In this new collection, poet and journalist Christopher Vondracek takes his readers on a unique tour of South Dakota via sixty-six original poems - one for each county in the state.Inspired by his time as the South Dakota correspondent for a legal news service, and completed while living a thousand miles away in the nation's capital, Rattlesnake Summer is an unconventional and loving stroll through the varied, and sometimes strange, seasons of his adopted home state.
The acclaimed naturalist offers an in-depth profile of the timber rattlesnake, from its unique biological adaptations to its role in American history. The ominous rattle of the timber rattlesnake is one of the most famous—and terrifying—sounds in nature. Today, they are found in thirty-one states and many major cities. Yet most Americans have never seen a timber rattler, and only know them from movies or our frightened imaginations. Ted Levin aims to change that with America’s Snake. This portrait of the timber rattler explores its significance in American frontier history, and sheds light on the heroic efforts to protect the species against habitat loss, climate change, and the human tendency to kill what we fear. Taking us from labs where the secrets of the snake’s evolutionary adaptations are being unlocked to far-flung habitats that are protected by dedicated herpetologists, Levin paints a picture of a fascinating creature: peaceable, social, long-lived, and, despite our phobias, not inclined to bite. The timber rattler emerges here as an emblem of America, but also of the struggles involved in protecting the natural world. A wonderful mix of natural history, travel writing, and exemplary journalism, America’s Snake is loaded with remarkable characters—none more so than the snake itself: frightening, fascinating, and unforgettable. A CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title Award-winner
This issue of Critical Care Nursing Clinics, Guest Edited by Stephen D. Krau, PhD, RN, CNE, from Vanderbilt University, will focus on Summer Trauma. Article topics will include Tick bites, Rabies, Snake bites, West Nile Virus, Spider bites, Allergic Reactions to Bee and Wasp Stings, Heat Exhaustation and Stroke, Near Drowning, and Musculoskeletal Injuries.
This virtual encyclopedia of the rattlesnake became a natural history sensation when it was first published in 1956. The republication of the Second Edition, with a new foreword by Harry W. Greene, will give amateur and professional herpetologists alike reason to rejoice. Volume 1 covers taxonomy, physiology, and behavior; Volume 2 concentrates on the rattlesnake's interactions with other organisms, including humans. Klauber's detailed and thorough study is still one of the most complete rattlesnake references ever published.Greene's Foreword discusses the initial impact and continuing value of Klauber's work and recounts some of the advances in knowledge of rattlesnake biology during the past 25 years. Also included is an update of rattlesnake taxonomy.
Today, small populations of timber rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) quietly inhabit parts of Rutland County in Vermont, and Warren, Washington, and Essex counties in New York. Because the species is endangered, the exact locations of established dens in this area are a closely guarded secret. Insider, naturalist, and author Jon Furman has devoted years to the study of the snake's past and present range, its habitat and biology, the period in Vermont and upstate New York history during which timber rattlesnakes were ruthlessly hunted for a bounty, and the outlook for this severely threatened species in both states. Soundly anchored in the latest scientific data, Furman proffers an accessible and engaging account of contemporary fieldwork and first-person interviews with herpetologists and old-time bounty hunters. For expert and lay readers interested in snakes and reptiles, northeastern fauna and natural history, conservation, and endangered species, this volume clearly explicates the timber rattlesnake's biology as well as what happens and what to do when one bites. It also explores the troubling decline of the northeastern population caused by bounty hunting between the 1890s and the early 1970s, other past and present threats to the species' survival, and what measures are being taken-and additional ones that must be taken-to ensure that timber rattlesnakes survive and thrive in the northeast. Historical and contemporary illustrations bring these reptiles and their world to life. Timber Rattlesnakes in Vermont & New York shines a new light on a maligned and misunderstood species.
From the legendary, fear-inspiring Western Diamondback rattlesnake to the tiny, harmless Plains blind snake, Texas has a greater diversity of snake species than any other state in the country. Recognizing the public's need for a complete guide to identifying and understanding Texas' snakes, two of the state's most respected herpetologists have joined forces to create this definitive reference to all 109 species and sub-species of Texas snakes. Well-written species accounts describe each snake's appearance, lookalikes, size, habitat, behavior, feeding, and reproduction. The authors also include color photos and finely detailed line drawings to aid field identification, along with accurate range maps, a checklist of Texas snakes, a key to the species, and a brief discussion of classification and taxonomy. The authors round out this volume with essays on snake myths and misinformation, snakebite and its prevention, conservation, Texas biotic provinces, and a brief history of Texas herpetology.
