thriving habitat for pollinators, birds, mammals, and passive, nature-based opportunities for people.

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Reviews

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dig up some lawn... plant some native perennials... and buy this book.

[Barbara Figlewicz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has become the blueprint for my native gardening. I have established gardens for butterflies, mason bees, and bumblebees based on the information I received from Heather's book. I was able to meet her at a native plant workshop, where she was one of the featured speakers. Her enthusiasm for six-legged creatures is contagious! Thus book is a welcome reference for all people interested in establishing "corridors" to support the birds and the bees and reestablish native ecosystems.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a model to which all gardening books and nature guides should aspire. The color photographs are well done, useful, and integrated with the text in a pleasing manner. The maps and charts are clear and easy to use. The book focuses on the interactions between North American native plants and the insects that pollinate them, use them as larval food sources, or as nectar sources. In addition to information on identifying and growing native plants in a variety of environments, the book also contains information on identifying and attracting their pollinators, including information on nesting sites. It is well designed, well written, beautiful, and extraordinarily useful. Highly recommended for anyone interested in restoring habitat for native species or enjoying the incredibly intricate dance of insects and flowers in the landscape.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great introduction to the intricate interconnections between pollinators and native plants. Material about pollination, pollinators and pollinator conservation in the first three chapters actually makes the book more valuable. I mention that because sometimes the introductory materials in a guidebook seem to just take up space that would have been better used to expand the reference material. While the plant listings are not exhaustive, the plants are grouped by wetland, woodland, and prairie so you can focus on a particular landscape, and the pages are helpfully color-coded to make using it as a reference quick and easy. Charts are really well thought out and include flowering timelines. A field guide for identifying pollinators would be a useful companion to this volume, but this will get you off to a good start.

[Cordula Van · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book.Very detailed but not dry.
What an eye opener.

[Matt Kruse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic guide to native plants and the pollinators and beneficial insects they support.

[kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t know how I came across this book at the library but I thought I’d take it home and peruse it. I’m glad I did. I live in the Midwest and this book covers different plants that live in the Midwest all up into Canada and going east and west in America. The author lives in Minnesota. So that was fun because I also live in Minnesota.

The author has taken lots of photographs of different plants that she features in each little segment along with plenty of insects. From butterflies and moths, to bees and flies and beetles etc. it is so amazing!

The reader learns about the different plants and what they are a host to like milkweed for monarch butterflies. You also get to learn a little bit about the insects like how they reproduce, where they build their nests, those type of things. There’s lots of detailed information about the plant she features in each segment in terms of the flowering period, habitat and type of soil also how much moisture they need. Also in the garden what they are compatible with as well.

This is a very thorough book just for a nature lover to enjoy looking at it like I am. But it also could be a great tool for somebody who is looking at doing native plantings and what they want to attract in their yard. I highly recommend this very well researched book.

[Lisa Doseff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This comprehensive book is ESSENTIAL for anyone who is interested in attracting pollinators to their garden! While I often use it as a reference book, the beginning chapters offer an engaging and easily understandable explanation of pollination, pollinators, and pollinator conservation that are enhanced with beautiful photographs and diagrams. The majority of the book is a beautifully photographed and colorful guide to pollinators and the native plants with which they interact. The left hand side of each two page spread gives a description of the plant including the flowering period, habitat, range, height, and other characteristics, as well as a list of complimentary plants. The right hand side shows the plant-insect interactions for each of the plants so that you’ll be able to identify the wonderful pollinator visitors you’ll attract to your garden. There are landscape plans for pollinators included in the book as well. Whether you’re just getting started or are a veteran gardener, you’ll find this informative book to be a valuable resource.

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice overview of common native plants and the pollinators that interact with them. I'd say it favors the bees over other pollinators (though it may be that they simply are the best pollinators) and perhaps focuses on butterflies the least, but it does a nice job of showcasing various pollinators, be it bee, butterfly, beetle, fly, moth, or wasp, as well as common other insects/invertebrates that may be lurking on the plants for predatory or other reasons.

The photographs are beautiful and it's organized well. I'd say it's an excellent starter book for learning about pollinator/plant interactions. Holm's book specifically on bees is more specialized and covers different enough ground that one could own both and not feel that one is completely redundant, though if one wants to focus on bees, then go straight to the bee book rather than starting with this one.

[Rachel Cunning · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't often splurge on books when I'm at events and workshops, but I have no regrets about purchasing this book. Holm has written a beautiful handbook for gardeners interested in helping native insects and planting more native flowers in their backyards. I have used her book every time I make a new addition to my own suburban homestead. It's is beautiful and easy to read. I am always able to quickly locate information about the insects and flowers, and I sometimes find myself flipping through the book even when I am not planning an expansion to the garden. I heartily recommend this book to anyone interested in providing a little plot of native landscape in their own backyard to help native pollinators.

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

I live in the PNW, outside the range of what this book covers, but it’s still really useful. A lot of the genera featured have western analogues and the info about pollination and the floral morphology that attracts particular families of insects still applies. I sort of wish the book was grouped not by habitat/biome (prairie, woodland edge etc) and instead by genus or family of plant. It would easier to quickly navigate to something when trying to ID a bee in the field, and it would be easier to make generalizations about the kinds of species you can observe on larger taxonomic groupings of plants. Other than that, it’s an essential reference book for any naturalist/wildlife gardener

[Nicole Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pollinators of Native Plants was an really interesting book to read. It had information that pertained to prairies and the pollinators in them. The book was essentially a guide book about how to attract bees to an prairie. It was informative but it did not captivate my attention. I was supposed to read this book for my prairie restoration job I would highly suggest this book for anyone who wants information on pollinators.

[Beckie Gaskill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent pollinator book. I got it for its field guide properties, but it is so much more. I love the layout, which focuses on ecosystem types, then links native plants with their pollinators. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking to create native plantings on their own landscape or to just get to know more about the pollinators that help put food on our tables.

[BJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm from Texas, and a large portion of this book doesn't apply to my area, but the front matter regarding general pollinators is still useful and interesting. With climate change, who knows? I had a foot of snow in February, and weekly rain through April and May in what is usually a drought plagued area. I'll keep it handy along with my Texas specific books on bugs!

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great reference book. Loads of images and user friendly graphics.

[Ashleigh Lemelin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very educational read highlighting a lot of different insects that are involved in the plant lifecycle. It was interesting to learn so much about plants and how they adapt to help pollinators and how pollinators and other insects interact with the plants. This was more of a skimmable book going over plant types and pollinator types. My only complaint is that I felt like none of the plant sections were relevant to my home garden. It covered prairie, wetlands and forest. I don't really live in any of those so it was an educational read but didn't help my home garden much.

[Carol Larson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful original photographs and packed with information. An essential resource and field guide for anyone interested in native plants and insects.

[Tori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Resource.