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Bearded Dragons (Animals)
by Jaclyn JaycoxBearded dragons may not breathe fire or fly, but they are still impressive animals! These large lizards are found in Australia. They use venom to kill prey. Learn more details about these fascinating reptiles.
Bears in the Backyard: Big Animals, Sprawling Suburbs, and the New Urban Jungle
by Edward R. RicciutiFang and claw have jumped the white picket fence as encounters with cougars in Chicago, alligators in Florida, and bears virtually everywhere have become increasingly commonplace. Author Edward Ricciuti explores cutting-edge research into why it's happening, how it impacts all of us, and how to deal with it on both societal and personal levels. As cities and suburbs sprawl, and conservation efforts enable wildlife populations to recover, large wild animals are encroaching on human turf. These creatures might be thrilling to see, but they can bite, scratch, and even kill, and attacks on humans will only increase as we come face to face in the man-made landscape. Readers will learn how to protect against potential dangers even as they are being thoroughly entertained by hair-raising tales of real-life encounters.
Bears in the Bird Feeders: Cottage Life on Shaman’s Rock
by Jim Poling Sr.As well as fun and relaxation, cottage living throughout the seasons is a reminder that all of us, even the most urbanized individual, are part of the natural world. Listen carefully and you will hear cottage country whispering lessons that can make our lives less frenetic, less complicated. The mournful call of the loon, the wind sighing in the trees, the hammering of the pileated woodpecker remind us that we are a part of a more natural world too often lost in our urban societies. Reflections from a still lake and a flickering campfire help us to realize that things might go easier for humankind if more issues were examined in softer, reflective light and without heated debate. People gathered at campfires, soothed by nature’s tranquility, tend to listen and be more thoughtful before they speak. This book will bring you on a journey through four seasons of cottaging and show you that nature has a remarkable power to heal – it just needs the human race to give it a helping hand. Along the way it will introduce you to some tips and tricks for making cottage life more comfortable and enjoyable.
Bears of the North: A Year Inside Their Worlds
by Wayne LynchAn unprecedented visual and scientific journey into the secret world of bears.In Bears of the North, renowned wildlife photographer, naturalist, and bestselling author Wayne Lynch offers us a work of scintillating science and stunning beauty. Following polar bears, brown bears, and American and Asiatic black bears through the seasons, this journey is an insider's view of hibernation's mysteries and the birth of cubs in winter; the mating rituals and voracious appetites of spring; hunting, fishing, and encounters with neighbors during summer; and the feeding frenzy and exuberant play of autumn. Dispelling the stereotypes and untruths—but none of the magic—surrounding these magnificent animals, Lynch comments on the latest scientific discoveries related to the biology, behavior, and ecology of bears. He describes how satellite telemetry has revealed the purpose behind the meanderings of bears and the great distances they sometimes cover on land and in water. He also shows how DNA analysis can teach us about the relatedness of bears within a population, even revealing the identity of a particular cub's father. Taking us out into the wilds of the tundra and forests to share his firsthand observations of the marvelous bears of the Northern Hemisphere, Lynch describes their survival strategies and the threats they face from habitat fragmentation and global climate change. Lynch's fascinating narrative is enhanced by over 150 gorgeous, original color photographs that capture bears in their habitats, including appearances of the elusive moon bear, fierce polar bear battles, and rare images of mothers' intimate moments with their cubs. Informed by Lynch's nearly forty years of experience observing and photographing bears in the wild, and aided by sophisticated digital photo technologies, Bears of the North is an unrivaled collection of enthralling and informative portraits of bears in their natural environments.
Bears of the World: Ecology, Conservation and Management
by Mario Melletti Vincenzo PenterianiBears have fascinated people since ancient times. The relationship between bears and humans dates back thousands of years, during which time we have also competed with bears for shelter and food. In modern times, bears have come under pressure through encroachment on their habitats, climate change, and illegal trade in their body parts, including the Asian bear bile market. The IUCN lists six bears as Vulnerable or Endangered, and even the Least Concern species, such as the brown bear, are at risk of extirpation in certain countries. The poaching and international trade of these most threatened populations are prohibited, but still ongoing. Covering all bear species worldwide, this beautifully illustrated volume brings together the contributions of 200 international bear experts on the ecology, conservation status, and management of the Ursidae family. It reveals the fascinating long history of interactions between humans and bears and the threats affecting these charismatic species.
