Growing up, I was fortunate enough to live with the temperate rainforest of the pacific northwest right outside my back door. More than anything else, those woods meant home to me; and i was loath to leave them behind when i moved to the other side of the country and a much more urbanized town.
Imagine my delight and surprise then upon discovering Unseen City: The majesty of Pigeons, The discreet Charm of Snails & Other wonders of the Urban Wilderness, by Nathanial Johnson. Here was a book that examined the plants and animals found in cities, the same as you would those in a forest; and it challenges its readers to do the same. As rightly it should! A city is an ecosystem like any other, why should we dismiss it and the incredible species who make it home.
Each chapter tackles a different group of plants or animals, pulling from both history ans scientific studies but framed through the authors stories of raising and teaching his six year old daughter in san fransisco.
Some things i learned while reading the book:
- City Pigeons make their nests out of pigeon poop, which helps protect the chicks from parasites.
- The same hormone triggers lactation in both pigeons and mammals
- Going to add more tomorrow its late and im tired
All in all incredible book, and I definitely want to buy a copy for myself. My only gripe is i disagree with his disdain for survivalists, but that’s one paragraph at most, and my ego is robust enough to be okay with the author thinking I’m rather silly.