So, you want to attract more pollinators to your yard but aren't exactly sure how to go about it? We've compiled a list of ten of the best pollinator garden books to give you a hand.

Whether you are an experienced gardener or are only just starting out, you’ll soon realize the importance of pollinators. To reproduce and make fruit, plants need the help of outside agents, like bees, butterflies, birds, insects, and even small animals (although we don't always want them in our gardens). 

Renowned National Wildlife Federation naturalist David Mizejewski on the book, Attracting Birds, Butterflies and Other Backyard Wildlife (yes, it's on our list of the best pollinator garden books but it talks about so much more than flowers!

But the problem comes in that these pollinators are not always readily available. Some conditions within your garden might discourage them from settling in, which means your garden will fail to live up to its potential. Luckily, there are techniques you can use to build up a healthy population of bees and butterflies in your garden.

Our list offers some of the best pollinator garden books to help guide you through this. You get expert knowledge and tips from gardeners with years of experience in the field that will have your garden thriving in no time.

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Best Pollinator Garden Book Reviews

Whether you're looking to learn which flowers will attract pollinators to your vegetable garden, or want to create a full blown garden designed specifically with pollinators in mind, there's something on this list for you.

We've included books about formal gardens, as well as how to grow wild style pollinator gardens. Among the broad topic books, we also included ones about specific pollinators such as bees and butterflies. Within the books on our list you'll not only learn why pollinators are important and how you can garden to save them, but there's also information about other projects to help protect pollinators.

No time to read the reviews? You can skip ahead to our list of best pollinator garden book recommendations.

The Pollinator Victory Garden: Win the War on Pollinator Decline with Ecological Gardening; Attract and Support Bees, Beetles, Butterflies, Bats, and Other Pollinators

By Kim Elerman

The Pollinator Victory Garden is perhaps the most comprehensive book you can find on attracting pollinators in your garden. It shows in detail how you can transform your monotonous grass-only landscape into a habitat that can actually support the survival and breeding of pollinators. You’ll learn how to cater for their food and build areas where they can lay eggs, nest, shelter, rest, stay warm over winter.

The author Kim Eierman, a landscape designer and horticulturist, has specialized in native plants and made ecological landscapes for years. She has a wealth of information in the field, even teaching at the New York botanical garden, among other major schools offering advanced classes to master gardeners. On the part-time, she provides ecological design and horticultural counseling to municipal, commercial, and retail clients.

The book comes as a result of her vast expertise. It is well structured, covering all you need to know about pollinators. This includes different profiles of major pollinators and lessons on how you can care for and support them through their different life stages. Additionally, you get a list of all kinds of plants you cat plant supported with color photos.

What people say about this book…

“The book is attractive as a flower filled meadow and reads easily. If you love to leaf through popular garden magazines but are reluctant to read more challenging and thicker books written by entomologists or horticulturalist, you should order The Pollinator Victory Garden right away.”

“This book is a straightforward, to-the-point guide to simple small steps we can each take to improve habitat for wildlife including pollinators. Tips for small projects (a couple pots of plants on your apartment balcony) to large (replace your whole lawn with the right types of plants).”

Raising Butterflies in the Garden

By Brenda Dziedzic

As the name suggests, Raising Butterflies in the Garden is meant for the gardener to specialize in rearing butterflies and moths. Besides just making a butterfly-friendly garden, you’ll learn how to support them and maintain a healthy population. The author, Brenda Dziedzic, was inspired by her own experience, growing up helping butterflies thrive. She shows how you can do this, regardless of the time of year and size of your property.

In the 336-page book, you’ll find up to 500 color photographs illustrating the different life cycles of up to 35 different types of moths and butterflies. This includes swallowtails, blues, whites, and skippers, among others. Brenda shows you how you can support them as they grow from egg to adult.

The book has grown to become highly successful in the retail setting. The author breaks down the science of it into a format that is easy to understand, making it extremely popular in schools and libraries.

