California Bees and Blooms: A Guide for Gardeners and Naturalists

I am quite familiar with Gordon Frankie's website, helpabee.org, and was expecting similar information. I would say that the book and the website are complimentary. The first part of the book goes into quite a bit of detail about native bee speciess. Maybe it will become more useful to me after I've been growing flowers for bees awhile--for now I was mostly looking for information on what to grow. The plant encyclopedia doesn't seem as extensive as the plant lists on the website but it fleshes out the list on the website. There is a nice section of "recipes" for choosing plants for a bee garden, which is useful. And the short section on flower anatomy is an interesting read. But please also read the website if you're serious about creating a garden for bees--I don't feel like the book stands completely on its own in that regard.

Love this book. Gave it as a gift to a friend who is creating a country cottage garden in her yard and wants to attract pollinators. This book talks about which bees are attracted to which plants, which plants they like for each season, gardens to go see, great pictures, easy to read. Love this book.

This is an essential handbook for anyone interested in bees. Who knew that bees were such picky eaters? Who knew that California had so many wild bees that are critical to our environment? Who knew that it takes a variety of bees to pollinate any garden? This book identifies the bees and lists the plants they love, making it much easier to plant a garden that truly supports the environment.

Excellent reference for any gardener or outdoor enthusiast. Excellent layout and photographs to help anyone identify our indigenous bees and provide a habitat for them to thrive in. Ordering yet another copy to share with yet another gardener. A must have in your library!

I am a bee biologist, good reference for professionals who are interested in native bees.

Book came ahead of schedule. I found it as a good read and very resourceful with the information I wanted to gain from it. I’d recommend it to anybody looking on info for what to plant for bees.

Wonderful book with lots of information on Bees and how to attract them to your garden. I especially love the section on building habitats for bees in your yard. Very helpful.

Excellent book, lots of information. Good reading, could have a link to website with more plants. i do wish it was available in Kindle or as an eBook.

great book!