In the same lighthearted yet scientifically accurate style of
Fylling's Illustrated Guide to Pacific Coast Tide Pools
, this portable guidebook reveals the splendidly strange animals and plants just outside your door.
Marni Fylling's full-color illustrations make species identification a snap, and concise descriptions include fascinating (and sometimes grotesque) factoids about frequently encountered plants, insects, arachnids, birds, and mammals. With Fylling's guidance, the everyday becomes extraordinary: Pigeons share nest-building and egg-sitting duties, and mate for life—with occasional dalliances; squirrel teeth grow about six inches per year; spiders owe their characteristic creep to their "hydraulic" legs; poison oak and poison ivy’s itch-inducing oil is also found in pistachios, cashews, and mangoes; and much, much more.