From ash die-back to the Great Storm of 1987 to Dutch elm disease, our much-loved woodlands seem to be under constant threat from a procession of natural challenges. Just when we need trees most, to help combat global warming and to provide places of retreat for us and our wildlife, they seem at greatest peril. But these dangers force us to reconsider the narrative we construct about trees and the roles we press on them. In this now classic book, Richard Mabey looks at how, for more than a thousand years, we have appropriated and humanised trees, turning them into arboreal pets, status symbols, expressions of fashionable beauty - anything rather than allow them lives of their own. And in the poetic and provocative style he has made his signature, Mabey argues that respecting trees' independence and ancient powers of survival may be the wisest response to their current crises. Originally published with the title Beechcombings, this updated edition includes a new foreword and afterword by the author.

The Ozark Mountains in Missouri and Arkansas have had a long history of foraging, ever since the earliest white settlers came from the Appalachians and survived off of what they could find, trap, and hunt. Today, foraging remains a major activity among the outdoor community there, supported in large part by established buyers of local edibles such as ginseng, wild berries, and nuts. Foraging the Ozarks, written by local wilderness expert Bo Brown, highlights about a hundred commonly found edibles in the Interior Highlands, from ubiquitous herbs to endemic species. With sidebars, recipes, helpful tips, and toxin warnings throughout, Foraging the Ozarks is the only guidebook the Ozark outdoor enthusiast will need to pick it, cook it, and eat it.

This engaging illustrated guidebook reveals the fascinating mosses and lichens that homeowners, outdoorspeople, and nature lovers encounter every day in Ohio and the Midwest. In this guide to the most common and distinctive moss, liverwort, and lichen species in Ohio, readers will find concise physical descriptions, facts about natural history and ecology, and tips to distinguish look-alike species, all presented in a friendly, conversational tone. Featuring detailed photographs of the plant and plantlike species in their natural settings, the book covers 106 mosses, thirty liverworts, and one hundred lichens and offers several avenues to match a specimen to its description page. "Where They Grow" chapters spotlight species commonly encountered on field outings, and field keys to help readers quickly identify unfamiliar samples. While designed primarily as an identification tool, this guide also frames moss and lichen spotting in a scientific context. The two main sections--bryophytes and lichens--detail their respective taxonomic kingdoms, explain their life cycles and means of reproduction, and illustrate variation in the traits used for identification. The book is an introduction to the biology of these intriguing but too-often-overlooked organisms and a means to enjoy, identify, and catalog the biodiversity all around us.

This title explores the botany, ecology, and rich lore of Texas wildflowers, in easy-to-locate color groupings. Each spring throughout the celebrated hill country and well beyond, locals and visitors revel in the palettes and variety of Texas wildflowers. From the Panhandle canyonlands to the islands of South Texas, from the eastern Pineywoods to the farthest reaches of the arid Trans-Pecos, some 5,000 species dot Texas' 268,820 square miles. Now ""Lone Star Wildflowers"" offers easy identification through color grouping and a wealth of insight from the origin of scientific and common names to growth cycles, uses, history, and native lore. Nieland and Finley have made countless forays with camera and notebook and have broadened their approach through years of research. In language accessible to every enthusiast, they offer wildflower lovers unparalleled enrichment. In the field, by the roadside, or in the classroom, ""Lone Star Wildflowers"" reveals the science, ecology, and rich lore of Texas flowers with these helpful features: nearly 500 full-color flower photographs, grouped according to the color spectrum and further arranged by family; an 'Exploring Further' section in each color category, showing details of seedpods, leaves, buds, and fruits; current and historical uses of each flower, including applications for landscaping, water conservation, traditional medicine, pharmaceuticals, and food; information about plant toxins and range management practices affecting livestock and wildlife; and, coverage of growth cycles throughout the seasons, depicting young plants, buds, mature seed heads, and fruits as well as flowers.

