Author: Howard H. Peacock Publisher: ISBN: Category : Nature Languages : en Pages : 200
Book Description
Whether this is your first trip to the Big Thicket or your five hundredth, this handy guide will lead you down paths and waterways that are a nature lover's dream. America's first designated national preserve, the Big Thicket in Southeast Texas harbors at least a thousand species of flowering plants, two hundred species of birds, fifty kinds of reptiles, twenty species of mammals, two hundred species of wild trees and shrubs, and even four kinds of carnivorous (meat-eating) plants. The ten different ecosystems that support this unique diversity range from arid sandylands to cypress sloughs, from lordly upland forests to mud-crusted flats dappled by palmetto fronds. Small wonder, as popular nature writer Howard Peacock tells us, that the region has been called the "Biological Crossroads of North America" or even, as conservation efforts have focused on it, "America's Ark." Nature Lover's Guide to the Big Thicket offers tips on identifying plants and animals residing in the area, suggestions on trails to follow, and descriptions of sights to see and recreational opportunities to enjoy. It provides photographs to help plan your visit and checklists to record it. It's a book for the hip pocket, the car seat, the table by a reading chair. Let it lead you now in a leisurely tour--or many such tours--of this special 95,000-acre spot of earth.
Author: Michael A. Smith Publisher: Texas A&M University Press ISBN: 1648431828 Category : Nature Languages : en Pages : 285
Book Description
There are a few remaining wild places in Texas, notes author and nature educator Michael A. Smith, and exposure to these locales—from the high deserts and mountains of the Big Bend to the prairies and grasslands across the center of the state and the Piney Woods and Big Thicket of East Texas—can be restorative, both emotionally and physically. In this thoughtful tour of Texas ecoregions, Smith—also a licensed psychological associate—weaves perceptive prose, prompts, and meditations with evocative nature photography by Meghan Cassidy to create a guide for readers that promotes both greater appreciation of Texas nature and greater mindfulness of our place in the natural environment and its holistic importance to our wellbeing. Mindfulness in Texas Nature briefly explores the history of seven Texas ecoregions and discusses the benefits to health and wellbeing that are gained by spending time in nature. Written for readers who may not have a technical background in biology but who want to understand and experience nature at a deeper level, this book models mindfulness—experiencing oneself and surroundings in a fully-present, attuned, and nonjudgmental way—as an ideal practice for experiencing the woods, mountains, or wetlands of Texas. Illustrated throughout with beautiful photographs of woodlands, prairies, streams, flowers, and animals, Mindfulness in Texas Nature encourages readers to experience for themselves what makes these places special, how to get the most out of the time spent there, and how to plan meaningful visits to the many beautiful and significant natural areas across Texas.
Author: John Gidding Publisher: The Countryman Press ISBN: 1682687104 Category : Gardening Languages : en Pages : 337
Book Description
Go from manicured lawn to eco-conscious garden with this step-by-step guide from HGTV star John Gidding. Increased awareness of the environment and an ever-present interest in curb appeal means that homeowners are eager for more sustainable, natural landscaping. And why shouldn’t they be? In addition to supporting local flora and fauna, ditching grass for lush, native plants helps lower water bills and results in self-sustaining gardens long-term. In John Gidding’s At Home with Nature, American homeowners will find thorough blueprints to reap these benefits and bring their dream garden to life. Complete with specific information for every U.S. bioregion, a glossary of native plants, illustrated yard renderings and photos, and detailed explanations of suburban codes, this book has examples and techniques to build responsible natural spaces. And as an HGTV star with over a decade of design experience, Gidding is the landscaping expert readers need to get the job done. At Home with Nature is the ultimate resource for creating beautiful and beneficial home gardens.
