The site includes guide to identifying insects, discussion forums, and a vast collection of images. “We are an online community of naturalists who enjoy learning about and sharing our observations of insects, spiders, and other related creatures.”
Archives: Recommended Websites
Ecoregional Planting Guides (for pollinators)
A collections of booklets that recommends the best plants for attracting pollinators such as bees, butterflies and birds to various eco-geographic regions of the United States, including the “Pacific lowland mixed province forest” (Oregon & Washington). The booklet also describes the pollinators likely to be found living in the regions as well as general information on encouraging pollinator populations. Published by the The Pollinator Partnership┢/North American Pollinator Protection Campaign.
Attract Hummingbirds to Your Garden
Article by J. Olsen and N. Allen (2002). “Among the many birds attracted to gardens, hummingbirds can be the most appealing. Not only are these “garden jewels” fun to watch, hummingbirds play an important role in our environment by pollinating flowers and feeding on insects.”
Attracting wildlife to your backyard
By Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife. This website provides information on how to create a backyard habitat.
Beneficial Insects, Spiders, and Other Mini-Creatures in Your Garden
Published by Washington State University Extension. This manual provides strategies to encourage beneficial insects, spiders, and mites to visit and stay in your garden landscape, and set up defense lines against the troublesome herbivores.
A Citizen Science Guide to Wild Bees and Floral Visitors in Western Washington
“This guide is intended to provide the tools to identify and monitor wild bees and other floral visitors in the Puget Sound Region.”
Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA)
“The Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA) project is an ambitious effort to collect and provide access to quality-controlled data about butterflies and moths for the continent of North America from Panama to Canada.” Species observations submitted by citizen-scientists and verified by experts populate a map-linked database. Users may search the database by location or species to find detailed records with fields such as caterpillar host plants and habitat.
Pollinator Partnership
This organization is focused on promoting pollinator health through “conservation, education, and research. Signature initiatives include the NAPPC (North American Pollinator Protection Campaign), National Pollinator Week, and the Ecoregional Planting Guides.” The Resources section includes a learning center and webinars on issues such as habitat restoration.
Creating a Hummingbird Garden (pdf)
Pamphlet by Jodi K. Hoctor, Washington State University Extension. Includes a description of hummingbird species, hummingbird feeders, and recommended plantings. PDF
BugGuide.Net
The site includes guide to identifying insects,discussion forums, and a vast collection of images. “We are an online community of naturalists who enjoy learning about and sharing our observations of insects, spiders, and other related creatures.”