Elegant and beautiful, rich in history and supremely useful, birches have played an extraordinary yet largely unrecognized part in shaping both our natural environment and the material culture and beliefs of millions of people around the world. For thousands of years they have given people of the northern forests and beyond raw materials in the form of leaves, twigs, branches and bark, as well as wood and sap, not simply to survive but to flourish and express their identity in practical and spiritual ways. Tough, waterproof and flexible, birch bark has been used for everything from basketry and clothing to housing and transport, musical instruments and medicines, as well as a means to communicate and record sacred beliefs: some of our most ancient Buddhist texts and other historic documents are written on birch bark. Birches have not only shaped regional cultures - creating, for example, the Native American wigwam and the birch bark canoe - but continue to supply raw materials of global economic importance today. Birch explores the multiple uses of these versatile trees as well as the ancient beliefs and folklore with which they are associated. Richly illustrated, this book presents a fascinating overview of their cultural and ecological significance, from botany to literature and art, as Anna Lewington looks both at the history of birches and what the future may hold in store for them.

'Trees are wildlife just as deer or primroses are wildlife. Each species has its own agenda and its own interactions with human activities ...' Written by one of Britain's best-known naturalists, Woodlands offers a fascinating new insight into the trees of the British landscape that have filled us with awe and inspiration throughout the centuries. Looking at such diverse evidence as the woods used in buildings and ships, and how woodland has been portrayed in pictures and photographs, Rackham traces British woodland through the ages, from the evolution of wildwood, through man's effect on the landscape, modern forestry and its legacy, and recent conservation efforts and their effects. In his lively and thoroughly engaging style, Rackham explores woodlands and their history, through names, surveys, mapping and legal documents, archaeology, photographs and works of art, thus offering an utterly compelling insight into British woodlands and how they have come to shape a national obsession.

Lives of Weeds explores the tangled history of weeds and their relationship to humans. Through eight interwoven stories, John Cardina offers a fresh perspective on how these tenacious plants came about, why they are both inevitable and essential, and how their ecological success is ensured by determined efforts to eradicate them. Linking botany, history, ecology, and evolutionary biology to the social dimensions of humanity's ancient struggle with feral flora, Cardina shows how weeds have shaped-and are shaped by-the way we live in the natural world. Weeds and attempts to control them drove nomads toward settled communities, encouraged social stratification, caused environmental disruptions, and have motivated the development of GMO crops. They have snared us in social inequality and economic instability, infested social norms of suburbia, caused rage in the American heartland, and played a part in perpetuating pesticide use worldwide. Lives of Weeds reveals how the technologies directed against weeds underlie ethical questions about agriculture and the environment, and leaves readers with a deeper understanding of how the weeds around us are entangled in our daily choices.

This new volume in the Photographic Guide series contains fact-filled descriptions highlighting key identification features of New Zealand trees and more than 135 color photographs of the most frequently encountered and interesting trees in New Zealand. More than 100 spieces are featured in the book, which also includes distribution maps showing where the various trees are most likely to be found. Like the other books in the series, this book features thumbnail outlines of each family group for quick identification, and comes in a compact, easy-to-use format, making it the ideal pocket-sized traveling companion. This new book is ideal for anyone with an interest in natural history.

Ramahandra Guha and several leading ecological thinkers come together for the first time to provide an in-depth account of the history and origins of forestry and wildlife in India.

These journal chapters of ALIVE Volume 2 are descriptive of the author's walks outdoors enjoying nature and communing with the Lord whom he loved. Dr. Fowler writes, "The title of this book is spelled with five full capitalized uppercase letters (A-L-I-V-E) followed by a throbbing exclamation point ( ) so that it will be read as a celebrational shout, an exultant affirmation upon a silver trumpet. Its title is not simply 'ALIVE ' The word 'alive' is merely a word spoken as a word, nothing more, whereas this book and title ALIVE are both explosive shouts of joy-a vital joy that is at once exultant and serenely calm. There is a disposition, a healthful state of soul, an attitude toward the allness of life in these pages which is greater than any single insight or described experience in any one chapter. "Glad-to-be-alive is the theme which most occupies this book." Samuel W. Fowler was born November 30, 1934, in Washington, D.C. He trusted Christ as his Savior October 12, 1954. He received his Th.D.from Dallas Theological Seminary and was professor of Bible and Theology for 43 years in several Bible colleges. His unique teaching and preaching style reached many students who are now serving the Lord around the world. He also served as interim pastor and full-time pastor in several churches. Dr. Fowler's previous works Coping Strategies, Meditations on the Glory of God, Afoot and Delighthearted, and ALIVE Volume 1 have been a blessing to many Christians. Although Dr. Fowler's expertise was in Bible and Theology, he also had a deep love of nature, which inspired him to become a poet. Dr. Fowler was ushered into the presence of His Glory on July 11, 2008.

