A stunning picture of the wildlife in the eastern half of the United States. A noted outdoors expert and an acclaimed illustrator have banded together to create a stunning picture of the wildlife in the eastern half of the United States. Complete with observation tips.

Star-shaped flowers, short-tempered snapping turtles, and clusters of chicken-flavored mushrooms are just a few of the many fascinating things awaiting discovery just beyond the typical North American backyard. In Heartland Habitats: 265 Midwest Nature Walks, Mary Blocksma guides readers through North American terrain, introducing them to the land and its thriving wildlife of Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. From birds of all kinds to fungi of both the tasty and deadly varieties—Chicken of the Woods, Death Caps, Jack-O-Lanterns—Blocksma gradually uncovers a world rich with breathtaking beauty. Adventures filled with swan-on-goose battles, squirrel squabbles, and forays into forests all lead to a deeper understanding of the world around us. A lively and detailed guide in befriending the great outdoors, Heartland Habitats showcases the natural wonders thriving just outside our homes with full-color illustrations and vivid descriptions.

Turn your garden into a hummingbird hotspot, a haven for butterflies, and a thriving ecosystem that will delight and inspire the young and young-at-heart. Gardening with children is a pleasure in itself, but when you learn to include wildlife in your plans, gardening becomes an even more joyful family experience. Creating a garden that invites wildlife opens up a wider world of nature for investigation, inspiration, and delight. Begin to see your yard from an animal’s perspective; discover plants that attract colorful birds and bugs; embrace sensory experiences that native plants and creatures bring; and understand how your yard fits into the surrounding landscape. Along the way you will discover simple ways you can actively support wildlife in your immediate environment, no matter where you live. This family-friendly guide to wildlife gardening leads you on a path to discovery, where trees are transformed into bird and animal habitats, where sunny spots are revered for dragonfly viewing, and where your entire garden becomes an animal-welcoming kingdom.

This follow-up to Naturally Curious, a National Outdoor Book Award winner, is a day-by-day account of nature observations throughout the year. Daily entries include entertaining and enlightening observations about specific animal or plant activity happening in eastern North America on that date. Set up as a naturalist's journal, entries describe in detail sightings and events in the natural world and are accompanied by stunning color photographs of birds, animals, insects, plants, and more. Essays throughout describe specific events in nature happening during each month, while sidebars supply natural history facts and information pertinent to the topics of the month or the time of year.

How will we save the planet if we can't even name the trees on our streets?

Forestry, wildlife, and other natural-resource professionals manage ecosystems. Ecosystems bring together diversity in a way that considers all life-forms within a unified system. Patton, Fox, and Bailey present introductory students with an integrated, balanced approach to ecosystem management based on the concept of diversity—a natural phenomenon of life with different levels of recognition that can change over time and space. Applying decades of teaching, research, and management experience, the authors introduce readers to each major life-form. Sections on significant forces that have shaped our landscape and how it is managed orient students in the field. Insightful approaches to the planning process are highlighted. Specific instruction on effective management practices includes inventory design, decision support system development, and database organization. Carefully curated library recommendations and appendices comprised of invaluable data sets prepare readers to navigate an extremely complex planning environment. Data from Appendix A can be downloaded here.

Describes unique characteristics of the North American continent, including its landscapes, geology, weather, oceans, coastlines, air and soil, plants, animals, and people.