Illinois Wilds is a natural history of the wildlands found in Illinois. This book is a historical depiction of what Illinois was like before settlement by Europeans, and is also a showcase of the remaining natural heritage of the state. Historical accounts of Illinois described huge trees, vast grasslands, and extensive wetlands. The seemingly endless prairies possessed a great diversity of many-hued plants; a traveler could go from central Illinois to Wisconsin and encounter few trees. The prairies were teeming with life - passenger pigeons by the millions, snakes basking along the dusty trail, a myriad of grasshoppers darting through the air like arrows from a medieval army. Although we no longer have the luxury of standing on a hillock or an old glacial moraine and viewing a limitless expanse of prairie or forest, we do have the opportunity to experience the essence of these places; that is what the authors have attempted to document in this work. They identify the most distinguishing feature of various Illinois habitats, whether the vegetation is predominantly trees, grasses or forbs, the soil a deep loess, sand or gravel, or the ground surface dry or covered by water. The majority of the photographs in this book are of plants and animals that can be used to determine a habitat or simply be seen by the casual visitor. It is the authors' wish that these images not only excite and emotionally involve the viewer, but that they also inspire movement towards a conservation ethic.

In our fast-paced world of technology, where populations are becoming more urbanized and life is increasingly experienced on electronic screens, people are losing their connection to nature. Yet nature is all around us, especially if you live in the Chicago area. Unfortunately, few Chicagoans know it's there.In My Journey into the Wilds of Chicago, photographer and humorist Mike MacDonald takes you on a trip to Chicago's wild side--a verdant, untamed Chicago that has been there all along, just waiting to be explored. Combining breathtaking images and imaginative prose, MacDonald leads you on an adventure into wondrous, enchanted lands located just up the road from home, work, and school. From kaleidoscopic tallgrass prairies to the open canopies of rare oak savannas, from the free-flying expanse of the butterfly to the mysterious world of the coyote, startling photographs of a vast and scenic Chicago evoke astonishment and delight with every turn of the page.MacDonald's contagious enthusiasm and decades of comedy experience are channeled into inventive essays, captions, and poetry that engage the imagination and add richness to your journey. This inspirational volume invites readers to cross the threshold, to get off their couches and abandon their screens, to come out into nature and play.

A hiking trail through majestic mountains. A raw, unpeopled wilderness stretching as far as the eye can see. These are the settings we associate with our most famous books about nature. But Gavin Van Horn isn’t most nature writers. He lives and works not in some perfectly remote cabin in the woods but in a city—a big city. And that city has offered him something even more valuable than solitude: a window onto the surprising attractiveness of cities to animals. What was once in his mind essentially a nature-free blank slate turns out to actually be a bustling place where millions of wild things roam. He came to realize that our own paths are crisscrossed by the tracks and flyways of endangered black-crowned night herons, Cooper’s hawks, brown bats, coyotes, opossums, white-tailed deer, and many others who thread their lives ably through our own. With The Way of Coyote, Gavin Van Horn reveals the stupendous diversity of species that can flourish in urban landscapes like Chicago. That isn’t to say city living is without its challenges. Chicago has been altered dramatically over a relatively short timespan—its soils covered by concrete, its wetlands drained and refilled, its river diverted and made to flow in the opposite direction. The stories in The Way of Coyote occasionally lament lost abundance, but they also point toward incredible adaptability and resilience, such as that displayed by beavers plying the waters of human-constructed canals or peregrine falcons raising their young atop towering skyscrapers. Van Horn populates his stories with a remarkable range of urban wildlife and probes the philosophical and religious dimensions of what it means to coexist, drawing frequently from the wisdom of three unconventional guides—wildlife ecologist Aldo Leopold, Taoist philosopher Lao Tzu, and the North American trickster figure Coyote. Ultimately, Van Horn sees vast potential for a more vibrant collective of ecological citizens as we take our cues from landscapes past and present. Part urban nature travelogue, part philosophical reflection on the role wildlife can play in waking us to a shared sense of place and fate, The Way of Coyote is a deeply personal journey that questions how we might best reconcile our own needs with the needs of other creatures in our shared urban habitats.

Wild Peace by Irene Latham and Il Sung Na is a lush, soothing mindfulness picture book about finding solace in the natural world. With lyrical text and whimsical art, Wild Peace follows a girl whose imagination helps her escape her frenzied home and discover the joys of nature. After enjoying the serenity of the forest, she is finally ready to return to her family, where peace welcomes all that is wild, and kisses the forehead of every child. When the world fills with noise and fury, and the days pass, all rush and scurry, it's time to step into the forest . . .

Grab your paddle and enjoy Illinois' beautiful rivers. This comprehensive guidebook--the only one for Illinois--features 64 trips on 33 rivers. Rivers covered include Cashe, Des Plains, Embarras, Fox, Galena, Mackinaw, Middle Fork, and Spoon. This is the ultimate guide for canoe or kayak enthusiasts of all abilities.

This photographic collection of native prairie plants guides the naturalist as well as the curious through a typical midwest prairie land. Portraits of specific plants are featured with basic scientific information and author comments. It will increase your appreciation for this unique native habitat, and encourage you to enjoy the outdoors near your home. All photographs were made in the Chicago land area.

Zoos, aquaria, and wildlife parks are vital centers of animal conservation and management. For nearly fifteen years, these institutions have relied on Wild Mammals in Captivity as the essential reference for their work. Now the book reemerges in a completely updated second edition. Wild Mammals in Captivity presents the most current thinking and practice in the care and management of wild mammals in zoos and other institutions. In one comprehensive volume, the editors have gathered the most current information from studies of animal behavior; advances in captive breeding; research in physiology, genetics, and nutrition; and new thinking in animal management and welfare. In this edition, more than three-quarters of the text is new, and information from more than seventy-five contributors is thoroughly updated. The standard text for all courses in zoo biology, Wild Mammals in Captivity will, in its new incarnation, continue to be used by zoo managers, animal caretakers, researchers, and anyone with an interest in how to manage animals in captive conditions.