Nature All Around Us: A Guide to Urban Ecology

Nature All Around Us uses the familiar—such as summer Sundays humming with lawn mowers, gray squirrels foraging in planters, and flocks of pigeons—in order to introduce basic ecological concepts. In twenty-five short chapters organized by scale, from the home to the neighborhood to the city at large, it offers a subtle and entertaining education in ecology sure to inspire appreciation and ultimately stewardship of the environment. Various ecological concepts that any urban dweller might encounter are approachably examined, from understanding why a squirrel might act aggressively towards its neighbor to how nutrients and energy contained within a discarded apple core are recycled back into the food chain. Streaming through the work is an introduction to basic ecology, including the dangers of invasive species and the crucial role played by plants and trees in maintaining air quality.

Taken as a whole, Nature All Around Us is an unprecedented field guide to the ecology of the urban environment that invites us to look at our towns, cities, and even our backyards through the eyes of an ecologist. It is an entertaining, educational, and inspiring glimpse into nature in seemingly unnatural settings, a reminder that we don’t have to trek into the wild to see nature—we just have to open our eyes.

1 Apple at My Core

2 Arboreal Aqueducts

3 Lawn Lions

4 Praise for Lazy Gardeners

5 The Evolution of Food

6 Hey, Taxi!

7 Social Life

8 Bathroom Drama

9 Winter Warmth

PART 2 IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

10 The Secret Life of Ponds

11 A Life of Extremes

12 Prowling Predator

13 Pigeontown

14 Animal Intelligentsia

15 Squirrelly Neighbors

16 From the Chimney Tops

17 Long Lifelines

PART 3 THE METROPOLIS

18 Canary in the City

19 Wing Beats

20 Enough Already!

21 Darwins Sweet Tooth?

22 A Breath of Fresh Air

23 Successful Little Birds

24 Opportunistic Gulls

25 Urban Roots

Conclusion

Glossary