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Wildscape: Trilling Chipmunks, Beckoning Blooms, Salty Butterflies, and other Sensory Wonders of Nature
From Nancy Lawson, author of The Humane Gardener , a first-of-its-kind guide that takes readers on an insightful and personal exploration of the secret lives of animals and plants.
Master naturalist Nancy Lawson takes readers on a fascinating tour of the vibrant web of nature outside our back door—where animals and plants perceive and communicate using marvelous sensory abilities we are only beginning to understand. Organized into chapters investigating each of their five senses, Lawson's exploration reveals a remarkable world of interdependent creatures with amazing capabilities.
You'll learn of ultrasound clicks humans can't hear, and ultraviolet colors humans can't see. You'll cross paths with foraging American bumblebees drawn to the scent of wild bergamot, urban sparrows who adapt their mating song in response to human clamor, trees that amp up their growth in response to deer and moose saliva, and a chipmunk behaving like the world's smallest pole vaulter to nab juicy red berries hanging from the lowest parts of a coral honeysuckle vine.
Synthesizing cutting-edge scientific research, original interviews with animal and plant researchers, and poetic observations made in her own garden, Lawson shows us how to appreciate the natural environment from the sensory perspective of our wild neighbors right outside our door and beyond, and how to respect and nurture the habitats they need to survive.
Master naturalist Nancy Lawson takes readers on a fascinating tour of the vibrant web of nature outside our back door—where animals and plants perceive and communicate using marvelous sensory abilities we are only beginning to understand. Organized into chapters investigating each of their five senses, Lawson's exploration reveals a remarkable world of interdependent creatures with amazing capabilities.
You'll learn of ultrasound clicks humans can't hear, and ultraviolet colors humans can't see. You'll cross paths with foraging American bumblebees drawn to the scent of wild bergamot, urban sparrows who adapt their mating song in response to human clamor, trees that amp up their growth in response to deer and moose saliva, and a chipmunk behaving like the world's smallest pole vaulter to nab juicy red berries hanging from the lowest parts of a coral honeysuckle vine.
Synthesizing cutting-edge scientific research, original interviews with animal and plant researchers, and poetic observations made in her own garden, Lawson shows us how to appreciate the natural environment from the sensory perspective of our wild neighbors right outside our door and beyond, and how to respect and nurture the habitats they need to survive.
304 pages, Hardcover
Published March 28, 2023
About the author
Nancy Lawson
2 books40 followersNancy Lawson is the author of The Humane Gardener: Nurturing a Backyard Habitat for Wildlife and Wildscape: Trilling Chipmunks, Beckoning Blooms, Salty Butterflies, and other Sensory Wonders of Nature. A nature writer, habitat consultant, popular speaker, and founder of The Humane Gardener, LLC, she pioneers creative wildlife-friendly landscaping methods. Certified as a Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional and master naturalist, Nancy co-chairs Howard County Bee City in Maryland and helped launch a community science project, Monarch Rx, based on discoveries made in her own garden. Nancy's work has been featured in Science Magazine, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Oprah magazine, Entomology Today, and Ecological Entomology. Her new book, Wildscape, is a finalist for the 2024 AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
July 3, 2023
Nancy Lawson is my hero
April 12, 2023
A book about how ordinary animals found in your backyard perceive the world through five senses, and how they interact with the plant world.
This book makes you realize you need nothing as exotic as a safari to appreciate the animal diversity of the world. If you really got up close and observed your own backyard, you'd see it contains multitudes. I thought I was pretty good at noticing all the birdsong and squirrel/rabbit etc. activity from the vista of my screen porch, but I realize I am missing so much of it.
The author is a wonderful writer. She could write about paint drying and it would still be interesting, but this topic really brings so much information to light that I'd never considered before. Anyone interested in the nature right outside their own house would find this book enlightening.
This book makes you realize you need nothing as exotic as a safari to appreciate the animal diversity of the world. If you really got up close and observed your own backyard, you'd see it contains multitudes. I thought I was pretty good at noticing all the birdsong and squirrel/rabbit etc. activity from the vista of my screen porch, but I realize I am missing so much of it.
The author is a wonderful writer. She could write about paint drying and it would still be interesting, but this topic really brings so much information to light that I'd never considered before. Anyone interested in the nature right outside their own house would find this book enlightening.
March 15, 2023
Nancy does it again! A stunning book for any nature lover’s heart. I appreciated every perspective from all of the “scapes” she discusses. If only we could entice everyone to see the world through the eye of every living thing on the planet instead of a human-oriented eye only.
A must for any gardener and naturalist.
*I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my review.
A must for any gardener and naturalist.
*I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my review.
August 22, 2024
This is a really beautiful book. Beautifully descriptive language, beautiful pictures, beautiful cover and a beautiful concept. This book made me appreciate nature a lot more, especially the little insects that we often think are gross. Don’t let the fact that it took me 3 months to finish this book take away from the fact that it was amazing.
