Protecting Pollinators: How to Save the Creatures that Feed our World

Jodi Helmer
Island Press, £20.99

The title of Protecting Pollinators by Jodi Helmer clearly states the message of this book loud and clear. We need to do more to help our often-neglected pollinator friends.

As one would predict from a book focused on pollinators (with a picture of a honeybee on the front cover), much of the narrative focuses on honeybees. But Helmer goes beyond honeybees and enlightens us about other animal pollinators. Tequila pollinating bats, buzz pollinating bumblebees and Rufous hummingbirds all feature in this colour depiction of animal pollination.

Helmer covers important topics in pollinator conservation including controversial issues such as pesticide use and the removal of invasive species. The narrative of the book is also frequented by additional text boxes, which feature a range of intriguing, informative and helpful notes on pollinator conservation. These text boxes are a real highlight of the book, although they do at times somewhat ruin the flow of the main text.

The last chapter of Protecting Pollinators focuses on citizen science and offers suggestions of how you (the reader) can help pollinators in your back garden. The message throughout this book is urgent and the writing convincing. The message in Protecting Pollinators is one we should all take seriously.

Harry Siviter