Bears: The Mighty Grizzlies of the West
by Julie ArgyleThe mighty North American brown bear, most often referred to as the grizzly, is an iconic symbol of power and strength. Mostly found in the Western United States and Canada, the still-endangered bruin has made strides into a tenuous sustainability. The strikingly beautiful photography, and the essay woven through the pages of Bears: The Mighty Grizzlies of the West, showcases this beautiful, smart, and incredible species. Julie Argyle explores their behavior, their family dynamics, and what it means to be a grizzly in the wilderness of the greater Yellowstone area. She includes stories about individual bears: Raspberry and Snow, The Beryl Sow, The Obsidian Sow, Snaggletooth, and 791 (a famous boar), and looks at the issues of increasing conflicts between humans and the grizzlies and what the future holds for them.
Bearstone
by Will HobbsA Dramatic Tale of Grizzlies and Gold Fourteen-year-old Cloyd Atcitty has been skipping school for years. He's run away from a group home for Native American boys, and is now being sent to work for Walter Landis, an old rancher on an isolated Colorado farm. In a cave above the ranch, Cloyd finds a turquoise carving of a bear. Knowing that his people, the Utes, have a special relationship with bears, he keeps the small stone, hoping it will bring him strength. A terrible blow-up with Walter ends in near disaster, but the old man offers Cloyd one last chance: they'll ride together into the mountains to reopen Walter's abandoned gold mine. Among the high peaks that harbor Colorado's last grizzlies, Cloyd's courage and loyalty will be tested to the limit.
Beast of Stone (Wing & Claw #3)
by Linda Sue Park Jim Madsen<P>In this third and final installment in the enchanting Wing & Claw trilogy, <b>Newbery Medal-winning</b> author Linda Sue Park sends her young apothecary to the front lines of a fearsome battle, where he must rely on his talents and his friends to defend what he knows is right. <P>Raffa Santana is a healer, not a fighter. As a gifted apothecary, he has amazing instincts for unleashing the potential of magical-seeming plants. But his skills have failed to free the animals that the heartless Chancellor captured and turned against the people of Obsidia—directly threatening Raffa’s friends and family. <P>Now Raffa and his ragtag group of allies are preparing to confront the Chancellor’s armies in battle. Great beasts, small animals, and humans alike will be joining the fight, and Raffa’s heart yearns to prevent injuries—and worse—on both sides of the battle. After all, the Chancellor’s creatures will be fighting against their will. Can Raffa’s instincts for apothecary arts bring a tolerable resolution to an impossibly unfair fight?
Beastly Brains: Exploring How Animals Think, Talk, and Feel
by Nancy F. Castaldo* "This eye-opening, cogent, and well-structured volume will enlighten students to both the richness of the animal kingdom and the nature of intelligence itself." — Booklist, STARRED review "Castaldo (The Story of Seeds) presents a thought-provoking look at the minds and perceptions of animals, as well as the way human understanding of the subject has evolved..." —Publishers Weekly "The information is conveyed in an enticing way that is sure to spark the interest of aspiring naturalists and researchers... A fascinating take on animal science for tween and teen zoologists." — School Library Journal —
Beasts at Bedtime: Revealing the Environmental Wisdom in Children's Literature
by Liam Heneghan“[A] fresh new look at animal tales, often classic, and how they pertain to the present-day and our often fraught relationship to our environment.” —Jeff VanderMeer, author of the Southern Reach TrilogyTalking lions, philosophical bears, very hungry caterpillars, wise spiders, altruistic trees, companionable moles, urbane elephants: this is the magnificent menagerie that delights our children at bedtime. Within the entertaining pages of many children’s books, however, also lie profound teachings about the natural world that can help children develop an educated and engaged appreciation of the dynamic environment they inhabit.In Beasts at Bedtime, scientist (and father) Liam Heneghan examines the environmental underpinnings of children’s stories. From Beatrix Potter to Harry Potter, Heneghan unearths the universal insights into our inextricable relationship with nature that underlie so many classic children’s stories. Some of the largest environmental challenges in coming years—from climate instability, the extinction crisis, freshwater depletion, and deforestation—are likely to become even more severe as this generation of children grows up. Though today’s young readers will bear the brunt of these environmental calamities, they will also be able to contribute to environmental solutions if prepared properly. And all it takes is an attentive eye: Heneghan shows how the nature curriculum is already embedded in bedtime stories, from the earliest board books like The Rainbow Fish to contemporary young adult classics like The Hunger Games.This book enthralls as it engages. Beasts at Bedtime will help parents, teachers, and guardians extend those cozy times curled up together with a good book into a lifetime of caring for our planet.“Beasts at Bedtime is proof that most kidlit has teachable moments embedded in it.” —Toronto Star
Beasts of the Forest: Denizens of the Dark Woods
by Jon Hackett and Seán HarringtonAn interdisciplinary engagement with the forest and its monsters through critical readings of folklore, fiction, film, music video and animation.Within the text there are a multitude of convergent critical perspectives used to engage and explore fictional and real monsters of the forest in media and folklore. The collection features chapters from a variety of academic perspectives: film and media studies, cultural studies, queer theory, Tolkien studies, mythology and popular music are featured. Under examination are a wide range of narratives and media forms that represent, reimagine and create the werewolves, witches and weird apparitions that inhabit the forest, along with the forest as a monstrous entity in itself.Whether they be our shelter and safe-haven or the domain of malevolent spirits and sprites, forests have the capacity to horrify and threaten those that venture into them without permission. Human interference has continually threatened forests across the world, yet this threat is reversed in myth, folklore and more recent cultural forms. This collection ranges widely to analyze how forests figure in contemporary culture, as well as the wider contexts in which such representations are inserted.
