Reveals the ecological importance of the oak tree, discussing its month-by-month role in the planet's seasonal cycles, and shares practical advice about how to plant and care for an oak.

"Some of the only truly feral cattle in the world wander a long-abandoned island off the northernmost tip of Scotland. A variety of wildlife not seen in many lifetimes has rebounded on the irradiated grounds of Chernobyl. A lush forest supports thousands of species that are extinct or endangered everywhere else on earth in the Korean peninsula's narrow DMZ. Cal Flyn, an investigative journalist, exceptional nature writer, and promising new literary...

Why was gin and tonic the cocktail of choice for British colonists in India and Africa? What does Starbucks have to thank for its global domination? What has protected the lives of popes for millennia? Why did Scotland surrender its sovereignty to England? What was George Washington's secret weapon during the American Revolution? The answer to all these questions, and many more, is the mosquito. Across our planet since the dawn of humankind, this...

"Reveals how ecosystems are sculpted and sustained by animals eating, pooping, and dying--and how these fundamental functions could help save us from climate catastrophe."--Dust jacket

Traces the relationship between a lowland gorilla with telepathic powers and a humanitarian twelve-year-old girl, who challenges his role and his wisdom as a teacher of humanity.

"When you walk in the woods, do you use all five senses to explore your surroundings? For most of us, the answer is no--but when we do engage all our senses, a walk in the woods can go from pleasant to immersive and restorative. Forest Walking teaches you how to get the most out of your next adventure by becoming a forest detective, decoding nature's signs and awakening to the ancient past and thrilling present of the ecosystem around you. What can...

Making a terrible discovery at the stream about a mysterious threat that is endangering its magical creatures, Zoey and Sassafras race against time to discover the source of the problem and save the Merhorse species.

A focus on leading social issues of the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. Each title contains approximately 175 full or excerpted documents---speeches, legislation, magazine and newspaper articles, essays, memoirs, letters, interviews, novels, songs, and works of art---as well as overview information that places each document in context.

Part of the six-volume Wellbeing: A Complete Reference Guide, this volume examines the ways in which the built environment can affect and enhance the wellbeing of society. -Explores the effects of environment on wellbeing and provides insight and guidance for designing, creating, or providing environments that improve wellbeing -Looks at the social and health issues surrounding sustainable energy and sustainable communities, and how those connect...

So pervasive are human impacts on the planet that it's said we live in a new geological epoch: the Anthropocene. Kolbert takes a hard look at the new world we are creating. One way to look at human civilization, she says, is as a ten-thousand-year exercise in defying nature. He she explores the ways in which our capacity for destruction has reshaped the natural world. From the Mojave to Iceland and Australia, she examines how the very sorts of interventions...