Review of Magpies and Mayflies: An Introduction to Plants and Animals of Central Valley and Sierra Foothills (Paperback)

Very highly recommended, Magpies And Mayflies: An Introduction To Plants And Animals Of The Central Valley And Sierra Foothills is knowledgeably co-authored by Derek Madden, Ken Charters and Cathy Snyder. An invaluable resource for ecological explorers of (and casual visitors to) the central valley and Sierra Foothills. Magpies And Mayflies is a perfectly "user friendly", informed and informative guide to flora and fauna of the fields and hills of the beautiful and endless Sierra area.


Product Description
California's Sierra Nevada Foothills, Central Valley, and the Delta share much of the same natural history. It has long been overlooked by most authors who write about California's attractions, and is experienced by many visitors as a place of endless roads and valley towns seen along the way to the glamorous coast or majestic mountains. Although this vast area is no longer an isolated outback region, there still exist places today where wildlife thrive and the presence of the Native Americans can be seen and felt. Right here in our own backyard there are spike rushes and water ferns, crayfish and bobcats. Look around and you will find milk thistle and the black-crowned night heron, turkey tail mushrooms and arboreal salamanders. This book attempts to answer, at least in part, the universal question of what is this place? Filled with jaw-dropping illustrations that seem ready to crawl right off the page, and detailed descriptions of the plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms that inhabit the region, this isn't just an identification guide: it's a book that will fill you with awe and make you all the smarter.

About the Author
Ecologist Ken Charters has documented nature during his explorations ofCalifornia's vast interior for over two decades. Ken wrote naturalhistory articles on plants and animals of the Central Valley whichappear in several issues of CSU Fresno's Journal of Natural Sciences.Ken conducted research on alligator lizards while he attended CSUFresno, and completed his graduate work in ecology at Northern ArizonaUniversity.Cathy Snyder is a science education specialist, with combined graduatework in biology and linguistics conducted at UC Santa Barbara and CSUFresno. Working both as a tenured primary school teacher in California'sCentral Valley, and as an adjunct professor of biology, Ms. Snyder hasintroduced thousands of students to the natural wonders of this region.Dr. Derek Madden led ecological research projects as a student andprofessor at CSU Fresno. Some of his work appears in the Journal ofParasitology, Oecologia, and the Journal of African Ecology. Derek is arecipient of the Charles Spinetta Award for Excellence in Wildlife Art,and he received the Amador Artist Guild Award in 2004 for wildlife art.He is currently a professor of biology and the Dean of Science atModesto Junior College in California's Central Valley.

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Review of Beautiful Swimmers: Watermen, Crabs and the Chesapeake Bay (Paperback)

As a kid in Marblehead, Mass. I liked to catch crabs off the rocks.When I grew up a bit, I learned to eat them too---a very succulent food that I still love.But, I must confess that I never thought of reading booksabout them until one day I ran across William Warner's BEAUTIFUL SWIMMERSin a college bookshop.This wonderful work contains all you ever wanted toknow about the life cycle of one particular kind of crab that lives inChesapeake Bay (the kind you probably smashed with mallets if you ever wentto that area).Surprisingly, for most of its life, the Atlantic blue crabhas nothing to do with beer.Taking it for a focus, Warner drawsconnections with the sea, the rivers, the crab-friendly environment thatproduced such a wealth of the creatures, and then the people who live fromthat wealth, the islanders who lived isolated for centuries, but are nowfirmly within the web of modern life.Warner tells of the marketing ofcrabs, the catching of other Chesapeake products like oysters, and even offestivals like a Miss Crustacean contest ! You can learn about esotericalike crab pots, the Waterman's Union, the religious heritage of crabbers,and lots more. My edition came with a number of excellent pencil drawingsof crabs, crabbers, and maritime scenes from the area.I was disappointedby only one thing----reaching the end of this great book.

Product Description
William Warner exhibits his skill as a naturalist and as a writer in this Pulitzer Prize-winning study of the pugnacious Atlantic blue crab and of its Chesapeake Bay territory. Penguin Nature Library.

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Review of Chased By Sea Monsters (Hardcover)

Nothing, not the carnivorous dinosaurs of the past, nor the imagined sea serpents and monsters of maritime history, nor the great white shark, salt water crocodile, killer whale and leopard seal of today can compare to the horrifying hunters of the prehistoric oceans. You will feel a lot more comfortable about going out for a swim or an afternoon boat ride knowing that such behemoths are extinct today!

The Dunkleosteus is school bus-sized armored fish with razor sharp bladed jaws for cutting through anything in its path. The mighty Liopleurodon is a true monster, largest and most powerful of the Pliosaurs. The deadly Mosasaurs where the real sea serpents of their day, and some where large enough to dispatch an adult tyrannosaur easily. The Basilosaurus, the first of the large whale species, is not a harmless plankton eater but a fearsome high speed hunter. And most frightening of all is the Megalodon, a gargantuan ancestor of the great white that makes its modern day relative look like a tuna.

If you're a paleontology buff like me or a fan of BBC's Walking with Dinosaurs series, this book is for you. The digital designs of the monsters are excellent and very well realized. And the fun-loving Nigel Marvin provides a great narrative. My only question is when does the DVD of the series come out?

Another excellent book is Sea Dragons by Richard Ellis.

Product Description
Following the hugely successful Walking with Dinosaurs and Walking with Prehistoric Beasts, DK dives into the past to swim with prehistoric reptiles and mammals in Chased by Sea Monsters. Exploring the underwater world where he "encounters" amazing creatures, Nigel Marven presents a unique record of a lost world never revealed before now.

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