Clifton Bain now completes his trilogy with this look at the Peatlands of Britain and Ireland. A source of fuel for many generations, they are now a haven for wildlife and plants as well as a storehouse of greenhouse gasses. Their social history is one of exploitation and the value of mending and restoring is a major theme of the book. Like its predecessors, The Peatlands of Britain and Ireland will be a sumptuous volume richly illustrated with photographs and with drawings by the wildlife artist Darren Rees.

THE UPDATED, AUTHORITATIVE GUIDE TO SPORTS FIELD MANAGEMENT THAT INCLUDES THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN, AND ON, THE FIELD The updated Third Edition of Sports Fields: Design, Construction, and Maintenance is a comprehensive reference for professionals who are responsible for the design, construction, renovation, and maintenance of athletic facilities. This book contains illustrative examples of specific design elements of the most popular sports facilities. This Third Edition contains new chapters on safety, public relations, and professionalism for future sports field managers, as well as fresh drawings and photos that highlight innovative field layout, grading, irrigation, and drainage. All-new case studies review best practices and techniques for sports fields ranging from youth and high school fields to fields that are designed for professional athletes. This text is also an ideal resource for anyone studying for Sports Field Manager Certification (offered by STMA). Features new case studies that include design and management best practices for all levels and types of sports facilities Offers new chapters on safety, public relations, and professionalism for future sports field managers Includes new illustrations and photos of innovative field layout, grading, irrigation, and drainage Contains the most recent information on sand-based field systems and synthetic turf Presents discussions of a range of fields including baseball, softball, football, soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, tennis, and track and field Sports Fields: Design, Construction, and Maintenance, Third Edition is a blueprint for field managers, designers, and builders for successful sports field projects.

Grasses and bamboos are part of the same botanical group, the grass family, also called Poaceae, a family with an estimated 12,000 species. Grasses occur throughout the world with similar diversity in the tropical and temperate regions, in all climates, and at all elevations. Madagascar is no exception. The grass family is the most economically important group of plants which has always been closely involved in people's lives. Grasses provide food: rice (Oryza sativa), maize (Zea mays), sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum), and breadwheat (Triticum aestivum) are all members of the grass family. Grasses also provide food for cattle and shelter as bamboo (e.g. Bambusa vulgaris) or bararata (Phragmites mauritianus), while the valiha (Valiha diffusa) is used to make musical instruments. Grasses are planted as lawns (e.g. Cynodon dactylon), planted to prevent erosion (e.g. Chrysopogon zizanoides), and planted as decorative hedges (e.g. Phyllostachys aurea, Pogonatherum paniceum). Madagascar's grasses are still poorly known and many endemic species have only been recorded once or twice. More collections and records are necessary to understand the true diversity and species distribution. This guide hopes to encourage study and collecting of grasses by showing how beautiful and interesting these plants can be, and by providing a practical means of identification at the generic level. The current available knowledge on the genera of Madagascar Poaceae has been compiled and summarised, with an emphasis on easily visible characters to verify generic identity. 144 grasses are described with life size colour photographs to aid identification. This guide is for all botanists, naturalists, students, and other people interested in the grass family. It may be of use to Poaceae specialists but its primary aim is to broaden the appeal of the group to collectors and field workers.

"What vegetables can I plant as winter crops? How can I avoid bitter bolting lettuce? When is the best time to cut back rhodos? How do I overwinter my geraniums and fuchsias? What fastgrowing evergreen hedge will work for my narrow urban yard? How late can I plant spring-flowering bulbs? What should I do about the chafer infestation that is destroying my lawn? Why aren't my berries bigger? What fruits and vegetables grow best in patio pots?"
These are just a few of the burning questions that renowned gardening expert Wim Vander Zalm answers again and again as owner of two Art Knapp Plantland garden centres and a long-time regular on CKNW's "The Bill Good Show."
"Just Ask Wim " covers horticultural concerns about all kinds of plants: vegetables, fruits and berries, herbs, annuals and perennials, shrubs, trees, hedges and vines, plus how to grow a healthy lawn organically . . . or replace the troublesome turf with one of many other groundcover options. Wim also shares organic pest and weed management ideas, common-sense pruning tips, fertilization and soil-building advice, plus his often-requested mulch recipe.
Friendly, funny and always down to earth, Wim is the guy to ask whenever there is a need to know about how to make the most of any garden--urban or otherwise. In addition, his comprehensive "Get It Done " checklist takes the reader right through the year, month by month, pinpointing just what to do and when for a stress-free, successful gardening experience.

