A variety of animals common to North America pose for portraits against a white background while narrating distinctive aspects of their natural histories: animals such as the American bullfrog, American toad, blue jay, Ohio crawfish, goldfish, southern flying squirrel, big brown bat, fox snake, eastern screech-owl, gray treefrog, bush katydid, Virginia opossum, Chinese praying mantis, jumping spider, red flat bark beetle, black swallowtail, eastern spiny softshell turtle, red-eyed vireo, eastern box turtle, spotted salamander, monarch. Includes curious critters silhouettes quiz and answer key.

Bright photographs show animals from Michigan.

A Dragon covered with fingernails, a Mermaid who vacuums the ocean floor every day, and a pocket Dracula no bigger than your thumb. Am I making them up? No! And you know I have the pictures to prove it. Add in fun activities and huge, scientific words you can roll out to impress your Teacher, and you¿ve got Weird & Wacky Creatures-Endangered Animals. Is truth stranger than fiction? Take a look for yourself...

A variety of animals common to Ohio have been photographed against white backgrounds. Brief natural history information accompanies each photograph.

A variety of animals common to Florida pose for portraits against white backgrounds accompanied by brief natural history information.

In this eloquent plea for compassion and respect for all species, journalist and gardener Nancy Lawson describes why and how to welcome wildlife to our backyards. Through engaging anecdotes and inspired advice, profiles of home gardeners throughout the country, and interviews with scientists and horticulturalists, Lawson applies the broader lessons of ecology to our own outdoor spaces. Detailed chapters address planting for wildlife by choosing native species; providing habitats that shelter baby animals, as well as birds, bees, and butterflies; creating safe zones in the garden; cohabiting with creatures often regarded as pests; letting nature be your garden designer; and encouraging natural processes and evolution in the garden. The Humane Gardener fills a unique niche in describing simple principles for both attracting wildlife and peacefully resolving conflicts with all the creatures that share our world.

A fascinating and beautiful guide to Ohio's extraordinary wetland wildlife The Buckeye State's many ponds and vernal pools are populated by a dizzying variety of wildlife. Animals of Ohio's Ponds and Vernal Pools takes a close-up look at unique wetlands--from fascinating fish and amphibians to intriguing insects and birds--besides examining pond and vernal pool ecology, Ohio's geologic history influencing wetland formation, and hydrology and energy cycles. In prose that enlightens and entertains, author David S. FitzSimmons uncovers both the rare and common life-forms found in and around Ohio's ponds and vernal pools. First he discusses the Buckeye State's variety of small lakes, covering everything from managed farm ponds to glacially formed basins. He then turns to vernal pools, temporary waters that fill in the late winter or spring and dry up in the summer. His moving prose describing specialized amphibian breeding habitats includes vivid accounts of rainy spring nights when hundreds of mole salamanders slip into the filling waters while equal numbers of wood frogs "clack" loudly in the dark. Accompanying these scientifically accurate and poetic descriptions are Gary Meszaros's extraordinary photographs, including close-ups of multicolored dragonflies, underwater shots of fish, beautiful images of birds, and idyllic vistas of Ohio's serene ponds and secluded pools. Animals of Ohio's Ponds and Vernal Pools is a wonderful resource about the wetlands and wildlife that will inspire readers to learn about and protect their own natural environments.