"A Dry Spring" is an addendum to "A Green Winter in Iraq" and is simply the addition of more stories from my time in Iraq. However, there are a few accounts of a more mature and graphic nature included, please be aware of that before you let anyone under the age of 18 read the extended account of this deployment.

"As it warms, our world is running out of fresh water--fast. Lakes, aquifers and rivers are disappearing, but we consume more water than ever. What will this mean for North Americans? Dry spring shows dramatically how water loss will devastate countless communities over the next 25 years--cities and farms, forests and coastlines, ranches and orchards. The scarcity of water challenges the soaring success of some of our continent's fastest-growing regions: the American Southwest, the arid plains of Western Canada, the cross-border Great Lakes Basin. Yet while unprecedented dryness afflicts such areas as these, violently wet storms pummel many others. And drought and flooding will only worsen over time. In years to come, Canada will get more water and the U.S. less; Wood demonstrates provocatively what this will mean for political relations. He concludes with inspiring examples of choices we can all make that will help us preserve our water for future generations."--Book jacket.

Dry summer, wet winter climate? This is your must have plant guide. Selecting plants suited to your climate is the first step toward a thriving, largely self-sustaining garden that connects with and supports the natural world. With gentle and compelling text and stunning photographs of plants in garden settings, Gardening in Summer-Dry Climates by Nora Harlow and Saxon Holt is a guide to native and climate-adapted plants for summer-dry, winter-wet climates of North America's Pacific coast. Knowing what these climates share and how and why they differ, you can choose to make gardens that maintain and expand local and regional biodiversity, take little from the earth that is not returned, and welcome and accommodate the presence of wildlife. With global warming, it is now even more critical that we garden in tune with climate.

Following on from Wild Medicine: Summer, herbalist Ali English's seasonal exploration of the wonders of hedgerow medicine continues with Autumn/Winter (2019) and Spring (2020). Gloriously illustrated with her own photographs, this series is a beautiful introduction to wild foraging - packed with recipes, remedies, and ideas for making the most of nature's abundant bounty. The books encourage a love of our native plants and their many uses and provide inspiration to gather and make your own medicine. Ali persuades us to turn over a small part of our own gardens to growing wild plants at a time when the natural places of the world are under threat.