Allison Mia Starcher is a professional illustrator specializing in plants and insects. GOOD BUGS FOR YOUR GARDEN is an artist’s sketchbook of the insects you don’t want to kill. From the introduction:
I never gave insects much thought until I began to battle a never-ending parade of snails, aphids, and caterpillars in my garden. I’d know it was spring when I would walk out into the garden to find my roses covered with aphids. As a fairly conscientious organic gardener, I just couldn’t bring myself to douse my plants with chemicals. So began a quest to educate myself about the good bugs that either already inhabited my garden or could be persuaded to take up residence there. Like most of you, I didn’t want to know everything about every bug. I just wanted to know about the beneficial ones—those whose habits help control the peskier insects that damage our plants. What did they look like? Where were they found? What did they eat? And how could I keep them happy in my garden?
"A valuable addition to a gardener's book shelf." --Los Angeles Times
Allison Starcher
GOOD BUGS FOR YOUR GARDEN (Algonquin)
I never gave insects much thought until I began to battle a never-ending parade of snails, aphids, and caterpillars in my garden. I’d know it was spring when I would walk out into the garden to find my roses covered with aphids. As a fairly conscientious organic gardener, I just couldn’t bring myself to douse my plants with chemicals. So began a quest to educate myself about the good bugs that either already inhabited my garden or could be persuaded to take up residence there. Like most of you, I didn’t want to know everything about every bug. I just wanted to know about the beneficial ones—those whose habits help control the peskier insects that damage our plants. What did they look like? Where were they found? What did they eat? And how could I keep them happy in my garden?
Allison lives in Southern California.
“Charmingly illustrated guide…informative.” —Publisher’s Weekly