The Book Nook

By: The Garden Staff

A beautiful story weaving real-life adventure with science to captivate the reader’s attention to the urgency of saving the threatened monarch migration. On a journey starting and ending in El Rosario, Mexico, author, and researcher Sara Dykman makes history when she becomes the first person to bicycle alongside monarch butterflies on their storied annual migration. Lasting nearly nine months, her solo adventure spans three countries and more than 10,000 miles. She recounts her travels day-by-day with careful attention to detail making you feel as if you’re riding along with her from Mexico through North America, into Canada – and then back again. Whether you’re growing backyard habitats or love a great adventure travel story, Bicycling with Butterflies is a delightful and important read as we face the impacts of climate change. It is a reminder of the delicate balance of life and our inherent connection to nature. It will leave you inspired – to not only get on your bike but also to create native habitat right in your own backyard.

Recommended by a Garden Member

In his first book, Bringing Nature Home, Douglas Tallamy awakens readers to the tragic loss of wildlife caused by the decline of native plants and the habitat they provide - urging his readers to plant more natives. (If you haven’t read this book, we highly recommend it, too.) In his next book, Nature’s Best Hope, Tallamy outlines his vision for a grassroots approach to conservation. Rather than wait for local or and global solutions, he shifts power to the individual and encourages them to be the solution – now. Mapping out a practical, attainable, and fun approach, he implores homeowners to create wildlife habitat by transforming their backyards into “conservation corridors.” Suitable for readers at every level – from the novice gardener to trained botanist – this book restores hope for those who are feeling overwhelmed by climate and biodiversity loss. This is a wonderful book and a must-read for everyone.

Recommended by Dr. Denise Knapp, Director of Conservation

If you’ve ever wondered how the natural world is responding to climate change, Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid is the book for you. Through his approachable and enjoyable science writing, Thor Hanson reveals how plants and animals are adjusting, evolving, and, in some cases, dying off in the face of our warming planet. Throughout his book, he offers examples of different species from across the planet - from bacteria to Joshua Trees, anole lizards to Humboldt squids and pelicans to sea urchins – whose ecosystems are changing. Some are thriving while others are on the “elevator to extinction” as they look for cooler temperatures to survive. This book is a reminder of the interconnection of all life and closes with an inspirational message: individual action drives much-needed policy change, not vice versa. While nobody can do everything, there is much that each of us can do (and not do).

Recommended by Dr. Steve Windhager, Executive Director

Winner of the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction, The Overstory is a collection of interlocking fables that range from antebellum New York to the late twentieth-century Timber Wars of the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Evocative and beautifully written, the story centers on the interconnection of people and plants and the constant companion of the natural world. The story is told through the tales of nine characters and the five trees that bring them together to address the destruction of the forest. In what some critics call “darkly optimistic,” “haunting,” and filled with “gigantic and genuine truth,” the book explores the complex balance of life, love, and the resiliency of nature.

Recommended by Jaime Eschette, Marketing and Communications Director