Explore Nature
Explore the mysteries and wonders of the natural world with these nonfiction titles.
The book of eels : our enduring fascination with the most mysterious creature in the natural world
Svensson, Patrik, 1972- author
2020
"Part H Is for Hawk, part The Soul of an Octopus, The Book of Eels is both a meditation on the world's most elusive fish-the eel-and a reflection on the human condition"-- Provided by publisher.
Braiding sweetgrass
Kimmerer, Robin Wall, author
2013
Drawing on her life as an indigenous scientist, and as a woman, Kimmerer shows how other living beings - asters and goldenrod, strawberries and squash, salamanders, algae, and sweetgrass - offer us gifts and lessons, even if we''ve forgotten how to hear their voices. In reflections that range from the creation of Turtle Island to the forces that threaten its flourishing today, she circles toward a central argument: that the awakening of ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgment andcelebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world. For only when we can hear the languages of other beings will we be capable of understanding the generosity of the earth, and learn to give our own gifts in return.
Entangled life : how fungi make our worlds, change our minds & shape our futures
Sheldrake, Merlin, author
2020
Biologist Merlin Sheldrake shows us the world from a fungal point of view, providing an exhilarating change of perspective. Sheldrake's vivid exploration takes us from yeast to psychedelics, to the fungi that range for miles underground, to those that link plants together in complex networks known as the "Wood Wide Web," to those that infiltrate and manipulate insect bodies with devastating precision. By examining fungi on their own terms, Sheldrake reveals how these extraordinary organisms - and our relationships with them - are changing our understanding of how life works.
Fuzz : when nature breaks the law
Roach, Mary, author
2021
Join "America's funniest science writer" (Peter Carlson, Washington Post) Mary Roach on an irresistible investigation into the unpredictable world where wildlife and humans meet. What's to be done about a jaywalking moose? A grizzly bear caught breaking and entering? A murderous tree? As author Mary Roach discovers, the answers are best found not in jurisprudence but in science: the curious science of human-wildlife conflict, a discipline at the crossroads of human behavior and wildlife biology. Roach tags along with animal attack forensics investigators, human-elephant conflict specialists, bear managers, and "danger tree" faller-blasters. She travels from leopard-terrorized hamlets in the Indian Himalaya to St. Peter's Square in the early hours before the Pope arrives for Easter Mass, when vandal gulls swoop in to destroy the elaborate floral display. Along the way, Roach reveals as much about humanity as about nature's lawbreakers. Combining little- known forensic science and conservation genetics with a motley cast of laser scarecrows, langur impersonators, and mugging macaques, Fuzz offers hope for compassionate coexistence in our ever-expanding human habitat.
The hidden world of the fox
Brand, Adele, author
2019
The fox. For thousands of years myth and folklore have celebrated its cunning intelligence. Today the red fox is nature's most populous carnivore, its dancing orange tail a common sight in backyards. Yet who is this wild neighbor, truly? How do we negotiate this uneasy new chapter of an ancient relationship? Join British ecologist Adele Brand on a journey to discover the surprising secrets of the fabled fox, the familiar yet enigmatic creature that has adapted to the human world with astonishing--some say, unsettling--success.
The nature of nature : why we need the wild
Sala, Enric, author
2020
"The Nature of Nature explores how the natural world works, outlines the consequences of its unraveling by our activities, and offers practical solutions-with a description of societal and economic benefits. The first ten chapters of this book are a step-by-step crash course in ecology--you might call it "ecology for people in a hurry": what species do, how they co-exist, and how the natural world self-assembles and works, compared to our human-built environment--with ideas on how to run our society and economy more efficiently. Chapter 11 discusses the moral case for the conservation of life on Earth, because utility cannot be the only lens through which we see the world. In other words: Do other creatures have a right to exist, and why? And finally, Chapter 12 explains why it makes more economic sense to protect more of the natural world than to degrade it. By talking to the brain and the heart, and at the same time reaching into the pocket, this book illuminates an inner appreciation for all life on Earth, instills a greater sense of humility, and helps us understand why we need a world with wild places"-- Provided by publisher.
The secret wisdom of nature : trees, animals, and the extraordinary balance of all living things : stories from science and observation
Wohlleben, Peter, 1964- author
2019
Taking us on a tour of an almost unfathomable world, Wohlleben describes the fascinating interplay between animals and plants and how they influence, support, and communicate with each other. Introducing us to the latest scientific discoveries and recounting his own insights from decades of observing nature, the world's most famous forester shows us how to recapture our sense of awe so we can see the environment around us with completely new eyes.
The snow leopard project : and other adventures in warzone conservation
Dehgan, Alex, author
2019
This remarkable story of a scientist's heroic efforts to protect Afghanistan's wildlife amidst war offers a unique portrait of a culture that derives immense pride and a sense of national identity from the landscape.
The soul of an octopus : a surprising exploration into the wonder of consciousness
Montgomery, Sy, author
2015
Talking with bears : conversations with Charlie Russell
Bradshaw, G. A. (Gay A.), 1959- author
2020
This is an intimate portrait of Charlie Russell's philosophy of nature. Accompanied by stunning photography, the book is written in narrative form, the way Charlie spoke and shared his stories and knowledge with others. Each of the chapters describes some facet of Charlie's philosophy and experiences through the stories of individual bears and what they taught him: the meaning of trust, respect, attention, love, and much more.
The triumph of seeds : how grains, nuts, kernels, pulses, & pips conquered the plant kingdom and shaped human history
Hanson, Thor, author
2015
Underland : a deep time journey
Macfarlane, Robert, 1976- author.
2019
In Underland, Macfarland delivers his masterpiece: an epic exploration of the Earth's underworlds as they exist in myth, literature, memory, and the land itself. He takes us on an extraordinary journey into our relationship with darkness, burial, and what lies beneath the surface of both place and mind. Traveling through "deep time" - the dizzying expanses of geologic time that stretch away from the present - he moves from the birth of the universe to a post-human future, from the prehistoric art of Norwegian sea caves to the blue depths of the Greenland ice cap, from Bronze Age funeral chambers to the catacomb labyrinth below Paris, and from the underground fungal networks through which trees communicate to a deep-sunk "hiding place" where nuclear waste will be stored for 100,000 years to come.
Voices in the ocean : a journey into the wild and haunting world of dolphins
Casey, Susan, 1962- author
2015
Wicked plants : the weed that killed Lincoln's mother and other botanical atrocities
Stewart, Amy
2009
The wild remedy : how nature mends us : a diary
Mitchell, Emma, author
2019
Emma Mitchell doesn't want to beat around the hawthorn bush, she suffers with depression, and has done for twenty-five years. In 2009, the stresses of a city job became too much and she decided to move her family into a cottage in the Cambridgeshire Fens. She swapped days in the office for walks in the wood. There she began to get better. And better. Her encounters with nature proving to be as medicinal as any therapy or drug. In Emma's hand-illustrated diary, she takes us with her as she stomps the paths and trails around her home and further afield, sharing her nature finds and tracking the lives of local flora and fauna over the course of a year. Reflecting on how these encounters impact her mood, she explains the science behind such changes, calling on new research into forest bathing and our innate urge to be among leafy, furred and feathered things. Filled with Emma's beautiful drawings, paintings and photography, this is a book for those who want to bring a little piece of the outdoors with them, whether you struggle with low mood or just love discovering more about the natural world.
World of wonders : in praise of fireflies, whale sharks, and other astonishments
Nezhukumatathil, Aimee.
2020
"From beloved, poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil comes a debut work of nonfiction-a collection of essays about the natural world, and the way its inhabitants can teach, support, and inspire us."