hello, nature! welcome pollinators (win a how-to guide), butterflies, and birds

Spring was apparently canceled last night when 40F crashed to 10, and pellets of ice started falling, topped with a layer of new snow. I'm thinking bees, butterflies, and birds, though -- bring it on, please!

As I scan catalogs and think about the garden to come, one common trait keeps surfacing in the plants I'm attracted to: wildlife friendly (and no, I don't mean deer!).

new! bee-friendly gardening, and book giveaway

Our gardens and farms -- our lives -- depend on pollinators such as bees, but these critical creatures are under grave pressure. Can gardeners help? Entomologist and pollinator-conservation specialist Kelly Gill says yes. Get the full story, with two copies of "Attracting Native Pollinators," the Xerces Society guide, up for grabs! 

what about the monarchs?

"Where are the monarch butterflies?" so many gardeners asked last year. What's going on, and is there anything we can do? Conservation biologist Dr. Karen Oberhauser, a University of Minnesota professor and leading force in its Monarch Lab, who has studied Danaus plexippus for almost 30 years, explains, starting here.  

more on welcoming wildlife:

• Nest box 101: Get the birdhouses ready
• 11 steps to a bird-friendly garden
• Hummingbird mints, salvias and more
• The water garden: Where the action is
• How I'm mowing some areas differently to add diversity