What people say about this book…

“This is a beautifully written book on butterfly/moth gardening with many pictures of the eggs, larva and adult butterflies and moths. This is my go to book for questions on butterfly gardening and I also use this book to help identify eggs, larva and adult butterflies and moths.”

“Fantastic book! Each butterfly and some moths feature extensive information such as what it looks like in each stage of development, what it eats, where it lives, and all important information. Beautiful photos”

The Bee-Friendly Garden: Design an Abundant, Flower-Filled Yard that Nurtures Bees and Supports Biodiversity

By Kate Frey and Gretchen LeBuhn

No list of the best pollinator garden books would be complete without at least one about bees. Coming from the combined efforts of the award-winning garden designer Kate and bee expert Frey Gretchen LeBuhn, The Bee-Friendly Garden provides a detailed overview of how you can create an environment suitable for both native and honeybees' survival. The two authors are keen to raise awareness of the worldwide bee population decline, threatening the global food chain. If you are a gardener who cares about the planet, it will show you how you can make a few changes to your garden to support the cause.

The book is beautifully written and adequately spruced up with full-color photos. You get detailed instructions for building water structures and nest boxes and insight into seasonal flower progression. It includes a list of all the super blooming flowers and regional plants. They are all listed in both botanical and common names, so you can make sure you are buying the correct cultivar at the nursery.

It also has a holistic approach to it, with a host of information about different gardens you can create, native plants, soil health, avoiding chemicals, and organizations you can join in supporting bees. This way, you’ll not only attract bees and other beneficial insects but improve the quantity and quality of your fruits and vegetable harvest.

What people say about this book…

“This is a terrific book. The combination of authors bringing the science of pollinators and present paucity of pollinator-friendly plants in many gardens and practical planting ideas for creating a much better environment makes for an excellent resource”

“For the beginner or the adept this book has something to offer. Geared towards those in the United States of America you can find just about any type of information you are looking for”

Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard

By Douglas W. Tallamy

Nature's Best Hope highlights the importance of focusing on plants that are native to our region to create a sustainable environment for native wildlife. It starts by addressing how the modern-day, plant-less environs have chased away wildlife. Then goes to show how you can restore and conserve the environment by supplementing it with native plants. The plants will, in turn, better attract native insects that can support animals and birds.

The author, Douglas Tallamy elaborates this in a few simple steps. He goes over the benefits you stand to gain from native plants, and about, they work better for our native ecology than their exotic counterparts. The book is written in an eloquent, approachable, and convincing way that will change the whole outlook on how you’ve been living. It will help enhance the biodiversity within your immediate community.

His vision is of a world where you can make your backyard a national park in itself – a place where nature is preserved and enjoyed by people. Part of this involves building a natural habitat where pollinators like butterflies, bees, birds, and ladybugs can dwell.

What people say about this book…

“This book is for all the people who feel helpless and concerned that nature is disappearing or the climate is getting hotter and more hostile. He offers easy to do (and enjoyable) strategies nearly everyone can do now rather than hoping for local and global solution.”

“As he states, “This book is about fixing problems’” and he demonstrates how the problems are fixable. Tallamy offers solutions anyone who has a piece of land can implement, whether reducing the size of our lawns or enabling weeds to flourish when they are native and essential to the ecosystem.”        

100 Plants to Feed the Bees: Provide a Healthy Habitat to Help Pollinators Thrive

By The Xerces Society

If you are not new to the subject of bees and pollinators, then you know that not every plant with a flower can attract bees. Well, the book 100 Plants to Feed the Bees is here to show exactly which plants can. You get up to 100 profiles of the common herbs, flowers, trees and shrubs that support everything from bees and butterflies to moths and hummingbirds. The book also guides you through how you can grow these plants and protect them from pesticides so they can give out plenty of blooms all through the growing season.

The book is written by the Xerces Society, a non-profit conservation organization focusing its efforts on species conservation, protecting pollinators, and reducing harm to animals from pesticide use. Therefore, most of the information is centered on bringing these goals to fruition. It is divided into 5 main sections, introducing you to how you can use various different plants to support pollinators.

