Close to Home
The Wonders of Nature Just Outside Your Door
Published on 3. April 2025
Book
Hardback
304 pages
978-1-5416-0124-6 (ISBN)
Description
An award-winning natural-history writer opens the door to the nature that thrives in our yards, gardens, and parks
We all live on nature's doorstep, but we often overlook it. From backyards to local parks, the natural places we see the most may well be the ones we know the least.
In Close to Home, biologist Thor Hanson shows how retraining our eyes reveals hidden wonders just waiting to be discovered. In Kansas City, migrating monarch butterflies flock to the local zoo. In the Pacific Northwest, fierce yellowjackets placidly sip honeydew, unseen in the treetops. In New England, a lawn gone slightly wild hosts a naturalist's life's work. And in the soil beneath our feet, remedies for everything from breast cancer to the stench of skunks lie waiting for someone's searching shovel.
Close to Home is a hands-on natural history for any local patch of Earth. It shows that we each can contribute to science and improve the health of our planet. And even more, it proves that the wonders of nature don't lie in some far-off land: they await us, close to home.
We all live on nature's doorstep, but we often overlook it. From backyards to local parks, the natural places we see the most may well be the ones we know the least.
In Close to Home, biologist Thor Hanson shows how retraining our eyes reveals hidden wonders just waiting to be discovered. In Kansas City, migrating monarch butterflies flock to the local zoo. In the Pacific Northwest, fierce yellowjackets placidly sip honeydew, unseen in the treetops. In New England, a lawn gone slightly wild hosts a naturalist's life's work. And in the soil beneath our feet, remedies for everything from breast cancer to the stench of skunks lie waiting for someone's searching shovel.
Close to Home is a hands-on natural history for any local patch of Earth. It shows that we each can contribute to science and improve the health of our planet. And even more, it proves that the wonders of nature don't lie in some far-off land: they await us, close to home.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Product notice
Trade binding
Illustrations
35 BW illustrations on text, 1 map
Dimensions
Height: 212 mm
Width: 141 mm
Thickness: 33 mm
Weight
412 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5416-0124-6 (9781541601246)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
03/2025
Basic Books
€13.99
Available for download
Person
Thor Hanson is a conservation biologist, Guggenheim fellow, and author of award-winning books including Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid, Buzz, Feathers, and The Triumph of Seeds. He lives with his wife and son on an island in Washington State.