As my impromptu urban naturalizing activities have mostly only gained me quizzical looks and the odd hesitant question, I long thought I was the only person who did such things. Then I recently discovered the writings of Amanda Tuke.
Wild Pavements
Natural History
Outsider Animals
Cockroaches, cowbirds, gulls, raccoons; all widely derided animals, and yet all also remarkable in their lives and ecological roles if only ill-informed popular prejudices are put aside to learn more about them. Prof. Marlene Zuk provides a superb opportunity to do exactly this in her new book “Outsider Animals.”
An Infuriatingly Delightfully Complex Bird
When I first took up birdwatching, any mention I heard, any reference I read, any non-verbal cue I perceived regarding the European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) – at least when in regard to their existence in North America – was universally negative. “Trash birds!” was a common epithet. “Ought to be exterminated” and “invasive” were two […]
Unnatural Habitat
For an upcoming business trip to Los Angeles, I’m taking full advantage of a very interesting book published in 2024 by Heyday, Craig Stanford’s “Unnatural Habitat; the Native and Exotic Wildlife of Los Angeles,” to prepare myself for opportunities to observe and casually study the native and non native plants and animals I may see while there.