Wildscape
Trilling Chipmunks, Beckoning Blooms, Salty Butterflies, and other Sensory Wonders of Nature
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
From Nancy Lawson, author of The Humane Gardener, a first-of-its-kind guide that takes readers on an insightful and personal exploration of the secret lives of animals and plants.
Master naturalist Nancy Lawson takes readers on a fascinating tour of the vibrant web of nature outside our back door—where animals and plants perceive and communicate using marvelous sensory abilities we are only beginning to understand. Organized into chapters investigating each of their five senses, Lawson's exploration reveals a remarkable world of interdependent creatures with amazing capabilities
You'll learn of ultrasound clicks humans can't hear, and ultraviolet colors humans can't see. You'll cross paths with foraging American bumblebees drawn to the scent of wild bergamot, urban sparrows who adapt their mating song in response to human clamor, trees that amp up their growth in response to deer and moose saliva, and a chipmunk behaving like the world's smallest pole vaulter to nab juicy red berries hanging from the lowest parts of a coral honeysuckle vine.
Synthesizing cutting-edge scientific research, original interviews with animal and plant researchers, and poetic observations made in her own garden, Lawson shows us how to appreciate the natural environment from the sensory perspective of our wild neighbors right outside our door and beyond, and how to respect and nurture the habitats they need to survive.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"Exploring in your own backyard can open up your imagination, and in the process, your humanity," suggests habitat consultant Lawson (The Humane Gardener) in this pleasant paean to the natural world. Encouraging readers to develop a greater appreciation for local wildlife, she delves into the ways that organisms perceive and interact with their environments. Lawson uses her suburban Maryland garden as a jumping-off point and describes the animals and plants with whom she shares her property, including male butterflies that use pheromones to "advertise their virility" and bees drawn to the scent of wild bergamot flowers, which contain a compound that inhibits parasites. She examines the intricate relationships between plants and animals, as when she notes that tree crickets craft "DIY megaphones" out of leaves to amplify their calls and that "about seven thousand plant species from Alaska to Patagonia" depend on hummingbirds for spreading their pollen. Lawson succeeds in highlighting the wondrous abilities of plants and animals, though her focus on "local" wildlife will be most relevant to those who live in ecosystems similar to her Maryland environs. Additionally, beautiful photographs illustrating the animals' abilities nicely complement her explanations. The result is a blissful appreciation of nature. Photos.
