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The Wonders of Nature Just Outside Your Door
by Thor Hanson
An award-winning natural-history writer opens the door to the nature that thrives in our yards, gardens, and parks.
We all live on nature's doorstep, but we often overlook it. From backyards to local parks, the natural places we see the most may well be the ones we know the least.
In Close to Home, biologist Thor Hanson shows how retraining our eyes reveals hidden wonders just waiting to be discovered. In Kansas City, migrating monarch butterflies flock to the local zoo. In the Pacific Northwest, fierce yellowjackets placidly sip honeydew, unseen in the treetops. In New England, a lawn gone slightly wild hosts a naturalist's life's work. And in the soil beneath our feet, remedies for everything from breast cancer to the stench of skunks lie waiting for someone's searching shovel.
Close to Home is a hands-on natural history for any local patch of Earth. It shows that we each can contribute to science and improve the health of our planet. And even more, it proves that the wonders of nature don't lie in some far-off land: they await us, close to home.
"Readers who assume a backyard consists of weeds, shrubbery, rodents, local birds, and bugs are in for a surprise…Plenty of exotica live among us...Far from the first natural history of the backyard, but a good one." —Kirkus Reviews
"A fascinating look at interesting creatures going about their business in the most mundane habitats, demonstrating that observing nature is available to all. For readers who relish accessible scientific studies and lyrical nature writing." —Library Journal
"Hanson's writing is engaging and informative… Readers will be inspired to take a closer look at the amazing but often overlooked plants and creatures hiding in plain sight and to take steps to foster biodiversity in their own backyards." ―Booklist
"A captivating mix of engaging stories, accessible science and interesting facts!" ―The Seattle Times
"Thor Hanson has done it again! In this surprising, upbeat, and exciting book, we learn that not only everyday wonders, but actual scientific discovery awaits us Close To Home. The perfect mix of science and story, told by a master of both. I loved it!" ―Sy Montgomery, author of Soul of an Octopus
"Thor Hanson's Close to Home, written with classic Hanson prose and enthusiasm, is as addictive as it is entertaining. Hanson teaches the value of looking high and low, near and far, at the fascinating natural systems we have never noticed right in our yards. And, very much to my liking, he tells us how to enhance those systems with minor tweaks to our landscapes. Thor Hanson has forced me to use the dreaded cliche: I couldn't put it down!" ―Doug Tallamy, author of Nature's Best Hope
"Thor Hanson's Close to Home invites us to step into the ordinary and discover the extraordinary. From natural science experiments to the search for new species, Hanson reminds us that awe and wonder are as close as our own backyard. With Hanson as our guide, a walk around the block becomes an opportunity to explore, to conserve, to ask questions, and to broaden our horizons." ―Amy Stewart, author of The Drunken Botanist
This information about Close to Home was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Thor Hanson is a conservation biologist, Guggenheim fellow, and author of award-winning books including Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid, Buzz, Feathers, and The Triumph of Seeds. He lives with his wife and son on an island in Washington State.
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