Matthew F. Vessel

A well-written intro to vacant lot ecosystems and some basic ecology, though I wish there was more said about the vacant lot ecosystem in general. About 3/4ths of the book consists of a field guide to plants and animal species that you can find in vacant lots, so it's not really the monograph on vacant lots I was hoping for. The author does add some interesting and sometimes funny comments throughout the field guide section though. Either way, I feel like I learned a lot, even if it was after looking up something that was mentioned only once, like the fact that opossums are thought to be "living fossils," or that apomixis exists in some plant species.… (mehr)

I enjoyed reading this. Much of it I was familiar with because I had incredible parents and grandparents who knew about the place we live in and discussed it frequently, thereby teaching me. It was interesting in the introduction to learn how recently textbooks were out of date/misinformed about the natural flora and fauna of the far west. When I come to think of it, school is not where I learned about these things, with the exception of a summer program I participated in when a teen. That program had us fixing National Park trails and learning about our environment while we were at it. Wish all teens everywhere could be in such a program at some time. I digress.

This would serve as a terrific text or guide for a classroom, or for a teacher who wanted the children to learn about their immediate environment. It teaches about the plants and critters that frequent waysides, empty lots and any other place they can get a foothold. It also gives instructions for ways and means to study an area over time looking for various growth patterns, species, habits, etc. Then it goes on to describe and identify the various plants and animals one might find there in California. Many of these species will be found elsewhere as well, since they are the tough ones that persist in living despite the poisons, plowing, cutting and other means humans try to get rid of them. Aint nature persistent?

I wish there were more color photos for the identification pages, but that is probably a sign of the times it was published in. The descriptions of the various plants, animals and insects range from basic and brief, to quaint and personal including personal anecdotes. I love that.… (mehr)