Jaret Daniels is a photographer, author, and native plant enthusiast. He has a Ph.D. and is an entomologist at the University of Florida. He has authored numerous papers and books including butterfly field guides for Georgia and other states.
In this book, he focuses on the Southeast. He lays out everything you need to know to create a native plant garden that will attract pollinators. The book makes a strong statement about the importance of including native plants in a garden. Native plants enrich diversity, which in turn supports a greater abundance and range of wildlife. Mr. Daniels notes that native plants tend to perform better than non-natives because they are adapted to the local growing conditions, have fewer pests and disease problems, need less water and fertilizer, and require less maintenance.
Mr. Daniels states that loss of habitat is the primary reason for pollinator declines. Planting native gardens can reduce pollinator declines.
He describes the major classes of pollinators: bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, wasps, and birds.
Bees: There are about 4,000 bee species in North America. Of these 4,000 species, several hundred bee species live in the Southeastern United States. Most are native bees, and they are solitary bees.
Butterflies: Butterflies are an important pollinator because they are attractive, and, therefore, help people connect to nature. All Southeastern butterflies consume liquid nectar except the Zebra Longwing which prefers pollen. There are about 250 species in the Southeast. Most butterflies are attracted to colorful flowers.
Moths are more diverse than butterflies and are mostly nocturnal. There are about 3,500 species in the Southeast.
Beetles are the largest and most diverse order of insects in Noth America. There are 28,000 species. They favor open flowers or flower clusters.
Flies mostly feed on nectar. There are about 17,000 species in North America. They are beneficial because they pollinate many plants including fruits and vegetables such as peas, apples, cherries, strawberries, etc.
Wasps belong to the same order of insects as bees and ants. The majority are non-aggressive and solitary.
Birds: Of these, the hummingbird pollinates various plant species as it feeds on nectar. The other birds feed on insects or seeds. In feeding on seeds, these birds eliminate weeds and disperse plant seeds.
After these descriptions of the major classes of pollinators, Mr. Daniels presents a list of native plants organized by light requirements (sun, partial shade, etc.). This list of native plants includes many familiar ones such as Butterfly Weed, Purple Passionflower, and Scarlet Bee Balm, but also plants that are less common such as Snowy Evening Primrose, Sassafras, and Wild Bergamot. He includes a photograph and detail description of each plant. These descriptions are concise but they provide all the essential information about each plant.
The next chapter of the book lists native plants which are larvae hosts for specific butterfly species, pollen sources for bees, and feed and nesting places for birds.
The last chapter covers the subject of retail sources for Southeastern native plants and native plant seed. I really like to see plant and seed resources listed in garden books because if you are interested in growing the plants in the book, it is useful to have several contacts from which to obtain those plants or seed.
If you are interested in native plants, the health of your garden, and pollinators such as butterflies and bees, this book provides a good road map to the success of your garden.
Holly Sparrow, Headwaters Master Gardener