Guest Author - Katelyn Thomas

If you love the winged things that visit your flower gardens as much or perhaps even more than the flowers themselves, you will want to take a look at ATTRACTING BIRDS, BUTTERFLIES & OTHER WINGED WONDERS TO YOUR BACKYARD by Kris Wetherbee. Wetherbee's love for these small garden creatures comes through quite clearly in this useful book.

This book starts with information on planning your garden, whether you have a windowbox or an entire acre. It then goes on to list plants to attract different types of these flying flower lovers. Chapter 5 of the book discusses feeder design and includes plans for several types of charming bird and butterfly feeders.

Once your garden has been created and a food source is available, it is time to provide shelter for your garden friends. Chapter 6 has plans for a variety of shelters, ranging from a dragonfly perch to a Screech Owl box.

Chapter 7 of the book discusses types of water features and provides useful instructions for building several features. One interesting feature in this chapter is a puddling site for butterflies.

Finally, the book has a useful guide on attracting and identifying different types of birds, butterflies, and dragonflies. There is even information on where and when to observe these lovely creatures.

I really enjoyed ATTRACTING BIRDS, BUTTERFLIES & OTHER WINGED WONDERS TO YOUR BACKYARD and I highly recommend it to any gardener who wants to begin attracting birds, butterflies, and dragonflies to the yard. In fact, my friend Connie, who is afraid of gardening, loved this book, as well, and said it was the first gardening book she's seen that didn't intimidate her. The book is so well written and easy to read that I give it five out of five sunflowers.

About the Book:
Title: Attracting Birds, Butterflies & Other Winged Wonders to Your Backyard
Author: Kris Wetherbee
Publisher: Lark Books
Date: June 2005
Pages: 176
ISBN: 1-57-990-594-3
Price: 24.95