California Bees & Blooms: A Guide for Gardners and Naturalists

Berkeley, CA: Heyday Books, 2014. xx, 299, col photos. . PB. Fine. From the library of British hymenopterist, Chris O'Toole, with inscription to him from the first author, Gordon Frankie, 'Thanks for all your inspiring bee work over many years. Your books, booklets, DVDs are required reading and viewing in my Berkeley lab. ...'. California is home to over sixteen hundred species of wild bees - most of them native - that populate and pollinate gardens, fields, and urban green spaces. In this absorbing guidebook, some of the state's preeminent bee and botany experts introduce us to this diverse population. The book holds a magnifying glass up to the twenty-two most common genera (and six species of cuckoo bees), describing each one's distinctive behaviors, social structures, flight season, preferred flowers, and enemies. Drawing from years of research at the UC Berkeley Urban Bee Lab, the book presents an authoritative look at these creatures, emphasizing their vital relationship with flowers. Also provides information on fifty-three bee-friendly plants and how to grow them. Just a few square feet of poppies, sage, and phacelia are enough to sustain a healthy population of wild bees, transforming an urban or suburban garden into a world that hums and buzzes with life.. [9781597142946]