This practical pocket field guide, published in association with the Wildlife Trusts, includes more than 160 species of trees from Britain and the near Continent. Each species account contains accurate artworks that show details of mature trees, leaves, growth patterns and other interesting features. A concise written account outlines further essential information, such as size, description, habitat, and distribution to help you identify trees. The easy-to-follow layouts and illustrations help in quick and precise identification, making this book an invaluable reference source. It is compact enough to fit in the pocket, yet packed with essential information for the natural history enthusiast.

Naturalists, birders, students, teachers, conservationists, environmental consultants, wildlife biologists and botanists--amateur and professonal alike--will find this picture book of plant anatomy to be an invaluable reference alongside local floras and field guides.
"620 Wild Plants of North America "describes, in beautiful detail, the characteristic features of 89 families of vascular plants--including trees, shrubs, vines, wildflowers, grasses, sedges, horsetails, and club-mosses--using labeled ink drawings, text and range maps. The author's drawings are from plants in the field and freshly picked specimens. The text outlines habitat, flowers, fruit, seeds, leaves and stems. The range maps cover central North America from the three Prairie Provinces south to northern Texas and from Iowa west to Idaho. With its detailed, labeled drawings, "620 Wild Plants" opens the door to understanding the unique morphological features of plants in all of the major families represented in the flora of central North America.
Includes: over 5,000 detailed, labeled line drawings; scientific names, including synonyms, and common names; detailed descriptions of habitat, flowers, leaves and stems; range maps for the northern Great and Central Plains; glossary, reference list and index.

"What is a "weed, "" opined Emerson, "but a plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered?" While that may be a worthy notion in theory, these plants of undiscovered virtue cause endless hours of toil for backyard gardeners. Wherever they take root, weeds compete for resources, and most often win. They also wreak havoc on industry--from agriculture to golf courses to civic landscape projects, vast amounts of money are spent to eradicate these virile and versatile invaders. With so much at stake, reliable information on weeds and their characteristics is crucial. Richard Dickinson and France Royer shed light on this complex world with "Weeds of North America, "the essential reference for all who wish to understand the science of the all-powerful weed.
Encyclopedic in scope, the book is the first to cover North American weeds at every stage of growth. The book is organized by plant family, and more than five hundred species are featured. Each receives a two-page spread with images and text identification keys. Species are arranged within family alphabetically by scientific name, and entries include vital information on seed viability and germination requirements.
Whether you believe, like Donald Culross Peattie, that "a weed is a plant out of place," or align with Elizabeth Wheeler Wilcox's "weeds are but unloved flowers," Dickinson and Royer provide much-needed background on these intrusive organisms. In the battle with weeds, knowledge truly is power. "Weeds of North America" is the perfect tool for gardeners, as well as anyone working in the business of weed ecology and control.

Arkansas boasts more than 70 kinds of mammals, close to 115 reptiles and amphibians and more than 155 butterflies in addition to 400 bird species. This beautifully illustrated guide highlights over 140 familiar and unique species and includes an ecoregion map featuring prominent wildlife-viewing areas. Laminated for durability, this lightweight, pocket-sized folding guide is an excellent source of portable information and ideal for field use by visitors and resident alike. Made in the USA.

Through the seasons, Maryland and Virginia including Washington D.C. offers a continually changing list of wild, harvestable treasures. This full-color book guides you to the edible wild foods and healthful herbs of the regions and will help you identify and appreciate the local bounty. Inside you'll find: Detailed descriptions of edible plants Tips on finding, preparing, and using foraged foods A glossary of botanical terms Full-color photos