A Field Guide to Your Own Back Yard (Second Edition)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, all living within steps of your door. “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 of your environment. Whether your yard consists of a small stretch 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 corner of the world. Learn how the behavior at the birdfeeder mirrors that of the wild woods; get an inside view of the rich ecology of the woodpile; learn why you might want to welcome a skunk into your garden. In short, you’ll get to know the neighbors you never knew you had who make their homes all around yours. With wisdom and humor, this book reacquaints you with the denizens of your own local habitat. |
Contents
INTRODUCTION | 11 |
Willows | 29 |
SPRING | 45 |
Morels | 60 |
Ornamental Trees and Shrubs | 74 |
Air Patrol | 91 |
Dragonflies | 98 |
Backyard Bats | 112 |
Mushrooms | 175 |
Club Mosses | 189 |
Holes in Trees | 202 |
WINTER | 215 |
Winter Quarters | 220 |
The Ecology of the Woodpile | 233 |
LATE WINTER | 247 |
Spring in February | 262 |
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Common terms and phrases
adults appear areas autumn back yard bark bats beautiful beetles bird feeder branches broad-winged hawk brown butterflies caterpillars club moss color common creatures definite difficult dragonflies early eggs feed fern field finally find fireflies first five flies flight flock flowers flycatchers flying forest gall garden grass gray green grow hatch hawks hear hibernate hole horned owl inches insects land larvae late summer lawn leaves live look mammals maple meadow vole mice milk snake mosquitoes moth mourning cloak mouse mushrooms nearby nest night notice once patch pest phoebe plant poison ivy ponds possum raccoons salamanders season seeds skunk snakes snow snowy tree crickets soil sometimes song sparrows species spiders spot spotted salamander spring peeper squirrels stem suburban swallows tail tiny toads tree swallow trees twigs warblers warm watch weeds wild wildflowers willow wings wood frogs woodlands woodpecker yellow