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Gardens for Wildlife

Browse the Catalog

For additional books, browse the library catalog under the subjects:

 

Selected Books

Wildlife at your Back Door
Amos, Sharon
Wildlife at your Back Door: How to Create a Haven for Nature's Friends
QL59.A46 2005
This Reader's digest book, written by an Englishwoman and illustrated with color photographs, suggests creating simple habitats using log, rock and brush piles.
 
The Butterfly Gardener's Guide
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
The Butterfly Gardener's Guide
QL544.6 .B88 2003x
Includes lists of host plants for caterpillars as well as nectar plants for butterflies.
 
The Nature-Friendly Garden
Condon, Marlene
The Nature-Friendly Garden: Creating a Backyard Haven for Plants, Wildlife, and People
SB473.C652 2006
An ecofriendly, natural approach to landscaping that encourages wildlife.
 
Wildlife-Friendly Plants
Creeser, Rosemary
Wildlife-Friendly Plants: make your garden a haven for beneficial insects, amphibians and birds
QL59.C74 2004x
A directory of plants that attract animals. Most of these plants are hardy enough for Pennsylvania.
 
Wildlife of Pennsylvania
Fergus, Charles
Wildlife of Pennsylvania and the Northeast
QL606.52.U6 F47 2000
If you want to find out what types of wildlife you can expect to attract, use this book to learn about animals in Pennsylvania.
 
Insects and Gardens
Grissell, Eric
Insects and Gardens: In Pursuit of a Garden Ecology
SF517.G75 2001
Entomologist and gardener Grissell suggests calling a truce with the enemy and instead welcoming the insect world into your garden.
 
Welcoming Wildlife to the Garden
Johnson, Catherine J. and Susan McDiarmid
Welcoming Wildlife to the Garden: Creating Backyard & Balcony Habitats for Wildlife
QL59.J62 2004
This illustrated book gives plans for making houses for specific animals.
 
Attracting Birds, Butterflies and Other Backyard Wildlife
Mizejewski, David
Attracting Birds, Butterflies and Other Backyard Wildlife
q QL59.M57 2004x
An oversized book with color photographs from the National Wildlife Federation.
 
Bird-by-Bird Gardening
Roth, Sally
Bird-by-Bird Gardening
QL676.5.R6684 2006
"To really bring in birds, and to keep them coming back, you need the plants they like best." This book gives very comprehensive information on attracting birds to your garden. Arranged by bird family.
 
Butterflies in the Backyard
Shalaway, Scott
Butterflies in the Backyard
QL542.S5 2004
Scott Shalaway is the Outdoors columnist for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Charleston (WV) Gazette and the Wheeling (WV) News-Register.
 
Stein, Sara Bonnett
Noah's Garden: Restoring the Ecology of Our Own Back Yards
QH541.5.G37 S74 1993
"Published to rave reviews in 1993, Noah's Garden shows us how our landscape style of neat yards and gardens has devastated suburban ecology, wiping out entire communities of plants and animals by stripping bare their habitats and destroying their food supplies." -- Publisher
 
Tallamy, Douglas W.
Bringing Nature Home: how native plants sustain wildlife in our gardens
SB439.T275 2007
Tallamy is suggesting a radical change in mindset for the gardener: instead of searching for pest-free ornamentals, we need to look for native plants that will provide food for native wildlife, particularly for insects that provide the bulk of food for many other animals.
 

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Videos

Audubon Butterfly DVD: Essentials for Beginners and Gardeners
(DVD) QL544.A933 2008x
Presents instruction on identifying butterflies found across the United States. Covers butterfly biology, lifecycles, and behavior. Explains how to attract butterflies to backyard gardens.

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Web Sites

  • Audubon at Home
    Create healthy habitats in your backyards and other spaces by planting native species, removing invasive plants, reducing pesticide use, conserving water, protecting water quality, and keeping birds safe.
  • Brooklyn Botanic Garden: Gardening for Wildlife
    Chapters from their books on creating natural gardens.
  • Butterflies and Moths of North America
    Each record contains photographs, which county it occurs in, reference, life history, caterpillar hosts and adult food, range and habitat.
  • Butterfly Gardening
    A University of Minnesota Extension Service book by Vera Krichik. You can read it online or order it. Included is an extensive list of plants that attract moths and butterflies.
  • Enature: Gardening
    This site offers articles on how to create a wildlife habitat in your own backyard and further information on the species you plant and the animals you attract.
  • How to Make Butterfly Gardens
    By Stephanie Bailey, Extension Specialist, at the University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture, Department of Entomology
  • National Bird-Feeding Society
    Frequently asked questions, and advice on bringing a variety of birds to your garden by providing a variety of food sources.
  • National Wildlife Federation: Backyard Wildlife Habitat Program
    Create a garden at home or at school that is friendly to native wildlife.
  • Resources on Pollinators
    The National Academies Division on Earth & Life Studies includes information on pollinator-friendly plants for your garden.
  • USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service: Backyard Conservation
    Ten conservation practices have been scaled down for homeowners and city residents to use in their yards. Tip sheets offer "how to" steps and helpful hints.
  • Fine Gardening: Hummingbird Favorites
    An article about what types of perennials to plant to attract hummingbirds.
  • Wildlife Habitat Council
    The Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) is a nonprofit, nonlobbying 501(c)(3) group of corporations, conservation organizations, and individuals dedicated to protecting and enhancing wildlife habitat. Created in 1988, WHC helps large landowners, particularly corporations, manage their unused lands in an ecologically sensitive manner for the benefit of wildlife.
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Pittsburgh Region

Pennsylvania

 

Nearby States