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  • The Garden Jungle

  • Or Gardening to Save the Planet
  • Written by: Dave Goulson
  • Narrated by: Dave Goulson
  • Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins
  • 5.0 out of 5 stars (4 ratings)

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The Garden Jungle

Written by: Dave Goulson
Narrated by: Dave Goulson
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Publisher's Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

The Sunday Times best seller.

The Garden Jungle is about the wildlife that lives right under our noses, in our gardens and parks, between the gaps in the pavement and in the soil beneath our feet. Wherever you are right now, the chances are that there are worms, woodlice, centipedes, flies, silverfish, wasps, beetles, mice, shrews and much, much more, quietly living within just a few paces of you.

Dave Goulson gives us an insight into the fascinating and sometimes weird lives of these creatures, taking us burrowing into the compost heap, digging under the lawn and diving into the garden pond. He explains how our lives and ultimately the fate of humankind are inextricably intertwined with that of earwigs, bees, lacewings and hoverflies, unappreciated heroes of the natural world.

The Garden Jungle is at times an immensely serious book, exploring the environmental harm inadvertently done by gardeners who buy intensively reared plants in disposable plastic pots, sprayed with pesticides and grown in peat cut from the ground. Goulson argues that gardens could become places where we can reconnect with nature and rediscover where food comes from. With just a few small changes, our gardens could become a vast network of tiny nature reserves, where humans and wildlife can thrive together in harmony rather than conflict.

For anyone who has a garden and cares about our planet, this book is essential listening.

©2019 Dave Goulson (P)2019 Penguin Audio

What listeners say about The Garden Jungle

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Easy listening, well informed!

Thoroughly enjoyed the melodic and charming tone in which the book was conveyed. Often information delivered in ecological topics can feel condescending, scary or hopeless, but not here. The listener is empowered and inspired to enjoy and support the beauty of our world. The author is very well versed and has showcased his knowledge in a very amiable manner.

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Enjoyable, and connectable.

Listened to the whole thing with a partner, over a single week! Plan on buying and listening to more from Dave Goulson soon.

The book is largely concerning the UK, which, as a Canadian, was fine with me. Usually I'm stuck listening or reading US information, so it's not new that the exact climate, species, etc, aren't exactly what I might have here. On top of that, I will admit that I am more of the kitchen gardener, so some of his information on beautiful ornamentals was lost on me.

To say that this is worth a listen would be inadequate. It's fun (sometimes funny, even) and informative - the best kind of non-fiction. Dave also puts a lot of heart into his reading of it.

My favourite parts of this were likely concerning his research done on pesticides on plants sold as "pollinator friendly", the information on earwigs, ants, and of course my favourites: worms and bumblebutts...er..I mean bumblebees.

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