It is well structured, which each section following a defined pattern of data presentation. Each plant is accompanied by a beautiful close-up photograph and a 2-page overview showing the pollinator that it commonly attracts and its importance to the world.

What people say about this book…

“A good book to nudge you into planting more beneficial plants for bees and other pollinators. Instead of just buying what looks nice at the store, research and buy shrubs, annuals, and perennials that provide nectar and pollen.”

“Neat little book which is good for someone that might not garden, might not know a lot about flowers, bees, hummingbirds, or butterflies. Will give you a basic look and basic explanation for flowers and what they're best for and where they're typically grown.”

Attracting Native Pollinators: The Xerces Society Guide, Protecting North America's Bees and Butterflies

By The Xerces Society

Yet another entry from the esteemed Xerces Society, Attracting Native Pollinators, takes a more general approach on attracting pollinators. It explains how you can build structures that encourage the settlement of not just bees, but other native pollinators like, moths, and butterflies. It focuses on the North American audience, giving ideas on how you can alter your landscape specifically for North American butterflies and bees.

You’ll learn how to create your own nesting sites, with tips on such things as which material you can use and where you can position the nests to yield the best results. It will also give you a list of which native plants attract which species of pollinators and the benefits you’ll gain when that happens, as which plants to avoid.

It is easy to navigate as well and filled with crystal clear photos, so you follow through easily. You don’t have to read cover to cover either. Its table of index makes it so you can easily move to your topic of interest and get the precise information you need. You get hundreds of suggestions on how you can improve your habitat for pollinators.

What people say about this book…

“The book is well written. It has the right lists, diagrams and pictures to help reestablish corners for the insects and animals.”

“This book has turned out to be one of my favorite 'gardening' books. It is easy to read and gives a clear picture of the many species of invertebrate pollinators in need of conservation.”

Gardening for Butterflies: How You Can Attract and Protect Beautiful, Beneficial Insects

By The Xerces Society

Just like a list of the best pollinator garden books needs to cover bees, so does it need one about butterflies (well, actually it's our second). Gardening for Butterflies comes as the third entry by the Xerces society on our list. As you might have guessed, this book is now focused on designing a habitat for butterflies. It educates you on exactly why butterflies are so important, what endangers them, and shows some steps you can take when making your own pollinator-friendly garden.  

The book is a pleasant read and beautifully written. It is filled with handy tips, like what plants to look for and which ones to avoid. Readers comment on how they enjoy actually reading the book rather than just skim through the pictures. You get to learn about the butterfly lifecycles and such things as when they have a higher chance of survival. You’ll see which variety of native plants can better encourage the conservation of butterflies. At the end, you’ll also find a list of a variety of resources you can use while gardening.

What people say about this book…

“This was a great book for ideas on gardening for butterflies and moths (as well as other pollinators). It gives information on life cycles as well as garden design, plant selection, and butterfly observation. I was pleasantly surprised to find a chapter specifically on gardening for moths.”

“A great book for beginners or experts. It has outstanding photos and goes into detail about what each plant offers for butterflies, moths and caterpillars (you can't have the first 2 without the latter!)”

Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants, Updated and Expanded

By Douglas W. Tallamy

Bringing Nature Home is yet another book by Douglas W. Tallamy, teaching how to sustain native plants in your immediate environment. The author emphasizes how native plant species and native insects, and wildlife are linked together, such that native pollinators are more attracted to native plants. Therefore, by creating that native food source, you get a better chance of retaining these pollinators.

The book is written in a clear, positive, and approachable style. The author reveals years of studying shrubs, vines, and trees and narrows them down to the ones that can feed the birds, insects, and other creatures in your typical suburban garden. It then guides you on how you can plant the new flowers, shrubs, or trees and create an oasis for wildlife.

All the steps are easy to follow through and will go a long way in adding diversity to your yard's plants as well as the species they support. He shows you how you can achieve this, starting with what you have, and achieve noticeable results within a short time.