Beasts of the Sky: Strange Sightings in the Stratosphere
by Jon Hackett Seán Harrington Damian O'ByrneOften the sky is conceptualised as a place of infinite possibilities, past the limits of our scientific explorations – and into the realms of our fiction and speculation; it is the site for our thoughts on the future, of the extra-terrestrial and beyond. Our representations in the media of space, sky and the infinite invariably mediate social and cultural anxieties that are current, looming and indeed threatening. These concerns range from the environment and fears of ecosystem collapse; the nuclear arms and space race; modernity, utopia and dystopia.Beasts of the Sky: Strange Sightings from the Stratosphere is the third and final collection in the Beasts series. This collection offers its readers an in-depth and interdisciplinary engagement with the skies above and their monstrous inhabitants, through critical readings of science fiction and popular culture – through the media of film, television, popular music, digital games and animation.Within this collection there are a multitude of convergent critical perspectives used to engage and explore fictional and real monstrosities of the sky and space in media. As with previous collections, Skies features chapters from a variety of academic perspectives; genre and narrative, textual analysis, spectatorship and reception, Tolkien studies, performance studies, digital media and indeed fiction are featured. Under examination are a wide range of narratives and media forms that represent, reimagine and create subjects as varied as the threat of nuclear weapons, sightings of UFOs, space exploration and flying creatures.
Beautiful Rocks and How to Find Them: A Modern Rockhound's Guide
by Alison Jean ColeNew to rockhounding or ready to ramp up your skills? This contemporary guide to rock collecting goes beyond the "where and how" to include info on environmental impact, land stewardship, and building a truly meaningful collection.Do you love rocks and gems? Are you a geology enthusiast? This informative guidebook by professional lapidary artist and outdoor recreation guide Alison Jean Cole shows you that beautiful rocks can be found anywhere. You’ll be expertly guided through the practice of rockhounding (looking for rocks) while learning how to be gentle on the earth.Unlike traditional rock guides, which take readers to well-trodden locations in each state, this book can be used anywhere in the United States or Canada. You'll be guided through the process of becoming an adept rockhound, including:How to read geologic maps and way-findHow to consider the ethics of rock collectingDeveloping your personal tastes in rocks and building a collectionPacked with information and fifty-eight accompanying full-color photos, Beautiful Rocks and How to Find Them is perfect for seasoned collectors and beginner rockhounds alike. It also makes a wonderful gift or self-purchase for nature lovers and rock, mineral, and fossil enthusiasts who love looking for and identifying cool rocks in the wild but could use some expertise and guidance.
Beautiful Swimmers: Watermen, Crabs and the Chesapeake Bay
by William W. WarnerCombines a natural history of the Atlantic blue crab with an historical and ecological study of Chesapeake Bay and a chronicle of the commercial crabber's year.<P><P> Pulitzer Prize winner
Beautiful Wounds: A Search For Solace And Light In Washington's Channeled Scablands
by Timothy ConnorA lush, photographic journey through the origins and cataclysms of one of America’s most enigmatic natural treasures. Carved and scoured by catastrophic floods at the end of the most recent ice age, the Channeled Scablands of eastern Washington State dazzle with their harsh beauty and the diversity of their natural features, including great waterfalls, sprawling canyons, and cinematic palisades. In this pictorial love letter to the region, writer and photographer Timothy Connor expertly combines stunning images, engaging field notes, historical narrative, and a touching personal sojourn. His photography captures the sweeping horizons, braided wetlands, and vibrant wildlife, while his words examine the once-mystifying landmarks of the area through the story of J Harlen Bretz, the geologist who, in the 1920s, first suggested that massive floods formed the Scablands’ epic cataracts and inexplicably deep lakes. Incorporating the poignant story of Connor’s own journey of grief, Beautiful Wounds offers a moving, visual tribute to the enduring power of nature and the healing power of time.
