Media that Inspires: Native Plant & Pollinator Themed Recommendations
If you’re anything like us, this warm weather’s got you itching to get outdoors and make some moves in your garden — we get it, it’s tempting! But folks in the Intermountain West know well how quickly the weather can turn around, so hold the shears and put off your garden cleanup for just a bit longer!
Winter is a great time to dive into a good book or a new podcast while staying cozy indoors, and what better way to channel garden season than by reading about the native plants and pollinators that bring us joy?
Experts and enthusiasts at Sageland Collaborative, Utah Native Plant Society, and Utah’s Rare Insect Conservation Program have come together with their favorite books and podcast episodes that you can dive into to learn more and fall in love with Utah’s native plants & pollinators.
Check out recommendations from the team below!
Sierra Hastings, Sageland Collaborative’s Communications Director, recommends:
Brave the Wild River by Melissa L. Sevigny
"In the summer of 1938, botanists Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter set off to run the Colorado River, accompanied by an ambitious and entrepreneurial expedition leader, a zoologist, and two amateur boatmen. With its churning waters and treacherous boulders, the Colorado was famed as the most dangerous river in the world. Journalists and veteran river runners boldly proclaimed that the motley crew would never make it out alive. But for Clover and Jotter, the expedition held a tantalizing appeal: no one had yet surveyed the plant life of the Grand Canyon, and they were determined to be the first.”
Parker Lloyd, Vice President of the Utah Native Plant Society, recommends:
Science Moab: Unique Alpine Giants
“Cirsium scopulorum, or mountain thistle, was long thought to be the only species of thistle occurring in the alpine tundra. Molecular, morphological, and geographical evidence now support the recognition of many species of thistles in the alpine tundra of the southern Rocky Mountains. We talk with Jennifer Ackerfield, the head curator of natural history collections, and the associate director of biodiversity research at Denver Botanic Gardens about her quest to delineate the many varieties of thistles across the alpine of the intermountain west, including a unique species right here in the La Sal Mountains of SE Utah.”
Amanda Barth, Utah’s Rare Insect Conservation Program Coordinator, recommends:
Our Native Bees by Paige Embry
“Honey bees get all the press, but the fascinating story of North America’s native bees—endangered species essential to our ecosystems and food supplies—is just as crucial. Through interviews with farmers, gardeners, scientists, and bee experts, Our Native Bees explores the importance of native bees and focuses on why they play a key role in gardening and agriculture. The people and stories are compelling: Paige Embry goes on a bee hunt with the world expert on the likely extinct Franklin’s bumble bee, raises blue orchard bees in her refrigerator, and learns about an organization that turns the out-of-play areas in golf courses into pollinator habitats. Our Native Bees is a fascinating, must-read for fans of natural history and science and anyone curious about bees.”
Zach Earl, Utah Native Plant Society’s Education & Outreach Committee Chair, recommends:
Cultivating Place: Welcome to the Shrub Club
“This is where Kevin Philip Williams and Michael Guidi of the Denver Botanic Gardens come in. Kevin is the DBG's Manager of Horticulture; Michael is their Manager of Horticulture Research. Their new book Shrouded in Light: Naturalistic Planting Inspired by Wild Shrublands is all about celebrating the great diversity, incredible beauty, and many gifts and lessons that the wild shrublands of our world have to offer our gardens and cultivated landscapes - environmentally and aesthetically - no matter where you garden.
As we head into the dog days of summer, these two fabulous horticulturists share with us their powerful enthusiasm for the adaptability and diversity of the shrubs of our world.”
Mary Pendergast, Sageland Collaborative’s Conservation Ecologist, recommends:
Insect Anatomy by Julia Rothman & Michael Hearst
“Get a close-up look at the world of insects with a delightfully illustrated guide to the fascinating insects, bugs, arachnids, and other creatures that populate our planet by the billions.
Millions of species of insects fly, crawl, dig, swarm, and eat on every continent. Our very existence depends on them; without pollinators, we would have no food, and without decomposers, the world would be covered in decaying plant and animal material. With her signature style, Julia Rothman delves into this incredible world, uncovering amazing facts about bees, beetles, butterflies, and so much more.”
Additional Recommendations
Tap on each title to learn more! These titles may also be available in various formats at your public library.
Books:
Podcasts:
With a new wealth of knowledge at your fingertips, we hope you’ll take some time during these slower months to become inspired and fall in love with the natural world all around you.
Be sure to follow with Sageland Collaborative, Utah Native Plant Society, Utah’s Rare Insect Conservation Program, and Utah Pollinator Pursuit on social media to stay up to date on opportunities to get involved — field season is just around the corner!
Article by Sierra Hastings