National Geographic Birds, Bees, and Butterflies: Bringing Nature Into Your Yard and Garden

by Nancy J. Hajeski

Generously illustrated and full of practical information, this approachable reference covers the wide world of birds, butterflies, and pollinating insects, including honeybees, and how to bring them into a yard and garden. For the new homeowner choosing shrubs and flowers for landscaping or the retired couple with bird feeders out the picture window, this thorough text combines tips and advice with solid science. Rich, colorful photographs illustrate every page. What types of bird feed attract your favorite birds? Which flowers will bring the most butterflies into your backyard? What can you plant to promote the health of the beleaguered honeybee? All these questions and more will be answered amply in this beautiful gift book.

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction, Reference

304 pages, Hardcover

Published October 25, 2016

About the author

Nancy J. Hajeski is the real name of author Nancy Butler.

Nancy Butler had been—more or less—living in the 19th century since the publication of her first Signet Regency romance in 1998. Twelve novels and three novellas later, she found herself rudely back in the 21st century when the Regency romance genre faded (yet not, oddly, Austen-mania). Fortunately, in 2009 Marvel offered her a chance to adapt Pride and Prejudice for their illustrated classics line, putting her firmly back in the era she adored. The hardcover compilation became a New York Times bestseller in the graphic novel category, and when it reached No. 2 on the list there was great rejoicing.

Butler also writes nonfiction for middle-schoolers under her real name, Nancy J. Hajeski, and is the author of The Hammond Book of Presidents and of three Hammond Undercover titles: Rocks & Minerals, Princesses, and Sharks.

She has won two RITAs from the Romance Writers of America, two Reviewers’ Choice Awards from Romantic Times magazine, and was retired to their Hall of Fame by the New Jersey Romance Writers. Butler lives in the Catskills with two mellow cats and a temperamental Jackabee.

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific garden reference book with a focus on creating a space for wildlife and pollinators. The layout and photography make for a beautiful book suitable to leave out on the coffee table. The gardening advice is a little basic without acknowledging much about different climates or growing zones, just giving some lists of best plants and then telling you to ask at your nursery about which plants do best in your area. The bulk of the book is taken up with information on species of birds, butterflies, bees and other pollinators. It's refreshing to see so many different listings on types of bees instead of just honeybees. There is a two page spread for each bird or insect with several pictures, basic info like habitat, size, favorite foods and how to attract them to your yard.

[Kathy (McDowell) Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! I was looking for specific flowers to plant which would attract both butterflies and birds. This book was perfect. I also learned that there are far more species of honeybees than I ever imagined. Can't wait to start growing my butterfly/bird/honeybee refuge.

[Phillip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty Book. Short concise descriptions. Nice collectors and introduction to the beauty of the subject. Nice sections on Habitat and Conservation.

[Leonard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautifully illustrated book does what it promises. It gives you the information you need to make your garden and yard irresistible to birds, bees, and butterflies.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decent reference book, but it had a few crucial things missing for it to be truly useful, especially maps of the regions where the species typically exist. The physical book was also too large and somewhat cumbersome to read - more of a coffeetable book. I was also shocked at the number of typos in this book! It was as though no one even ran a basic spell/grammar check.