May 21, 2024
She has a beautiful way of writing and weaving facts and studies into her own story. I enjoyed reading this but wasn't necessarily wanting to read it. It did give me a lot of perspective on how much we humans have affected the natural world, and usually not for the better.
April 2, 2023
Heartfelt thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book, as I was very much interested in this subject - the wildlife in our gardens.
I was mesmerized already while reading the introduction! The language of the book was as the music to my ears, eloquent and beautiful. Each chapter guides the reader through each of the five senses from the native wildlife perspective, from the smallest and the most inconspicuous creatures, bugs, reptiles, birds, and plants. The author made a thorough research for every single observation and anecdote experienced in her own backyard (that is probably much larger than mine!), and that meant a lot to me, because everything made complete sense and made me respect the nature all the more, even when it appears to us unfair and cruel. Even bibliography was exquisite.
Thanks to this book I was reminded of the importance of wildlife sanctuaries, and even our urban gardens can become ones. We just need to allow native plants to grow naturally and without any toxins, and animals will come back on their own.
Highly recommended!
I was mesmerized already while reading the introduction! The language of the book was as the music to my ears, eloquent and beautiful. Each chapter guides the reader through each of the five senses from the native wildlife perspective, from the smallest and the most inconspicuous creatures, bugs, reptiles, birds, and plants. The author made a thorough research for every single observation and anecdote experienced in her own backyard (that is probably much larger than mine!), and that meant a lot to me, because everything made complete sense and made me respect the nature all the more, even when it appears to us unfair and cruel. Even bibliography was exquisite.
Thanks to this book I was reminded of the importance of wildlife sanctuaries, and even our urban gardens can become ones. We just need to allow native plants to grow naturally and without any toxins, and animals will come back on their own.
Highly recommended!
August 21, 2024
Read for work. I really liked this book and Lawson's way of writing. I have FINALLY found an author who doesn't call other living beings "it," so hallelujah for that!!!! I will be reading anything else written by Lawson that I can.
April 24, 2023
Such a beautiful title although rather also quite long....
Wildscape itself was rather an interesting combination of a book with what I may consider some parts of that I thought were particularly good and some that I am not sure what the reason was for its inclusion besides perhaps to make it more personal to the reader while also at the same time working as a memoir-of-type for the author.
The parts that really interested me was where I actually had a chance to learn something about the animals that were mentioned. Due to the already largeness of the book this book cannot be seen as a definite guide of animals that homeowners may find in their wild backyards but it does highlight a few notable species that readers may be familiar with or not as well as being inclusive also of plant species in its presentation of animal highlights.
Furthermore there were some parts of the sensory pollutants that did make me stop and think a bit more. Although most of it made sense and would be commonsense to those who like nature it sometimes doesn't quite cross your mind.
And finally the last elements that I have to say that I enjoyed were the small silhouette species included at the end of each chapter. Whether plant or animal the chosen species that was selected as the end note perfectly matched the sensory experiment it was focusing on such as the skunk for olfactory and the bird for audio just to mention a few. This combined with the brightly colored photographs and captions underneath helped to round out the experience.
Unfortunately the book itself besides the abovementioned points otherwise seemed to drag a bit. There was a bit too much going on in some chapters that didn't relate to the species it was suppose to be focusing on and there was a random nod to Wokeness with an inclusion of highway construction under noise pollution that mentioned killing billions of animals and destroying Black and Latino communities without actually explaining why it was included. Furthermore looking to the cited sources in the back for that chapter I couldn't find the source of citation for that blurb.
All in all it was a decent read for those who may be interested in some of the nature aspects without minding the human aspect. Otherwise I would also be quite honest in mentioning, though, that this won't be a book that I can see myself coming back to for a second read.
Wildscape itself was rather an interesting combination of a book with what I may consider some parts of that I thought were particularly good and some that I am not sure what the reason was for its inclusion besides perhaps to make it more personal to the reader while also at the same time working as a memoir-of-type for the author.
The parts that really interested me was where I actually had a chance to learn something about the animals that were mentioned. Due to the already largeness of the book this book cannot be seen as a definite guide of animals that homeowners may find in their wild backyards but it does highlight a few notable species that readers may be familiar with or not as well as being inclusive also of plant species in its presentation of animal highlights.
Furthermore there were some parts of the sensory pollutants that did make me stop and think a bit more. Although most of it made sense and would be commonsense to those who like nature it sometimes doesn't quite cross your mind.
And finally the last elements that I have to say that I enjoyed were the small silhouette species included at the end of each chapter. Whether plant or animal the chosen species that was selected as the end note perfectly matched the sensory experiment it was focusing on such as the skunk for olfactory and the bird for audio just to mention a few. This combined with the brightly colored photographs and captions underneath helped to round out the experience.
