Insects and Gardens : In Pursuit of a Garden Ecology

by Grissell, Eric

• ISBN13: 9780881925043
• ISBN10: 0881925047
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-10-01
• Publisher: Workman Pub Co

Summary

Professional entomologist and amateur gardener Eric Grissell suggests that it might be time to declare a truce with the insects in our lives. With a sound basis in science and a practical grounding in gardening experience, Grissell introduces the reader to the role of insects in garden ecology. His insightful account of insect biology is supported by gorgeous photographs, which reveal a captivating beauty and illustrate the vital interdependence between insects and plants. Now available in paperback, this book will be loved by anyone seeking a greater appreciation and understanding of these often-maligned garden visitors.

Author Biography

Eric Grissell earned his doctorate from the University of California, Davis. He is a research entomologist for the Systematic Entomology Laboratory, USDA, in Washington, D.C., and the author of two books on gardening, Thyme on My Hands and A Journal in Thyme, as well as numerous scientific papers Carll Goodpasture divides his time between the United States and Norway. He studied photography and cinematography before obtaining his doctorate in entomology from the University of California, Davis. His career activities include research entomology, clinical cytogenetics, and biological photography. His photography is exhibited internationally

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. 9
Introduction	p. 11
Lives of the Insects	p. 17
What Is (and Is Not) an Insect?	p. 20
Orders in the Garden	p. 34
Some Basics of Insect Development	p. 71
Survival	p. 98
The Ecology of Gardening	p. 117
The Function of Insects in the Garden	p. 122
The Interactions between Insects and Plants	p. 146
The Interactions of Insects with Each Other	p. 176
Conceptions: A View to the Garden	p. 200
Diversity: The Basis of a Balanced Garden	p. 215
Insects and Humans: The Gardener's Perspective	p. 233
Increasing Diversity in the Garden	p. 236
Inviting Insects into the Garden	p. 262
Fear and Loathing: A Gardener's Guide	p. 283
Appreciating Insects	p. 301
The Realistic Gardener	p. 316
Additional Reading	p. 327
Index	p. 331
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

When an insect awakens, the first thought that comes to its puny mind is not how much trouble it can create for you, the gardener. The concept of trouble is confined entirely to the mind of the gardener and his philosophical outlook on such things. As for the insect, all it wishes to do is eat, develop, and reproduce. In fact, it does not even know it wants to do this. An insect does what its genes instruct it to do and has no preconceived idea of what it wants to do. In metaphysical terms, an insect simply is - it is the living essence of isness. Insects play a diverse and complex role in our gardens, of which gardeners have little knowledge. At most we might be familiar with the aphids that attack our roses or the butterflies we see fluttering by (if we are lucky); we might note a few ants in passing or a hornworm on our tomatoes. But essentially gardeners know very little about insects. Ignorance can certainly be blissful, but a good dose of reality now and again is more useful. Ignorance should be overcome - in some cases, at least - and I believe that our gardens will be better off for the effort. It may seem superfluous to state that the focal points of all garden interactions are the plant - no plant, no garden. (Some could agree and point to a contemplative gravel garden, I suppose, but then they would not be reading a book such as this.) The horrible truth about plants is that plant-eating creatures, or herbivores, attack them.