A Field Guide to Your Own Back Yard - Softcover

Mitchell, John Hanson

3.78

41 ratings by Goodreads

9780881504743: A Field Guide to Your Own Back Yard

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0881504742 ISBN 13: 9780881504743

Publisher: Countryman Press, 1999

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A wise and poetic field guide to the lives, habits, and quirks of the natural world awaiting just beyond your doorstep .

"If there is grass and a few scraggling trees, there will be wildlife," suggests John Hanson Mitchell, an internationally recognized naturalist and advocate for tuning your senses to the wonders that await in your own backyard. Whether your yard consists of a small patch of grass or a rambling mix of forest and field, Mitchell will introduce you to the wealth of plants, insects, and animals that share your patch of the planet.

You'll learn how the behavior at the birdfeeder mirrors that of the deepest woods. You'll get a gander at the rich ecology of the woodpile. You'll get to know the neighbors you never knew you had who make their homes under the bark and in the holes of the trees. You'll learn why you might want to welcome a skunk into your garden. With wisdom and gentle humor, this book reacquaints you with the denizens of your own local habitat. 53 black & white illustrations

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From the Inside Flap:

Here is a book to enhance our appreciation of the small citizens of the world and to introduce us to the neighbors we never knew we had-from spotted salamanders to meadow voles, from snowy tree crickets to ambrosia beetles. The author blends his wisdom about the natural; world with gentle humor and instructive advice as he describes the songs of sparrows and the habits of skunks, tells how to pick morel mushrooms and how to avoid poison ivy, and considers the traditional uses of pokeweed and the origin of purslane.

Mitchell's vivid nature journal follows the seasons and observes the subtle changes throughout the year. Detailed illustrations by Laurel Molk help you identify the denizens of your local habitat. A field guide to the familiar yet often overlooked, this book reacquaints us with the rewards and the resilience of the natural world wherever it is found.

About the Author:

John Hanson Mitchell is the author of several books, including A Field Guide to Your Own Backyard (Countryman) and Ceremonial Time, and the editor of the award-winning natural history/environmental journal Sanctuary, published by the Massachusetts Audubon Society. He lives and gardens in Littleton, MA.

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