SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2020 WAINWRIGHT PRIZE
The Sunday Times Best Nature Writing Books 2020
A naturalist’s passionate dive into the lives of bees (of all stripes)—and the natural world in her own backyard
Brigit Strawbridge Howard was shocked the day she realised she knew more about the French Revolution than she did about her native trees. And birds. And wildflowers. And bees. The thought stopped her—quite literally—in her tracks. But that day was also the start of a journey, one filled with silver birches and hairy-footed flower bees, skylarks, and rosebay willow herb, and the joy that comes with deepening one’s relationship with place. Dancing with Bees is Strawbridge Howard’s charming and eloquent account of a return to noticing, to rediscovering a perspective on the world that had somehow been lost to her for decades and to reconnecting with the natural world. With special care and attention to the plight of pollinators, including honeybees, bumblebees, and solitary bees, and what we can do to help them, Strawbridge Howard shares fascinating details of the lives of flora and fauna that have filled her days with ever-increasing wonder and delight.
Innehållsförteckning
Preface: Realisations
Introduction: The Honey Trap
1. Spring on the Wing
2. A Nest of One’s Own
3. What’s in a Name?
4. The Boys Are Back in Town
5. Bees Behaving Badly
6. The Upside-Down Bird
7. The Cabin by the Stream
8. Cuckoo, Cuckoo
9. On Swarms and Stings
10. To Bee, or Not to Bee
11. Seeking the Great Yellow Bumblebee, Part 1
12. Seeking the Great Yellow Bumblebee, Part 2
13. On Bovey Heathfield
14. In Praise of Trees
15. Sedgehill, a Natural History
16. Cotton Weavers
17. Time for Tea
18. Evergreen
19. Amongst the Snowdrops
Epilogue. Reflections
Acknowledgements
List of Illustrations
Selected Bibliography
Index
Om författaren
Brigit Strawbridge Howard is a bee advocate, wildlife gardener and naturalist. She writes, speaks, and campaigns to raise awareness of the importance of native wild bees and other pollinating insects. She lives in North Dorset with her husband, Rob.