What people say about this book…

“This book opened up a whole new thought process for me. I started planting more native trees, shrubs and flowers. Then, finding invasive species on my 10 acres and eradicating them.”

“So informative with lots of photos, not repetitive at all (I sometimes find with this subject that people repeat the same points over and over.) Tallamy goes in depth on the subject with research and really stirs up a passion within the reader to do their part to garden for wildlife.”

Mason Bee Revolution: How the Hardest Working Bee Can Save the World - One Backyard at a Time

By Dave Hunter and Jill Lightner

If you know a thing or two about bees, then you know that not all bees are created equal. Some species are vastly more effective in pollination. The Mason Bee Revolution explains how breeding one such species; the mason bees can be way more beneficial than honeybees. The authors Dave Hunter and Jill Lightner discuss how pollination by one mason bee can achieve the same result as about 60 of your ordinary honey bees.

The book then goes into detail on how you can maintain and keep the two species of bees. It begins with how you can set up a habitat for them, what kind of plants they are attracted to, and how you can harvest your own mason bees. Additionally, it has a nice resource section on the back with all the general information about popular pollinators, helpful bee-related facts, and personalities.

The author, Dave Hunter, manages to give all this information in an interesting way that will keep you hooked all through. It is also peppered with photos so you can get a better idea of what is going on.

What people say about this book…

“This is hands down, my most useful guide on the highly productive Mason Bee. I found it to be particularly helpful as I design and install nesting houses with tubes that facilitate the female orchard bee egg laying practice”

“A must have resource for anyone that invest the time and expense for fruit and vegetable plants. Followed the directions of the author and the same space that yielded fewer than a dozen tomatoes last year has produced hundreds this season and is still going strong”

Gardening for Birds, Butterflies, and Bees: Everything you need to Know to Create a wildlife Habitat in your Backyard

By Editors at Birds and Blooms

If you are trying to attract pollinators for the first time, Gardening for Birds, Butterflies, and Bees would be the perfect place to start. Written by authors of the famous Bird and Garden magazine, Birds & Blooms, the book is filled with expert, tried-and-true advice guaranteed to work. This includes all the latest tips that will help you support the dwindling bee population as well as birds and butterflies.

The authoring company, Birds & Blooms, has been around for 20 years, leading trends in gardening and showing folk how they can make their experiences more purposeful. You’ll find their top plant list of over 250 plants to be especially handy. It will help direct your focus on plants that are all helpful in some way. You’ll get to learn which plants that these insects find most irresistible, plus creative garden designs that will help maintain the beauty of your garden all year round.

The book also goes the extra mile by including some handy symbols to help achieve a more wildlife-friendly environment in your backyard. Each plant has its own profile, showing exactly what creature it will attract. It shows you the requirements that the plant will need to thrive, such as sun or shade. As a bonus, the book highlights up to 35 different butterfly species and 70 bird species you might see around for easy identification.

What people say about this book…

“Excellent source of info for nectar plants and birds & butterfly-friendly planting. The lists of recommended nectar plants for butterflies and bees will help to broaden the scope of your selections and add layers of interest to your garden beds. If you want more hummers, butterflies and bees in your yard,”

“This book is wonderful. Not only are the pictures lovely, but the information given about the flowers, birds and butterflies is very informative.”

New Wild Garden: Natural-style Planting and Practicalities

By Ian Hodgson

If you are interested in growing that all-natural wild-style garden to attract pollinators, look no further than the New Wild Garden by Ian Hodgson. The book is packed with all the modern approaches on how you can incorporate a naturalistic, meadow-style design in your garden in a way that still attracts wildlife. It also teaches the benefits of such an approach on both the gardener and the wildlife.

Also, in the book, you’ll find an essential plant list that you can start out with. It breaks it down into 15 step-by-step projects based on designs that have been proven effective in recent decades. The author shows you how to plant more than 50 types of wildflowers that are suitable to your space. It takes you through the process of sowing and growing with respect to your plot size.

