Aliens in the Backyard: Plant and Animal Imports into AmericaUniv of South Carolina Press, 15 жовт. 2012 р. - 248 стор. A fresh look at the origins of our iconic immigrant flora and fauna, revealed with wit and reverence for nature Aliens live among us. Thousands of species of nonnative flora and fauna have taken up residence within U.S. borders. Our lawns sprout African grasses, our roadsides flower with European weeds, and our homes harbor Asian, European, and African pests. Misguided enthusiasts deliberately introduced carp, kudzu, and starlings. And the American cowboy spread such alien life forms as cows, horses, tumbleweed, and anthrax, supplanting and supplementing the often unexpected ways "Native" Americans influenced the environment. Aliens in the Backyard recounts the origins and impacts of these and other nonindigenous species on our environment and pays overdue tribute to the resolve of nature to survive in the face of challenge and change. In considering the new home that imported species have made for themselves on the continent, John Leland departs from those environmentalists who universally decry the invasion of outsiders. Instead Leland finds that uncovering stories of alien arrivals and assimilation is a more intriguing—and ultimately more beneficial—endeavor. Mixing natural history with engaging anecdotes, Leland cuts through problematic myths coloring our grasp of the natural world and suggests that how these alien species have reshaped our landscape is now as much a part of our shared heritage as tales of our presidents and politics. Simultaneously he poses questions about which of our accepted icons are truly American (not apple pie or Kentucky bluegrass; not Idaho potatoes or Boston ivy). Leland's ode to survival reveals how plant and animal immigrants have made the country as much an environmental melting pot as its famed melding of human cultures, and he invites us to reconsider what it means to be American. |
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... southern pine plantations, are probably growing where no such trees grew before commercial forestry took hold. The OTA had to decide what to call all these plants and animals from elsewhere. They decided that nonindigenous was the least ...
... southern cooking —cowpeas, okra, sesame, and watermelon—are also African. “Cowboys” investigates the role this figure played in distributing such alien life forms as the cow, horse, anthrax, and tumbleweed throughout America; “. . . and ...
... southern lawns and golf courses. Cynodon dactylon grows well in pastures, fields, and waste places coast to coast and, while most common to the south, is found as far north as Massachusetts, Michigan, and Oregon. Only heavy freezes ...
... southern golf courses, grass experts have toyed with Paspalum's fellow passenger, Bermuda grass, since the first decades of the twentieth century, developing several varieties popular with both homeowners and country clubs. Not everyone ...
... southern Africa, Citrullus lanatus is a staple of the Kalahari, where both natives and early explorers relied on its reserves of water to survive. Cultivated in ancient Egypt and buried with the boy pharaoh Tutankhamen thirtyfive ...
Зміст
What Grandmother Grew in Her Backyard | |
Malarias Gifts to America | |
Older Than You Think | |
And Their Alien Habits | |
Less Native Than You Think | |
Roadside Weeds | |
Some of Those Who Share Your Quarters | |
The WellIntentioned Ecological | |
As Rootless as the Humans Who Invited Them | |
An Unnatural Pastime | |
Index | |
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Aliens in the Backyard: Plant and Animal Imports Into America John Leland Попередній перегляд недоступний - 2005 |
Aliens in the Backyard: Plant and Animal Imports Into America John Leland Попередній перегляд недоступний - 2005 |