The forest unseen : a year's watch in nature Cover Image

Book

The forest unseen : a year's watch in nature / David George Haskell.

Summary:

Reveals what can be understood about the natural world through the author's year-long observation of a one-square-meter patch of old-growth Tennessee forest, explaining the scientific ties binding all life and how the ecosystem has cycled for millions ofyears.

In this wholly original book, biologist David Haskell uses a one-square-meter patch of old-growth Tennessee forest as a window onto the entire natural world. Visiting it almost daily for one year to trace nature's path through the seasons, he brings the forest and its inhabitants to vivid life. Each short chapter begins with a simple observation: a salamander scuttling across the leaf litter; the first blossom of spring wildflowers. From these, Haskell spins a web of biology and ecology, explaining the science that binds together the tiniest microbes and the largest mammals and describing the ecosystems that have cycled for thousands--sometimes millions--of years. Each visit to the forest presents a nature story in miniature as Haskell elegantly teases out the intricate relationships that order the creatures and plants that call it home. Written with grace and empathy, The Forest Unseen is a grand tour of nature in all its profundity.--From publisher description.

Record details

ISBN: 9780670023370
ISBN: 067002337X
Physical Description: xiv, 268 p. ; 22 cm
Publisher: New York : Viking, 2012.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Formatted Contents Note:

January 1st : Partnerships -- January 17th : Kepler's gift -- January 21st : The experiment -- January 30th : Winter plants -- February 2nd : Footprints -- February 16th : Moss -- February 28th : Salamander -- March 13th : Hepatica -- March 13th : Snails -- March 25th : Spring ephemerals -- April 2nd : Chainsaw -- April 2nd : Flowers -- April 8th : Xylem -- April 14th : Moth -- April 16th : Sunrise birds -- April 22nd : Walking seeds -- April 29th : Earthquake -- May 7th : Wind -- May 18th : Herbivory -- May 25th : Ripples -- June 2nd : Quest -- June 10th : Ferns -- June 20th : A tangle -- July 2nd : Fungi -- July 13th : Fireflies -- July 27th : Sunfleck -- August 1st : Eft and coyote -- August 8th : Earthstar -- August 26th : Katydid -- September 21st : Medicine -- September 23rd : Caterpillar -- September 23rd : Vulture -- September 26th : Migrants -- October 5th : Alarm waves -- October 14th : Samara -- October 29th : Faces -- November 5th : Light -- November 15th : Sharp-shinned hawk -- November 21st : Twigs -- December 3rd : Litter -- December 6th : Underground bestiary -- December 26th : Treetops -- December 31st : Watching.