Fiction. Short Stories. Meet the ordinary people who inhabit Louis Daniel Brodsky's neighborhood. There's the young man who becomes a tree, and the one who, thanks to magical seeds, becomes who he is. There's the open-heart-surgery patient whose chest cavity becomes the trash receptacle for the operating team. And just what do all these characters have in common? They have one foot in the funny farm, and they're candidates for the butterfly net. In other words, like Brodsky himself, they're folks "with one foot in the butterfly farm."
Fiction. Short Stories. Meet the ordinary people who inhabit Louis Daniel Brodsky's neighborhood. There's the young man who becomes a tree, and the one who, thanks to magical seeds, becomes who he is. There's the open-heart-surgery patient whose chest cavity becomes the trash receptacle for the operating team. And just what do all these characters have in common? They have one foot in the funny farm, and they're candidates for the butterfly net. In other words, like Brodsky himself, they're folks "with one foot in the butterfly farm."
In this eloquent plea for compassion and respect for all species, journalist and gardener Nancy Lawson describes why and how to welcome wildlife to our backyards. Through engaging anecdotes and inspired advice, profiles of home gardeners throughout the country, and interviews with scientists and horticulturalists, Lawson applies the broader lessons of ecology to our own outdoor spaces. Detailed chapters address planting for wildlife by choosing native species; providing habitats that shelter baby animals, as well as birds, bees, and butterflies; creating safe zones in the garden; cohabiting with creatures often regarded as pests; letting nature be your garden designer; and encouraging natural processes and evolution in the garden. The Humane Gardener fills a unique niche in describing simple principles for both attracting wildlife and peacefully resolving conflicts with all the creatures that share our world.
Raised at an exclusive boarding school in New York, Meg Davenport is shocked to discover upon her father's death that he was not a successful businessman, but one of the most talented thieves of the Gilded Age, and decides to seize the chance to build her own future.
Sharman Apt Russell again blends her lush voice and keen scientific eye in this marvelous book about butterflies. From Hindu mythology to Aztec sacrifices, butterflies have served as a metaphor for resurrection and transformation. Even during World War II, children in a Polish death camp scratched hundreds of butterflies onto the walls of their barracks. But as Russell points out in this rich and lyrical meditation, butterflies are above all objects of obsession. From the beastly horned caterpillar, whose blood helps it count time, to the peacock butterfly, with wings that hiss like a snake, Russell traces the butterflies through their life cycles, exploring the creatures' own obsessions with eating, mating, and migrating. In this way, she reveals the logic behind our endless fascination with butterflies as well as the driving passion of such legendary collectors as the tragic Eleanor Glanville, whose children declared her mad because of her compulsive butterfly collecting, and the brilliant Henry Walter Bates, whose collections from the Amazon in 1858 helped develop his theory of mimicry in nature. Russell also takes us inside some of the world's most prestigious natural history museums, where scientists painstakingly catalogue and categorize new species of Lepidoptera, hoping to shed light on insect genetics and evolution. A luminous journey through an exotic world of obsession and strange beauty, this is a book to be treasured by anyone who's ever watched a butterfly mid-flight and thought, as Russell has, "I've entered another dimension."
Author Mathew Tekulsky wrote the first book on butterfly gardening for North America, nearly 40 years ago! Butterfly gardening is the practice of attracting beautiful butterflies to your garden by growing common plants and flowers that they use for food and nectar. This fun and wonderfully simple activity will bring color, light, and beauty to your garden and home. With the relaxing and rewarding qualities of this outdoor hobby, it’s not hard to see why it’s sweeping the nation and growing in popularity. How to Create a Butterfly Garden is a complete, step-by-step guide to gardening for butterflies. You’ll learn about: The butterfly life cycle, habitats, and behaviors Choosing and obtaining food and nectar sources Designing your garden Options for country, suburban, and city gardens Fifty common garden butterflies and the plants they like Butterfly observation and conservation This guide will teach you everything you need to get started—whether you’re a suburban resident, the owner of a small urban garden, an apartment dweller, or a keeper of a country estate, you can enjoy frequent butterfly visits to your garden or window box. The key, Tekulsky believes, is learning some basic knowledge of butterfly characteristics and behavior and knowing how to meet the needs of the butterfly species most common in your neighborhood. Not only is butterfly gardening one of the easiest ways to enjoy these enchanting creatures, but it’s also a wonderful way to help conserve natural butterfly populations for generations to come. Learn how to create your own beautiful butterfly garden today!
Poetry. The second and third years of a child's life are filled with the extraordinary ordinary events that are steppingstone rites of passage: learning to walk and speak; reveling in play and mischief; enduring the travails of illness; growing familiar with the world beyond the house, where dogs, rabbits, and fireflies mesmerize curious eyes; taking part in adventures with mom and dad--vacations, holidays, visits to grandparents. In this second book of a five-volume series about his children, Louis Daniel Brodsky chronicles the progress of his daughter, as she grows by leaps and bounds, and the evolution of his family, which is soon to grow as well, with the birth of a second child.
In the seventy poems of Spirits of the Seasons, Louis Daniel Brodsky divides nature's cycles into narrative halves, tracing the winter slowing and spring burgeoning in and around Wisconsin's Lake Nebagamon.
Ever get so lonely that you dial your own phone number and leave yourself messages on your answering machine? Have you and your buddy ever dressed as Gandhi and Buddha, respectively, for Halloween, and proceeded to celebrate the day by trading insults? Have you and your attaché case become indistinguishable from each other? Or perhaps you've had it stolen by an elevator? Ever attempted to skip a day's work as a human test subject for toxic substances, by making up a story that your pet tabby died? If you've answered no to these questions, then step into the unruly purlieus of L. D. Brodsky's . . . And the Horse You Rode In On, and revel in the experiences of those who've said yes.
