A lyrical field guide to the natural world surrounding the eastern U.S.'s residential areas profiles a wide variety of plant, animal, and insect life, in a reference that offers insight into birdfeeder behaviors, woodpile ecology, and more.
You don't have to be an experienced birder to enjoy this guide! With hundreds of illustrations and a user-friendly format, you'll soon be spotting and identifying birds in your locale in no time. The updated text highlights the latest trends in birding and the most up-to-date ornithological information. -- adapted from back cover
From the expert editors at Cool Springs Press, a series of regional bird books that love the outdoors as much as you do. “Patience is a virtue,” said no backyard bird ever. That’s why, when these busy creatures come flitting into view, you need to have your resources ready at a moment’s notice. Have you spent all this time mistaking Carolina Wrens for House Wrens? A forgivable error, but with the Field Guide to Backyard Birds of the Mid-Atlantic, you’ll be pointing out those distinct upturned tails in no time. Each book in this series has been conveniently packaged in a field-sized 5”x8” format: large enough to showcase the gorgeous close-up photography within, but small enough to keep dependably at the ready. In this edition, each of the Mid-Atlantic region’s 80 most popular bird species gets its own page, complete with a concise description, preferred habitat, feeding and migration habits, and tips for attracting them to your bird feeders. Illustrated with colorful range maps, vibrant images, and a brilliant tabbed layout that helps you quickly search for birds by color, this portable field book will never again let that elusive Ruby-throated Hummingbird buzz stealthily out of range. Mid-Atlantic states include Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Delaware. Look for our other four Field Guide to Backyard Birds titles, covering the Midwest, South, Northeast, and West regions of the United States.
Discover Beautiful Nebulas, Constellations, Deep Sky Objects and More with Your Telescope David Dickinson, co-author of The Universe Today Ultimate Guide to Viewing the Cosmos, has created the ultimate field guide for backyard astronomers. Whether you want to impress viewers at a star party, or learn what you can see with your new telescope, David shows you how to find the most impressive views the night sky has to offer. Broken down by month and by hemisphere to ensure you get the best possible view, David shows you how to find objects like spiral galaxies, stunning sights in the Milky Way and stars that bring the “wow factor” to astronomy. With 44 sky charts and David’s expertise, it’s like having a pro-astronomer out in the field with you.
An Updated and Expanded New Edition of Backyard Medicine! Modern medicine is truly a blessing. Advances are made with astonishing speed every day, using both science and technology to make our lives longer and healthier. But if the era of modern medicine began less than two hundred years ago, how did people treat sickness and poor health before then? This book holds the answer. Researched and written by a practicing medical herbalist and natural healer, and now with even more herbs and medicinal plants, Backyard Medicine is the basis for a veritable natural pharmacy that anyone can create. Featuring more than 120 easily made herbal home remedies and fully illustrated with nearly three hundred color photographs, this book offers fascinating insights into the literary, historic, and global applications of fifty common wild plants and herbs that can be used in medicines, including: Comfrey Dandelion Honeysuckle Yarrow And so much more! Anyone who wants to improve his or her health in a completely natural way will find this book to be an absolute must-have for his or her home—and garden.
Presents 33 science activities for grades K-8 with suggested grade range, equipment, time needed, skills to be addressed and resource list. The activities only require minimal investments in both time and equipment - all one needs is the outdoors.
The passion and urgency that inspired WWI and WWII Victory Gardens is needed today to meet another threat to our food supply and our environment—the steep decline of pollinators. The Pollinator Victory Garden offers practical solutions for winning the war against the demise of these essential animals. Pollinators are critical to our food supply and responsible for the pollination of the vast majority of all flowering plants on our planet. Pollinators include not just bees, but many different types of animals, including insects and mammals. Beetles, bats, birds, butterflies, moths, flies, and wasps can be pollinators. But, many pollinators are in trouble, and the reality is that most of our landscapes have little to offer them. Our residential and commercial landscapes are filled with vast green pollinator deserts, better known as lawns. These monotonous green expanses are ecological wastelands for bees and other pollinators. With The Pollinator Victory Garden, you can give pollinators a fighting chance. Learn how to transition your landscape into a pollinator haven by creating a habitat that includes pollinator nutrition, larval host plants for butterflies and moths, and areas for egg laying, nesting, sheltering, overwintering, resting, and warming. Find a wealth of information to support pollinators while improving the environment around you: • The importance of pollinators and the specific threats to their survival• How to provide food for pollinators using native perennials, trees, and shrubs that bloom in succession• Detailed profiles of the major pollinator types and how to attract and support each one• Tips for creating and growing a Pollinator Victory Garden, including site assessment, planning, and planting goals• Project ideas like pollinator islands, enriched landscape edges, revamped foundation plantings, meadowscapes, and other pollinator-friendly lawn alternatives The time is right for a new gardening movement. Every yard, community garden, rooftop, porch, patio, commercial, and municipal landscape can help to win the war against pollinator decline with The Pollinator Victory Garden.
Imagine a thriving garden in your backyard, bursting with vibrantly colored blooms and lush green leaves, shaded by tall trees. Now imagine the same garden, alive with buzzing and flapping and chirping and croaking. Imagine the ecological impact of encouraging natural pollinators. Imagine the excitement of watching your garden become a hub of activity and learning about all of its different visitors. For those who relish observing nature in action, planning a garden to attract certain types of wildlife can bring daily enjoyment right into the backyard. Inside Wildlife in Your Garden: How to deal with and even appreciate the insects in your garden Reptile and amphibian backyard visitors and how they can contribute to a healthy ecosystem “Birdscaping”—planning and planting with birds in mind A special section on hummingbirds that includes an illustrated guide to twelve common types Using binoculars and field guides to identify birds by sight and by calls Different types of pollination and the plants and food crops that depend on it Butterfly metamorphosis and gardening for the different life stages How bats and moths take over pollination duties at night Learning to coexist with four-legged furry friends who like to dig and forage Natural ways to protect your garden from pests and discourage harmful wildlife
Searching for chickens that best fit your needs? The Backyard Field Guide to Chickens can help, with desriptions of each breed's qualities, temperament, average egg production, and more.
Environment, Second Edition gives students the tools they need to chart a future in an environmentally oriented career with up-to-date industry information, job profiles, and tips for career exploration. Job profiles include: Ecologists Environmental engineers Environmental lobbyists Groundwater professionals Land acquisition professionals National Park Service employees Oceanographers Recycling coordinators Renewable energy workers Soil science and conservation workers.