Beautiful Wreaths: 40 Handmade Creations throughout the Year
by Melissa SkidmoreCreate your own spring, summer, fall, or winter wreaths to welcome guests all year round. Why wait for Christmas to purchase and hang a wreath on your front door? Beckon family and friends into your home with your very own handmade, statement-making wreath centerpiece—all year round! In Melissa Skidmore’s childhood home, her front door was never without a gorgeous wreath to welcome a guest. Now, she hopes to bring the same creativity, warmth, and comfort into every family home. In the style of a rustic, modern farmhouse, Beautiful Wreaths provides forty wreath tutorials for every season. Choose from spring flowers, summer greenery, fall branches, and winter evergreens to craft your own stunning art piece: Fresh Succulent, Magnolia Garland, and Grapevine Bunny Wreaths for SpringFern and Moss, Artificial Floral, and Fourth of July Wreaths for SummerCornucopia, Corn Husk, and Pumpkin Wreaths for FallGreenery and Cinnamon Stick, Grapevine Snowman, and Toy Wreaths for WinterAnd more! Including non-traditional wreaths that use old rakes, vintage picture frames, chalkboard, and burlap bags, Beautiful Wreaths also features basic supplies and tips for wreath making, wreath form basics, and bow-tying tutorials. Full of beautiful photographs and whimsical illustrations, this is the perfect guide that belongs to any crafter’s and home decorator’s shelf.
Beauty in Bloom: Floral Portraits
by Debi ShapiroA poppy bud captured moments before blossoming. A statuesque tuberose as if carved out of alabaster. A pair of delicate pink dahlias joined like two starfish floating in the sea.Beauty in Bloom is the debut collection of work by Debi Shapiro, a visual artist who creates beautiful imagery inspired by her two passions—flowers and photography. More than 200 floral portraits in this exquisite book capture the depth and luminosity of a single bloom to lush bouquets with breathtaking intimacy and vibrant energy. Every translucent petal, tender green stem, and grain of pollen shimmers with painterly detail reminiscent of the works of the great botanical artists and engravers of the eighteenth century. From the bold crimson beauty of an Oriental poppy to the seductive lure of a pink Protea peeking out from behind its thick foliage to the timeless classic beauty of a garden rose, it&’s a flower lover&’s dream. Debi&’s work truly makes every bloom a leading lady.
Beauty or Statistics: Practice and Science in Dutch Livestock Breeding, 1900–2000
by Bert TheunissenIn the 1970s, scientists claimed that farm animal breeding was finally evolving from an art into a science. In their view, the switch to scientific breeding was as inevitable as the ongoing process of agricultural modernization. However, the art-to-science scenario is too simplistic to do justice to the complex dynamic that characterized the transformation of the field. The livestock breeds that take centre stage in this book – dairy cattle, chickens, pigs, sheep, and horses – were products of the twentieth century. The methods used by breeders to improve their animals, however, were much older. Tracing the history of practical stockbreeding, the role of Mendelism in scientific breeding, and the emergence of quantitative genetics, Beauty or Statistics shows that the story of the scientific modernization of livestock breeding can be more fruitfully analyzed from the perspective of changing cultures of breeding, taking practical, commercial, normative, and aesthetic considerations into account.
Beaver Is Lost
by Elisha CooperOh, no—Beaver is lost! Will he ever find his way back home?In this nearly wordless picture book by Elisha Cooper, winner of a New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book award, a young beaver is accidentally separated from his family. Follow Beaver as he's chased by a dog, visits a zoo, and even finds himself in the middle of a busy city street.In the vein of beloved classics like Flotsam and Good Night, Gorilla, this book is the perfect gift for future graphic novel enthusiasts. With luminous pencil-and-watercolor illustrations by an artist whose work the New York Times has called "simple and quiet and essentially perfect," Beaver Is Lost is sure to delight animal lovers everywhere.
