Field Guide to the Natural World of Washington, D.C.

This book is such a beautiful labor of love! I have already learned new things about places I go frequently and found new treasures to discover. Yay for this beautiful book!

As an avid bird watcher for over 50 years, I especially liked the bird section. The drawings had a wonderful feel of old Audubon and Peterson drawings. I am now motivated to go back to DC and do some exploration. Your maps are a great addition. Even the history you provide of the parks, make you want explore more of our capital than just it's political history. A worthwhile addition to any nature lover's library.

This books allows you to experience an entirely different world in Washington, DC besides the monuments and museums. Despite all of the concrete and political darkness of Washington, DC, the natural world thrives and is there for all of us to enjoy. Howard Youth guides you to it and through it.

For anyone interested in the flora and fauna of Washington, DC, and the surrounding area, too, this book cannot be beaten. Highly recommended.

I look forward to good weather to be able to explore with this guide.

Whether you're a District of Columbia native, a transplant, or a tourist, the Field Guide to the Natural World of Washington, D.C. will open your eyes to a different "inside-the-Beltway" than the one dominated by monuments and museums. As impressive as these are, the natural world that exists in their shadows is all the more so for the contrast it presents. From nearly anywhere in the city, you are often just steps from spaces made lively not by politicians and lobbyists but by plants and animals. This indispensable book will show you how to find these natural spaces--some of which are well hidden--and the particular species to be found in them.Author Howard Youth, a local native, is a life-long birder and an astute observer of nature, so he is the ideal tour guide. He knows, sometimes down to the precise patch of trees, where to find one or another of the area's some 330 species of birds, and when to look for them. He reveals where to find DC's tallest tree, and its oldest. His profiles of some of the more common species to be seen here are lively and informative.And, not content to discuss only animals from insects to mammals and plants from to trees, he provides an overview of the area's interesting geology. He also sketches brief histories of the natural areas covered in the book which, not surprisingly, often have a political twist. For this reason, even naturalists loath to leave their armchairs will find much to enjoy in this book, including the lovely illustrations and photographs.Everyone living in the DC area should have this book on their shelves: to check the identity of a backyard bird, to choose weekend outings, to learn something new about their home, to share with guests who have wearied of trudging through official Washington's halls of power and need a quiet break off the beaten path. No tourist should come without it.

I'm delighted with this new book! It's well-written and visually stunning. Covers the many parks within DC, and the flora and fauna found there, with good pictures and interesting facts.

Who would have thought the DC area had so much life?