Great Resources
Useful tools to help you improve the health of your landscape
Your Brain on Nature
For those of us who are plant geeks, it’s an easy decision to pick up yet another plant book on Amazon or at our local bookstore. There are so many great books on plants (some of my favs on native plants were written by the brilliant William Cullina, now the Executive Director of Coastal Maine Botanical Garden). But, we garden mavens rarely explore books on nature or ecology. Here is a “nature” book that is well worth reading: Your Brain on Nature: The Science of Nature’s Influence on Your Healthy, Happiness, and Vitality. The authors are Eva Selhub and Alan Logan. Dr. Selhub is a Clinical Associate of the Benson Henry Institute for Mind/Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, and Alan Logan is a naturopathic doctor and researcher.
Your Brain on Nature is touted as an antidote for the technology-addicted (most of us!) and quite fascinating. The author’s explore biophilia, the human bond with nature, and reveal how being in nature not only makes us feel better, but contributes to our physical health. One chapter cites “forest bathing” studies in Japan which “have confirmed that spending time within a forest setting can reduce psychological stress, depressive symptoms, and hostility, while at the same time improving sleep and increasing both vigor and a feeling of liveliness.”
If you needed another reason to take a walk in the woods or dig in your garden, this book will provide it!
More Great Resources
Finding Native Plant Nurseries
Over the past decade, it has gotten easier to find native plants, but it can still feel like finding the Holy Grail. Native nurseries have grown in numbers, but are not as common as native enthusiasts would like. An increasing number of conventional nurseries are selling native plants, but traditional…
The Pollinator Partnership
Learning about pollinators and how to help them can be a challenge – not only finding reliable information, but finding information that you can actually use. One of the most helpful resources available is the Pollinator Partnership. The Pollinator Partnership is a non-profit organization, describing itself as “the largest in…
Into the Nest
If you find yourself captivated by birds in your landscape, you are not alone. According to the latest research report from the USDA Forest Service, almost 68 million Americans participate in bird watching and photographing. Even with a great pair of binoculars or an expensive camera with a huge telephoto…