The Urban Naturalist (Wiley Science Editions)

Describes the grasses, wild flowers trees, insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals found in urban areas, and looks at the range and characteristics of each species

In a book that should delight amateur scientists, Garber offers a comprehensive guide to the plant and animal kingdoms and their relationship to urban life. Among his subjects: clover, which originates from the pea family, and honey-locust trees, which flourish in many suburban neighborhoods and were used to replace elms that died of Dutch Elm disease. As for fauna, Garber notes that although most snakes can't survive in the city, there are some that thrive in parks and garages, and he retells the story of the New York drug manufacturer who a century ago wanted to hear every bird mentioned in Shakespeare's works and thus imported the starlingto the everlasting regret of many urban dwellers. Garber has written a wonderful and casual book about plants and animals, and if there is a lesson to be learned, it is that humans and nature should learn to live together, even in the city.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Few books describe the plants and animals that coexist with man in the world's fastest growing habitaturban areas. But despite an excellent concept, this book disappoints. Both native and introduced plants and animals are described; but the logic of species selection is obscure, and often no effort is made to communicate why these species are successful and how this produces the assemblages of species that coexist with humans. Chatty and anecdotal entries weaken the text. Many line drawings (especially of plants) are not diagnostic of the organism. Not recommended. James R. Karr, Smithsonian Tropical Research Inst., Balboa, Panama
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.