Author: Michael Frary Publisher: ISBN: Category : NATURE Languages : en Pages :
Book Description
Before the establishment of the Big Thicket Nature Preserve, the Big Thicket of Texas became a symbol of nature's last stand against encroaching civilization. Here, in a mingling of ecological zones, come together plants, animals, and birds—many of them rare—the flora and fauna of north and south, east and west. Northern maples and beeches stand not too great a distance from cypresses and Southern magnolias. American hollies grow large and orchids bloom among Northern ferns. Mesquite and tumbleweed, plants of the Western desert, survive where the annual rainfall averages sixty inches. On a major flyway, the Big Thicket is a stopping place for many birds in passage as well as home to a wide variety. Beavers build their dams there, and an occasional coyote yips in the night. Because of its great beauty and rich natural resources, use of the Big Thicket was the object of a forty-year struggle involving financiers, politicians, conservationists, and countless Thicket lovers. Each group viewed the Thicket from a different perspective and foresaw its future in different terms. This book records the impressions of two Thicket lovers. Michael Frary's paintings and drawings of woods and water, of birds in flight and strange plants growing close to the moist earth are pictures of a place, a time, a mood caught today—and not the same if left until tomorrow. The qualities of gentleness and violence are constant, but often hidden—there to be brought out by human need or human greed. William Owens writes of the people who have lived their lives in the Big Thicket, who have stirred its stillness with whoop and holler across the waters, who have taken in its stillness and explosive beauty until they themselves are made up of gentleness and violence. Together the impressions show what the Big Thicket was and is. What it will be—that is the chief concern of the book.
Author: Joseph C. Russo Publisher: Duke University Press ISBN: 1478023686 Category : Social Science Languages : en Pages : 148
Book Description
In Hard Luck and Heavy Rain Joseph C. Russo takes readers into the everyday lives of the rural residents of Southeast Texas. He encounters the region as a kind of world enveloped in on itself, existing under a pall of poverty, illness, and oil refinery smoke. His informants’ stories cover a wide swath of experiences, from histories of LGBTQ+ life and the local petrochemical industries to religiosity among health food store employees and the suffering of cancer patients living in the Refinery Belt. Russo frames their hard-luck stories as forms of verbal art and poetic narrative that render the region a mythopoetic landscape that epitomizes the impasse of American late capitalism. He shows that in this severe world, questions of politics and history are not cut and dry, and its denizens are not simply backward victims of circumstances. Russo demonstrates that by challenging classist stereotypes of rural Americans as passive, ignorant, and uneducated, his interlocutors offer significant insight into the contemporary United States.
Author: Wendel Additional Writerrow Publisher: Menasha Ridge Press ISBN: 0897326849 Category : Travel Languages : en Pages : 204
Book Description
As with all books in this series, the campgrounds selected for The Best in Tent Camping: Texas had to meet three criteria: they had to be accessible by car but not overrun with RVs; offer great scenery; and be as close as possible to a wilderness experience. Texas, with its extraordinary diversity of ecosystems, made author Wendel Withrow’s search an exciting one. Divided into the state’s major geographical areas, the book is based on the author's 30 years’ experience in following the back roads of Texas. Along with a detailed profile and useful at-a-glance information, clear maps show campground layout, individual sites, and key facilities. Driving directions supplemented with GPS-based coordinates for each campground entrance make getting there a snap. Regional maps and a profile numbering system make the book easy to use and enjoy.
Author: Michael A. Smith Publisher: Texas A&M University Press ISBN: 1623496640 Category : Nature Languages : en Pages : 338
Book Description
Coiled beneath discarded trash or rocky slabs, basking along river edges, and tucked into rock cuts beside the highway, reptiles and amphibians constantly surround us. While many people go out of their way to avoid snakes or shudder at the thought of touching a toad, herpers take to the field armed with cameras, hooks, and notebooks hoping to come across a horned lizard, green tree frog, or even a diamondback rattlesnake. In Herping Texas: The Quest for Reptiles and Amphibians, Michael Smith and Clint King, expert naturalists and field herpers, take readers on their adventures across the state as they search for favorite herps and rare finds. Organized by ecoregion, Herping Texas describes some of the state’s most spectacular natural places, from Big Bend to the Big Thicket. Each chapter contains photographs of the various snakes, lizards, toads, and turtles Smith and King have encountered on their trips. Part nature travel writing and part guide to field herping, Herping Texas also includes a section on getting started, where the authors give readers necessary background on best field herping practices. A glossary defines herping lingo and scientific terms for newcomers, and an appendix lists threatened and endangered species at the state and federal level. Herping Texas promotes experiencing natural places and wildlife equipped with solid information and a responsible conservation ethic. Throughout their decades tracking herps, Smith and King have collected humorous anecdotes and fascinating facts about reptiles and amphibians. By sharing those, they hope to dispel some of the stigma and false ideas people have about these misunderstood animals.
Author: Howard H. Peacock
Author: 
Author: Michael A. Smith
Author: John Gidding
Author: Michael Frary
Author: Joseph C. Russo
Author: 
Author: Wendel Additional Writerrow
Author: John Graves
Author: Michael A. Smith