The tangled bank : writings from Orion / Robert Michael Pyle.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Pyle, Robert Michael.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Natural history.

Essays.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (208 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Corvallis, OR : Oregon State University Press, 2012.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

"It is interesting to contemplate a tangled bank, clothed with many plants of many kinds, with birds singing on the bushes, with various insects flitting about, and with worms crawling through the damp earth, and to reflect that these elaborately constructed forms, so different from each other, and dependent upon each other in so complex a manner, have all been produced by laws acting around us..." --Charles Darwin, The Origin of Species Robert Michael Pyle's popular "Tangled Bank" column appeared in fifty-two consecutive issues of Orion and Orion Afield magazines over eleven years. Each essay collected in The Tangled Bank explores Charles Darwin's contention that the elements of such a bank, and by extension all the living world, are endlessly interesting and ever evolving. Pyle's thoughtful and concise narratives range in subject from hops and those who love them to independent bookstores to the monarchs of Mexico. In each piece, Pyle refutes "the idea that the world is a boring place," sharing his meticulous observations of the endless and fascinating details of the living earth.

Contents:

Intro

Contents

Prologue: The Fern Wall

Leaves That Speak

In the Eyes of ...

Of Mice and Monarchs

Turning Fifty on Silver Star

Roll Call

Old Growth

The Element of Surprise

A Declaration of Independents

Naming Names

Down at the Grange

Of Cabbages and Queens

When Things Go Wrong

Alles ist Blatt

Carnal Knowledge

Spark-infested Waters

Durable Goods

Lookee Here!

The Toucans of Tikal

Waving the Flag

My Meringue Bazooka

Nightlife in Amsterdam

Wings to Wander

Confessions of a Hophead

Reality Check

Guarding the Household

A Tale of Two Turtles

The Chemistry Between Us

Taking Their Names in Vain

Tit for Tat

Small Mercies

The Long Haul

Butterflies and Battle Cries

The Moth Blitz

Consolation Prize

Cosmic Convergence

The High Price of Getting Hip

Unauthorized Entry

Losers Keepers

Squirrel Tales

Hanky Panky: Notes on the Biology of Boogers

Feathered Remnants

Pele and Kamehameha Dance

With Enemies Like These

The Great Indoors

The Territory of Tint

Evolving, Swiftly

Book Tourist

Condo Picchu

License to Kill

Pulling the Plug

Overseer of Butterflies

Magpie Song

Epilogue: X the Unknown

Acknowledgements.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

ISBN:

0-87071-680-8

OCLC:

847008234