Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden: A Natural Approach to Pest Control by Jessica Walliser

I love bugs and I love gardening, so it should come as no surprise to anyone that I read books that combine the two. Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden: A Natural Approach to Pest Control by Jessica Walliser is the best I've read so far. Walliser explains clearly why organic gardening involves not just avoiding pesticides but also inviting bugs to live in your garden. The goal is to create a miniature ecosystem where while the "bad bugs" are never completely gone (there has to be something for the "good bugs" to eat), there is a thriving population of bad-bug predators to keep things in check.

Walliser gives a short introduction about this practice plus several essays on various aspects of insect growth and kind, giving portraits, both verbal and visual, of several of the insects so the gardener can get to know them. There is also a large section on plants that attract beneficials with notes on which specific types they attract—many attract several—together with photographs of the plants. She also includes suggested garden arrangements for folks who want some help planning their beneficial additions.

Two incidental details that made me happy: She answered a long-standing question of mine: Is the nectar of different plants different, or is it just sugar water as some have told me? (Yes, It is different; the Walliser gives several points about where and why). And, she gave me an excuse to keep Feverfew, even though I don't actually use it for anything. Not that I needed an excuse, but it's nice to have one.

Recommended for gardeners, insect lovers, and, especially, insect-haters.