Nature Obscura. Kelly Brenner
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PRAISE FOR
NATURE OBSCURA
“Gorgeously written and deeply felt, with rigorous research and information at its core.”
—Jeff VanderMeer, author of Dead Astronauts
“With observant eyes and beautiful prose, Kelly Brenner draws us all into the hidden depths of the urban wilderness. Hummingbirds, dragonflies, ferns, and even slime molds come to vibrant life alongside stories of the humans who keep watch over the nature that surrounds us. Nature Obscura inspires everyday wonder, adventure, and wisdom about our changing earth.”
—Lyanda Lynn Haupt, author of Mozart’s Starling and Crow Planet
“Nature Obscura reveals the living city through delightful encounters with natural neighbors we all ought to know. An attentive, fun, and thoroughly engaging guide, Kelly Brenner will help you become a better naturalist every day.”
—Robert Michael Pyle, author of Magdalena Mountain
“A warm-hearted meditation on the natural wonders that we city dwellers overlook every day, such as the western pondhawk (a dragonfly), licorice ferns, and the charming Anna’s hummingbird, her heart beating 1,250 times a minute—and the perhaps less charming ant-decapitating fly and, yes, Fuligo septima, a.k.a., dog-vomit slime mold . . . Once you read this book you’ll step more carefully, to avoid damaging the myriad tiny worlds that add color and texture to our world.”
—Erik Larson, author of The Splendid and the Vile
Nature
Obscura
A City’s Hidden
Natural World
KELLY BRENNER
MOUNTAINEERS BOOKS is dedicated to the exploration, preservation, and enjoyment of outdoor and wilderness areas.
1001 SW Klickitat Way, Suite 201, Seattle, WA 98134
800-553-4453, www.mountaineersbooks.org
Copyright © 2020 by Kelly Brenner
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form, or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Mountaineers Books and its colophon are registered trademarks of The Mountaineers organization.
Printed in the United States of America
Distributed in the United Kingdom by Cordee, www.cordee.co.uk
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Copyeditor: Erin Moore
Design and layout: Melissa McFeeters, www.melissamcfeeters.com
Cover and interior illustrations: Zoe Keller, www.zoekeller.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data for this title is on file at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019040982. Ebook record is available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019040983.
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ISBN (paperback): 978-1-68051-207-6
ISBN (ebook): 978-1-68051-208-3
Contents
Introduction
I offer this as a formula of reenchantment to invigorate poetry and myth: mysterious and little known organisms live within walking distance of where you sit. Splendor awaits in minute proportions.
—E. O. Wilson, Biophilia
One recent summer I sat under a cherry tree digging through a pile of pond scum, and I knew my fascination for discovering urban nature