Like most other top-tier gardening books, The New Wild Garden is filled with beautiful and inspiring pictures. You get advice that will help even the most novice gardeners looking to bring out the wild side to their gardens and have it so, all year round.

What people say about this book…

“I like that this book offers specific strategies for creating several different types of wild gardens - grasslands, bogs, wild containers and more.”

“It is a good book with great ideas and advice and I am really glad I bought it, if you like naturalistic planting I recommend it.”

The California Wildlife Habitat Garden: How to Attract Bees, Butterflies, Birds, and Other Animals

By Nancy Bauer

The California Wildlife Habitat Garden is recommended for native California based gardeners looking to design their gardens to attract native pollinators. The author Nancy Bauer, shares her knowledge as a gardening instructor on how you can transform your backyard into an enjoyable ecosystem both by humans and wildlife. She emphasizes how you can bring out your individual creativity in the design rather than just settling for conventional methods.

The book itself is beautifully illustrated and filled with full-color photographs. You’ll find easy-to-follow tips on how you build shelters and feed common pollinators like birds, butterflies, and bees. It is also engaging and delightful to read. 

She also goes over environmentally friendly practices such as recycling plant waste on your site, avoiding insecticides and chemical fertilizers, using permeable pathways, and growing regionally appropriate plants. Also included are tips on how you can plant seasonal plants for birds like hummingbirds and host plants to keep the pollinators ever ever-present.

What people say about this book…

“This is an excellent book, packed with information, ideas, suggestions, and beautiful photographs. I'd say it's a must for anyone interested in creating an effective wildlife habitat in whatever space they have”

“New to California & needed to know what the critters here like in the garden. Great book & many ideas for the different California areas”

National Wildlife Federation: Attracting Birds, Butterflies, and Other Backyard Wildlife, Expanded Second Edition (Creative Homeowner) 17 Projects & Step-by-Step Instructions to Give Back to Nature

By David Mizejewski

If you are a complete beginner looking to learn a thing or two about native planting to attract pollinators, this book Attracting Birds, Butterflies, and Other Backyard Wildlife from the National Wildlife Federation would be the perfect start. The book narrows down all the tons of information on the subject of wildlife-friendly landscaping and planting into this short, straightforward guide to get you started in your journey. This way, it is informative without burying the reader with unnecessary details.

The author David Misejewski, a naturalist with the Natural Wildlife Federation, shares from his own personal experience. He goes into detail, showing what you can do in an urban or suburban yard to assist the wildlife flourish. You’ll learn which trees and plants you can put up and how you can provide food and shelter to the critters. MizeJewski also holds a degree in Human and Natural Ecology and was the host of television series on both NatGeo WILD and Animal planet.  He is passionate about natural gardening as a means of conserving wildlife.

The book is structured in a textbook style that is easy to read through and understand. It is backed by colorful photos and drawings to support each topic.  On top of that, you get a glossary of terms for the novice gardener to refer to. This includes a comprehensive list of materials you can use and useful plants you should focus on, as well as17 step-by-step projects you can practice with the family.

What people say about this book…

“This book is a fine introduction to wildlife-friendly landscaping, plants and trees that attract and provide food & shelter to birds, small critters, and butterflies you would enjoy seeing daily around your house.”

“A really great text for understanding the ecology in your backyard and its potential to support nature.”

Best Pollinator Garden Book Recommendations

Well, there you have it. Hopefully, with one of these at hand, you’ll be a step closer to transforming your yard into that perfect animal sanctuary. In turn, your plants will be healthier and more fruitful.

But it's so much more than our personal "gain." If the decline of pollinators like butterflies and bees continues the way it is going, our entire food system — and the human race according to Einstein — is in jeopardy.

If you want to learn more about sustainable gardening without chemicals — and how it can help protect the pollinators — take a look at our reviews of the best books about organic gardening.

For those of you who just wanted to view a quick list of our best pollinator garden book recommendations, let's recap our top picks.