Unfortunately the book itself besides the abovementioned points otherwise seemed to drag a bit. There was a bit too much going on in some chapters that didn't relate to the species it was suppose to be focusing on and there was a random nod to Wokeness with an inclusion of highway construction under noise pollution that mentioned killing billions of animals and destroying Black and Latino communities without actually explaining why it was included. Furthermore looking to the cited sources in the back for that chapter I couldn't find the source of citation for that blurb.
All in all it was a decent read for those who may be interested in some of the nature aspects without minding the human aspect. Otherwise I would also be quite honest in mentioning, though, that this won't be a book that I can see myself coming back to for a second read.
September 30, 2023
Very good. It seems there’s been an explosion of research into the lives of animals, led probably by technology that lets us see these things we couldn’t before and also by women entering the field. A glance through the bibliography shows a lot of women researchers. I feel like we’re achieving a kind of tipping point as I drive around and see many former lawns replaced with native wildflower gardens. Not enough yet, but it makes me hopeful. Writers like Lawson, Doug Tallamy, Heather Holm, Suzanne Simard, Robin Wall Kimmerer do a tremendous job of making the natural world relatable and share not only the urgency of changing our ways, but also the benefits and hope for a future that won’t be as bad as what I write fiction about.
February 22, 2023
Here’s a book written by someone who clearly loves observing and learning about the nature which surrounds her, and is an advocate for leaving space and quiet for other forms of life. Divided into chapters of what are thought of as the five human senses, the book covers a wide variety of flora and fauna which people are likely to encounter and examines how lives are affected by those senses. There are many photos—it’s hard to judge from the advance e-copy I received, but it’s a potentially beautiful (and important) book which I look forward to seeing in print.
Thanks to Princeton Architectural Press and NetGalley for the advance copy to review.
Thanks to Princeton Architectural Press and NetGalley for the advance copy to review.
August 18, 2024
Wildscape is the second book that I've read by Nancy Lawson. Once again, Lawson's book is filled with stories from her own garden, along with lovely photos. This book is organized differently than The Humane Gardener, Lawson's first book. It is divided into five sections using the five senses: The Scentscape, The Soundscape, The Tastescape, The Touchscape and The Sightscape. The stories and information about plants and wildlife was interesting and entertaining. Although Wildscape is perfect for summer reading, I'm sure it would be enjoyable at any time of the year. I'm definitely a Nancy Lawson fan!
September 5, 2023
Best gardening book, native plant book I have ever read. Nancy Lawson eloquently covered all aspects of how and why we need to welcome all native wildlife into our gardens.
Wish everyone would remove invasive plants and lawn, grow native edible plants for insects and humans, create brush piles, create gardens under trees to let leaves remain to decompose naturally, etc. All actions needed for a sustainable future. Cheers to biodiverse gardening with native plants and wildlife.
Wish everyone would remove invasive plants and lawn, grow native edible plants for insects and humans, create brush piles, create gardens under trees to let leaves remain to decompose naturally, etc. All actions needed for a sustainable future. Cheers to biodiverse gardening with native plants and wildlife.
June 13, 2024
This book is at once inspiring and heartbreaking. It opened my eyes to an entire new way to see the environment as a spectrum of sensory interactions and to consider it from more than just my human point of view. It is a shame that such a book must exist, and I am thankful that it does. Thank the heavens for people like this author who are out doing the critical work they do.
June 25, 2024
This book reminds me of An Immense World by Ed Yong only on a smaller scale. That is quite a compliment as An Immense World is one of my all-time favorite books! If you want to really learn about your natural world, you will definitely get something from this book. It's not what I expected when I picked it up, but it so much better.
September 6, 2023
There are other books out there on gardening for wildlife, gardening with native plants, the importance of insects, etc., but no one writes as poetically and empathetically about plants and all wild creatures as Nancy Lawson does—and while doing so, she teaches us tons.
September 3, 2023
Lovely photography and relevant message but ultimately overlong and too scattered for me. I ended up skimming.
October 6, 2023
Amazing! Equally filled with interesting science and heartfelt observations about our world. Will definitely be reccomending to people who are passionate about ecology and/or the outdoors.
October 25, 2023
A kindred spirit drawing our attention to all the incredibleness in the natural world and how we can best be responsible and delighted participants.
November 18, 2023
If the BBC’s version of Planet Earth were in book form, it’s this.
December 5, 2023
Exquisite, delightful, informative.
May 5, 2024
A great book. Glad i spent the day with it
May 8, 2024
Sweet little book about our wonderful animals and how to be a good steward to them.
August 25, 2024
Perspective changing and fascinating;a good companion book.
October 14, 2024
Did not think a simple nature book would make me cry but the author threw a wealth of true poetry into this. Awesome experience reading this over the past several months.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews