Suburban safari: a year on the lawn by Hannah Holmes

In ten words or less: Suburban plants and animals observed for a year.

The author observes the wildlife present in her backyard in Maine. She observes crows, chipmunks, spiders, earthworms, and native and invasive plants. She notes on some of the “bad” things found in the yard—sparrows, starlings, bittersweet, and bamboo. As the seasons progress, she consults ecologists, energy specialists, a biologist, and a botanist for insight on the creatures in her yard. Holmes is a science and travel writer for the New York Times Magazine, Outside, Sierra, and has previously written “The secret life of dust.”
Here’s a sample: “Deer culling is a nasty business. And that’s mainly because we Homo Sapiens are so confused about how close we want to be to Nature, and about what Nature should look like. As a general rule, we focus our adoration and our money on a few creatures that scientists call charismatic megafauna. That’s Latinate for “big cute animals.” Deer qualify.”

Why bother? Anyone who has battled squirrels or weeds will appreciate Holmes’ wit and feel that they have a partner battling the invasive species. I am not, however, about to invite the chipmunks in my yard into my house, as she did.