Beaverland: How One Weird Rodent Made America
by Leila PhilipAn intimate and revelatory dive into the world of the beaver—the wonderfully weird rodent that has surprisingly shaped American history and may save its ecological future. From award-winning writer Leila Philip, Beaverland is a masterful work of narrative science writing, a book that highlights, though history and contemporary storytelling, how this weird rodent plays an oversized role in American history and its future. She follows fur trappers who lead her through waist high water, fur traders and fur auctioneers, as well as wildlife managers, PETA activists, Native American environmental vigilantes, scientists, engineers, and the colorful group of activists known as beaver believers. Beginning with the early trans-Atlantic trade in North America, Leila Philip traces the beaver&’s profound influence on our nation&’s early economy and feverish western expansion, its first corporations and multi-millionaires. In her pursuit of this weird and wonderful animal, she introduces us to people whose lives are devoted to the beaver, including a Harvard scientist from the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana, who uses drones to create 3-dimensional images of beaver dams; and an environmental restoration consultant in the Chesapeake whose nickname is the &“beaver whisperer&”. What emerges is a poignant personal narrative, a startling portrait of the secretive world of the contemporary fur trade, and an engrossing ecological and historical investigation of these heroic animals who, once trapped to the point of extinction, have returned to the landscape as one of the greatest conservation stories of the 20th century. Beautifully written and impeccably researched, Beaverland reveals the profound ways in which one odd creature and the trade surrounding it has shaped history, culture, and our environment. The New York Times Editors' Choice NPR Science Friday Book Club Selection
Beavers (Superpower Field Guide)
by Rachel Poliquin Nicholas John FrithBeavers, the first book in the new middle-grade nonfiction Superhero Field Guide series by Rachel Poliquin and award-winning illustrator Nicholas John Frith, is a delightfully informative, laugh-out-loud full-color look at the most unsuspecting of animal heroes, perfect for readers who like their facts served with a large dose of humor. Meet Elmer, an ordinary beaver. He may not be as mighty as a lion or as dangerous as a shark. He may be squat and brown. But never underestimate a beaver. I can almost hear you saying, “But aren’t beavers just lumpy rodents with buck teeth and funny flat tails?” Yes, they are! And believe it or not, those buck teeth and funny flat tails are just a few of the things that make beavers extraordinary. Humorous and engaging, Beavers is the first book in the new highly illustrated nonfiction Superpower Field Guide series, inspiring readers to laugh, think, and view the world around them with new eyes.
Beavers (Worldlife Library)
by Leonard Lee Rue IIIBeavers, written in the very readable style for which Dr. Leonard Lee Rue is well-known, presents an engaging look at the life of beavers around the world. Focusing mainly on the North American beaver, Dr. Rue introduces you to the beaver's way of life, one season at a time. You'll learn about the beaver's building projects (dams, lodges, burrows, channels, canals, and more), how they give birth and raise their young, and the relationship between beavers and humans.
Beavers: Radical Rodents and Ecosystem Engineers (Orca Wild #6)
by Frances BackhouseBy cutting trees and building dams, beavers shape landscapes and provide valuable wetland homes for many plants and animals. These radical rodents were once almost hunted to extinction for their prized fur, but today we are building a new relationship with them, and our appreciation of the benefits they offer as habitat creators and water stewards is growing. Packed with facts and personal stories, this book looks at the beaver’s biology and behavior and illuminates its vital role as a keystone species. The beaver’s comeback is one of North America’s greatest conservation success stories and Beavers: Radical Rodents and Ecosystem Engineers introduces readers to the conservationists, scientists and young people who are working to build a better future for our furry friends.
Because It Is So Beautiful: Unraveling the Mystique of the American West
by Robert Leonard ReidA Finalist for the PEN/Diamonstein–Spielvogel Award for the Art of the EssayYes, every inch of the globe has been seen, mapped, photographed, and measured, but is it known? Robert Leonard Reid doesn’t think so. To draw a circle and calculate its diameter is not to know the circle. In this collection, Reid distinguishes himself from many science–based nature writers, using the natural world as a springboard for speculations and musings on the numinous and the sacred, injustice, homelessness, the treatment of Native Peoples in the United States, and what pushes mountaineers to climb. Ranging in their settings from eastern New Mexico to northern Alaska, Reid’s essays illustrate his belief that the American West is worth celebrating and caring for.Taking its title from an affecting speech given by renowned author Barry Lopez, Because It Is So Beautiful is a response to desperate questions surrounding America’s wildlands. Lopez’s words resonated with the young mountaineer–musician–mathematician Robert Leonard Reid, who was struggling to understand his relationship to the world, to find his vision as a writer. What he learned on that long–ago evening is knit throughout the nineteen pieces in the collection, which include essays from Reid’s previous books Arctic Circle, Mountains of the Great Blue Dream, and America, New Mexico; three essays that appear here in print for the first time; as well as revised and expanded versions of essays that appeared in Touchstone, The Progressive, and elsewhere.