Earth Day is the time to head outdoors and let Amy Stewart be your guide.

Amy is the award-winning author of books on the perils and pleasures of the natural world, including New York Times bestsellers, Wicked Bugs, Wicked Plants and Flower Confidential. And, of course, her spirited take on gardening,The Drunken Botanist. (The ‘T’ in the title is already a little tipsy, as you can see.)

Amy started her journey From the Ground Up, her quirky, humorous chronicle of the blossoms and weeds in her first garden and the lessons she learned the hard way: “The old adage about politics and sausage is true for roses as well: People who like roses should not watch them grow.”

Said the San Diego Union Tribune: “Every gardener has a first garden, and like most beginners, they experience a heady mix of highs — the roses bloom — and lows — snails eat every single carrot seedling. Amy Stewart was no exception, but unlike many novices, the native Texan kept a diary of her efforts to make the land around her Santa Cruz cottage bloom. That yearlong chronicle is now a charming, humorous book.” Click here to read an excerpt from From the Ground Up.

Reading Amy’s garden tales, you’ll feel The Earth Moved: On the Remarkable Achievements of Earthworms and jump into this “a completely original combination of science and passion” (New York Times). The earthworm may be small, spineless, and blind, but its role in the ecosystem is profound. It tills the soil, destroys microscopic organisms that cause plant disease, breaks down toxins, and turns the ground into rich compost, creating the most fertile areas on earth. Click here to read an excerpt from The Earth Moved.