Foreword INDIES 2005 Popular Culture Book of the Year A fresh look at the origins of our iconic immigrant flora and fauna, revealed with wit and reverence for nature Aliens live among us. Thousands of species of nonnative flora and fauna have taken up residence within U.S. borders. Our lawns sprout African grasses, our roadsides flower with European weeds, and our homes harbor Asian, European, and African pests. Misguided enthusiasts deliberately introduced carp, kudzu, and starlings. And the American cowboy spread such alien life forms as cows, horses, tumbleweed, and anthrax, supplanting and supplementing the often unexpected ways "Native" Americans influenced the environment. Aliens in the Backyard recounts the origins and impacts of these and other nonindigenous species on our environment and pays overdue tribute to the resolve of nature to survive in the face of challenge and change. In considering the new home that imported species have made for themselves on the continent, John Leland departs from those environmentalists who universally decry the invasion of outsiders. Instead Leland finds that uncovering stories of alien arrivals and assimilation is a more intriguing—and ultimately more beneficial—endeavor. Mixing natural history with engaging anecdotes, Leland cuts through problematic myths coloring our grasp of the natural world and suggests that how these alien species have reshaped our landscape is now as much a part of our shared heritage as tales of our presidents and politics. Simultaneously he poses questions about which of our accepted icons are truly American (not apple pie or Kentucky bluegrass; not Idaho potatoes or Boston ivy). Leland's ode to survival reveals how plant and animal immigrants have made the country as much an environmental melting pot as its famed melding of human cultures, and he invites us to reconsider what it means to be American.

In the early morning hours of March 28, 2011, Charles and Helene Fontaine experienced something that shattered their beliefs about the nature of reality. One evening in 1981, Connie J Cannon was on I-75 with her young son, en route to their new home in Florida, when they suddenly found themselves on a military base, with a man in uniform holding a gun to her head as three Grays stood nearby. In 1979, Diane Fine was on her way from upstate New York to Vermont to see an obstetrics specialist for her high risk pregnancy, and experienced two hours of missing time. When she was finally examined at the clinic, she was told wasn't pregnant. In 1970, pilot Bruce Gernon was chased by something through the Bermuda Triangle and he has been talking about it ever since-to UFO Hunters, the Discovery Channel, National Geographic, the History Channel, the Sci-Fi channel, and all their foreign counterparts. These individuals have never met. But they share something significant. In 2003, a Roper Organization survey revealed that 33 million Americans may be abductees. Aliens in the Backyard is their story. "Trish and Rob MacGregor have written a sobering, engaging and important book about the mysterious subject of alien abduction. When I read it, I was reminded of how little we know about this incredible, complex and enigmatic subject, and just how much light this insightful book sheds on it. If we are ever going to understand this phenomenon, books such as this are essential. Read it and wonder: what have we missed about our world? Perhaps the most important thing that has ever happened. Aliens in the Back Yard is a treasure." Whitley Strieber

Follows the efforts of Stuart, his younger sister, and his best friend to locate a missing video-game controller-- a seemingly innocuous mystery that may involve the fate of Earth itself!

In this fun tale, a little boy must learn to step away from electronics and play with traditional toys if he wants his new alien friends to stick around. Mario hears loud hissing and beeping noises in the backyard. Then, he sees the flashing lights of a real spaceship! Now Mario has three new alien friends who want to play. It’s up to him to show these friendly creatures how children play on Earth. They are looking for new games and fun toys, and Mario wants to make them happy so that they return. But the aliens are tired of computers and electronic stuff. What will Mario do? “At just the right length for a great good-night book, Mario and the Aliens is a fun, fast paced book that kids will learn from, without being preached to.” —Daddy Mojo “Mario and the Aliens by Carolina Zanotti and Thai My Phuong [(Tamypu)] is an enjoyable short read about the importance of taking breaks from electronic screens around us.” —The Geekiary This is a fixed-format ebook, which preserves the design and layout of the original print book

Book 1 of a trilogy.This is sci fi, and it's also kind of a love story between a human and an alien.One evening an alien space ship crashes on the hill behind the home of pop star Selena M, up along the Northern California coastline. Selena decides to nurse the surviving alien-a very non-human creature-back to health, and repair its space ship to send it home.The government thinks otherwise. Whose space ship is it, anyway? Does it belong to Selena, on whose property it crashed? Or to the Feds, who crave the technology? And what about the poor alien?The alien, whom she nicknames Breadbox, communicates via singing. It had fled its home world because it didn't want to sing the music mandated by the Elders. Selena also has become bored with her singing. But Selena and Breadbox inspire each other to sing their most meaningful songs, and to recapture the soul of their singing.But when the Feds finally discover the crashed alien vessel, they drag it off to the desert and "sequester" Selena in case she has some dreaded alien disease. But really, they just want to dissect the vessel-and the alien corpses-to see what makes them tick.Selena discovers that the robotic cylinder that belonged to Breadbox has many unexpected powers. For one, it is guiding the space ship to repair itself. Selena sees that she could take it back from the government and fly off into space. This crazy idea grows on her. She could at least return the vessel with the remains of Breadbox to the home world. Why does Selena even want to keep the spaceship? Would she give up her singing career for this?At the end of Book 1, Selena makes the space ship take off from the desert and go into orbit around the Moon.Book 2. My Spaceship Calls Out to MeBook 3. Space Girl Yearning

This is not your grandmother's gardening book. You Grow Girl is a hip, humorous how-to for crafty gals everywhere who are discovering a passion for gardening but lack the know-how to turn their dreams of homegrown tomatoes and fresh-cut flowers into a reality. Gayla Trail, creator of YouGrowGirl.com, provides guidance for both beginning and intermediate gardeners with engaging tips, projects, and recipes -- whether you have access to a small backyard or merely to a fire escape. You Grow Girl eliminates the intimidation factor and reveals how easy and enjoyable it can be to cultivate plants and flowers even when resources and space are limited. Divided into accessible sections like Plan, Plant, and Grow, You Grow Girl takes readers through the entire gardening experience: Preparing soil Nurturing seedlings Fending off critters Reaping the bounty Readying plants for winter Preparing for the seasons ahead Gayla also includes a wealth of ingenious and creative projects, such as: Transforming your garden's harvest into lush bath and beauty products Converting household junk into canny containers Growing and bagging herbal tea Concocting homemade pest repellents ...and much, much more. Witty, wise, and as practical as it is stylish, You Grow Girl is guaranteed to show you how to get your garden on. All you need is a windowsill and a dream!

A thoughtful, accessible look at the rapidly growing issue of invasive plants, animals, and microbes around the globe with a focus on the scientific issues and ecological, health, and other challenges From an award-winning adventure and science journalist comes an eye-opening exploration of a burgeoning environmental phenomenon and the science coalescing around it. Leslie Anthony leads readers on adventures physical and philosophical as he explores how and why invasive species are hijacking ecosystems around the globe. Weaving science, travel, history, and humor with diverse examples to chart and describe the phases of species invasion and human response, Anthony introduces field researchers and managers who seek to understand the biological, social, and economic aspects of this complex issue, and whose work collectively suggests the emergence of a global shadow economy centered on invasives. With tales of pythons in the Everglades, Asian carp and lamprey in the Great Lakes, Japanese knotweed seemingly everywhere, and the invasive organisms we don’t see—pathogens and microbes such as the Zika virus—this book rivets attention on a new ecological reality.