Thanks to those of you who attended our February 24th Nature Night, Gardening for a Home Wildlife Haven! It was an entertaining and in-depth look at how to create a wildlife haven at your own home, no matter the size. If you missed the presentation or would like to see parts of it again, you can watch a recording of her presentation below.
Yvonne provided an incredible amount of information during her Nature Night presentation. Some of the resources she mentioned include:
- Nature's Best Hope by Douglas L. Tallamy
- Noah's Garden by Sara Stein
- OSU Extension's fire wise landscaping
- Check out Yvonne's business, Your Garden Companion
- Local native plant nurseries: Wintercreek Nursery, Great Basin Nursery, High Desert Horticulture.
Other books in Yvonne's presentation include:
- Bees: An Identification and Native Plant Forage Guide by Heather N. Holm
- National Wildlife Federation: Attracting Birds, Butterflies, and Other Backyard Wildlife by David Mizejewski
- Butterfly Gardening: Creating Summer Magic in Your Garden by Xerces Society staff
- The Butterflies of Central Oregon by Buddy Mays
- The Soil Will Save Us: How Scientists, Farmers, and Foodies are Healing the Soil to Save the Planet by Kristin Ohlson
- Organic Soil-Fertility and Weed Management by Steve Gilman
- Life in the Soil: A Guide for Naturalists & Gardeners by James B. Nardi
- Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake
- Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard
- Oregon’s Dry Side: Exploring East of the Cascade Crest by Alan D. St. John
- Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands: Guiding Principles to Welcome Rain into Your Life and Landscape by Brad Lancaster
- Mammals of Washington and Oregon by Tamara Eder
- Cascade Field Guide: Art, Ecology, Poetry by CMarie Fuhrman, Elizabeth Bradfield, and Derek Sheffield
- Resilience Practice: Building Capacity to Absorb Disturbance and Maintain Function by Brian Walker and David Salt
- Grow a Little Fruit Tree: Simple Pruning Techniques for Small-Space, Easy-Harvest Fruit Trees by Ann Ralph
Yvonne Babb was a farm child, raised on rich Illinois soils. She finished her B.S. degree in Recreation in Reno and Eugene. After instructing at outdoor schools in Portland in the early 1980s, she became a nature nerd and continued studies and environmental work in the Southwest, Southeast, and back in the Pacific Northwest.
After a decade teaching at the Bend Waldorf School, Yvonne finished a Master’s in Education from OSU and completed the OSU Extension Master Gardener program. This instigated the start of her sustainable gardening business, Your Garden Companion, in 2013, which won the Bulletin’s Best of the Best Landscape Award in 2023. She attributes the award to their strong ethics and specialty in native plants with science-based, regenerative practices that always strive for improvement. This is year twelve of Your Garden Companion and their motto is: Teaming with Nature. Teeming with Life.
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