Nature Obscura. Kelly Brenner

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Nature Obscura - Kelly Brenner


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       PRAISE FOR

      NATURE OBSCURA

      “Gorgeously written and deeply felt, with rigorous research and information at its core.”

      —Jeff VanderMeer, author of Dead Astronauts

      “With observant eyes and beautiful prose, Kelly Brenner draws us all into the hidden depths of the urban wilderness. Hummingbirds, dragonflies, ferns, and even slime molds come to vibrant life alongside stories of the humans who keep watch over the nature that surrounds us. Nature Obscura inspires everyday wonder, adventure, and wisdom about our changing earth.”

      —Lyanda Lynn Haupt, author of Mozart’s Starling and Crow Planet

      “Nature Obscura reveals the living city through delightful encounters with natural neighbors we all ought to know. An attentive, fun, and thoroughly engaging guide, Kelly Brenner will help you become a better naturalist every day.”

      —Robert Michael Pyle, author of Magdalena Mountain

      “A warm-hearted meditation on the natural wonders that we city dwellers overlook every day, such as the western pondhawk (a dragonfly), licorice ferns, and the charming Anna’s hummingbird, her heart beating 1,250 times a minute—and the perhaps less charming ant-decapitating fly and, yes, Fuligo septima, a.k.a., dog-vomit slime mold . . . Once you read this book you’ll step more carefully, to avoid damaging the myriad tiny worlds that add color and texture to our world.”

      —Erik Larson, author of The Splendid and the Vile

      Nature

      Obscura

      A City’s Hidden

      Natural World

      KELLY BRENNER

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      MOUNTAINEERS BOOKS is dedicated to the exploration, preservation, and enjoyment of outdoor and wilderness areas.

      1001 SW Klickitat Way, Suite 201, Seattle, WA 98134

      800-553-4453, www.mountaineersbooks.org

      Copyright © 2020 by Kelly Brenner

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form, or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Mountaineers Books and its colophon are registered trademarks of The Mountaineers organization.

      Printed in the United States of America

      Distributed in the United Kingdom by Cordee, www.cordee.co.uk

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      Copyeditor: Erin Moore

      Design and layout: Melissa McFeeters, www.melissamcfeeters.com

      Cover and interior illustrations: Zoe Keller, www.zoekeller.com

      Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data for this title is on file at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019040982. Ebook record is available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019040983.

      Mountaineers Books titles may be purchased for corporate, educational, or other promotional sales, and our authors are available for a wide range of events. For information on special discounts or booking an author, contact our customer service at 800-553-4453 or [email protected].

      images Printed on recycled and FSC-certified materials

      ISBN (paperback): 978-1-68051-207-6

      ISBN (ebook): 978-1-68051-208-3

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      Contents

       Introduction

       WINTER PRELUDE

       Anna in Winter

       The Patina of Time

       A World in a Petri Dish

       The Crow Roosts at Night

       SPRING PRELUDE

       Growing in the Dark

       A Cloud of Flies

       An Animal of Much Distinction

       The Life of a Pond

       SUMMER PRELUDE

       Dragons in the City

       To Be or Not to Be Armored

       Tracking the Wild Snail

       Like a Moth to a Flame

       AUTUMN PRELUDE

       Miss Lister’s Myxies

       Dichotomy

       From Fear to Fascination

       Everything Is Connected

       How to Be an Urban Naturalist

       Acknowledgments

       Resources

       Introduction

       I offer this as a formula of reenchantment to invigorate poetry and myth: mysterious and little known organisms live within walking distance of where you sit. Splendor awaits in minute proportions.

      —E. O. Wilson, Biophilia

      One recent summer I sat under a cherry tree digging through a pile of pond scum, and I knew my fascination for discovering urban nature


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