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Life in the Treetops: Adventures of a Woman in Field Biology
Forest canopies have been characterized as one of the last biotic frontiers on tree crowns have been difficult to study scientifically because access to them has been so challenging. During the past two decades, however, methods for canopy access have greatly improved. In this book a pioneer canopy scientist describes the mysteries of the treetops—their inhabitants, flowers and fruits, growth and mortality, patterns of diversity, and plant and animal interactions. Margaret Lowman writes about different canopy access techniques in conjunction with the scientific hypotheses she was addressing while using each one. She also portrays the life of a field biologist from a woman’s what it was like to juggle a demanding career with marriage, housewifery, motherhood, and single parenthood.
The chapters are organized chronologically, starting with Lowman’s early days with ropes in Australia and progressing to the use of a cherry picker to access the canopies of eucalypt trees while she was pregnant, research by hot-air balloon in Africa, and building treetop walkways in the temperate forests of Massachusetts and in the tropical rain forests of Belize. The book also includes a lovely array of line drawings and halftones.
The chapters are organized chronologically, starting with Lowman’s early days with ropes in Australia and progressing to the use of a cherry picker to access the canopies of eucalypt trees while she was pregnant, research by hot-air balloon in Africa, and building treetop walkways in the temperate forests of Massachusetts and in the tropical rain forests of Belize. The book also includes a lovely array of line drawings and halftones.
240 pages, Paperback
First published June 10, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
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July 27, 2016Books like this make me look back at all the decisions I've made in my life and think, "I'm doin' it wrong." I mean, I get outside, I've seen some cool stuff, I do work that I think is both fun and important, but I probably should have found a way to catch bugs while hanging out of trees in the African jungle like the author. Oh well.
To be perfectly honest, I read this book to get some perspective on someone I may be working with in the near future, so I'll limit my commentary to this: this is a memoir of one (fascinating) life as a pioneering field biologist and a woman making inroads into male-dominated arenas, without too much in the way of generalization and extrapolation. That's totally reasonable and frankly what I would expect from a scientist, but I found myself wondering how these experiences compared with other women in the sciences, or other working women in Australia. Maybe she's saving that for another book!
Now to figure out how to find all those deadly Australian snakes...
To be perfectly honest, I read this book to get some perspective on someone I may be working with in the near future, so I'll limit my commentary to this: this is a memoir of one (fascinating) life as a pioneering field biologist and a woman making inroads into male-dominated arenas, without too much in the way of generalization and extrapolation. That's totally reasonable and frankly what I would expect from a scientist, but I found myself wondering how these experiences compared with other women in the sciences, or other working women in Australia. Maybe she's saving that for another book!
Now to figure out how to find all those deadly Australian snakes...
February 26, 2009
Climbing a tree is such a basic part of who we are when we are kids; it’s wonderful to read about someone who turned it into a vocation. This is a fascinating book written by a pioneer in canopy biology, who not only had to overcome gravity to climb to her area of research but also had to do it over the objections of her husband who felt her place was in the kitchen. Despite the natural and personal obstacles, she persevered.
What Lowman discovered—the rich biodiversity—once she left terra firma and climbed to the treetops is incredible. It's another world high above the ground and the author shares stories of the creatures both great and small that live there.
"During the thousands of hours that I spent alone in the forest, nature has imparted wisdom and strength to me, and these gifts are priceless...What next? After two decades of climbing trees and going out on many limbs, both literally and figuratively, can I continue to forge new territory in science? The challenges in field biology are enormous."
But the author is used to overcoming all sorts of challenges.
What Lowman discovered—the rich biodiversity—once she left terra firma and climbed to the treetops is incredible. It's another world high above the ground and the author shares stories of the creatures both great and small that live there.
"During the thousands of hours that I spent alone in the forest, nature has imparted wisdom and strength to me, and these gifts are priceless...What next? After two decades of climbing trees and going out on many limbs, both literally and figuratively, can I continue to forge new territory in science? The challenges in field biology are enormous."
But the author is used to overcoming all sorts of challenges.
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July 2, 2018Margaret Lowman climbs trees for a living. She has been studying the canopy (the highest level of trees) for her working career as a biologist. Life in the Treetops is her first book that recounts her work up to 1999.
Her interest in the natural world began in her early childhood - she collected all kinds of animals and plants. The book begins in 1978/1979 when she moved to Australia for graduate work. She says a "natural progression of ideas" led her to study trees, and particularly their tops -"the canopy." In this book, she recounts her experiences in Australia, where she met her husband, had two children, and juggled family and career.
She left Australia - and her husband - taking her two children with her back to the U.S., where she taught for several years, continuing to do fieldwork. The rest of the book is about the places she traveled to work in the canopy.
Dr. Lowman intermixes information about her personal life with descriptions of plants and of the construction of methods to get into the canopy. The most interesting expedition she took was to Cameroon, where she studied the canopy from a dirigible and a raft.
The chapters sounded like articles, and she repeated herself several times telling about her failed marriage and the life of women in Australia, but otherwise, I found the book fascinating. Lowman has written another book called "It's a Jungle Up There: More Tales from the Treetops," - I plan to read it and will let you know what I think.
Read more about women like Margaret Lowman at my new series on Women Adventurers
Her interest in the natural world began in her early childhood - she collected all kinds of animals and plants. The book begins in 1978/1979 when she moved to Australia for graduate work. She says a "natural progression of ideas" led her to study trees, and particularly their tops -"the canopy." In this book, she recounts her experiences in Australia, where she met her husband, had two children, and juggled family and career.
She left Australia - and her husband - taking her two children with her back to the U.S., where she taught for several years, continuing to do fieldwork. The rest of the book is about the places she traveled to work in the canopy.
Dr. Lowman intermixes information about her personal life with descriptions of plants and of the construction of methods to get into the canopy. The most interesting expedition she took was to Cameroon, where she studied the canopy from a dirigible and a raft.
The chapters sounded like articles, and she repeated herself several times telling about her failed marriage and the life of women in Australia, but otherwise, I found the book fascinating. Lowman has written another book called "It's a Jungle Up There: More Tales from the Treetops," - I plan to read it and will let you know what I think.
Read more about women like Margaret Lowman at my new series on Women Adventurers
April 2, 2013
I loved the stories that she gave. As a senior undergraduate environmental biology major with a case of burn-out this semester, this book was what I needed to kick my ass back in gear. Very inspirational with awe-inspiring stories. That being said, I was torn between 3 and 4 stars, because, well, she's a biologist, not a writer. The writing was very dry, slow, and boring. It took me quite a while to get through it because I could only read it in small amounts.
September 23, 2010
I really enjoyed this book. I don't think I'm the only botanist who has ready this book and envies the author's ability to study the forest canopy, tie incredible knots, climb trees, and raise kids in an unorthodox fashion. Inspiring, not a quick read but not a bit dry.
April 11, 2023
A fun and easy read about a life spent in the study of forests. And to properly study forests you must get up into the canopy. This short book will appeal to those fascinated by the ecology of rainforests but also those interested in the challenges of a woman becoming a scientist in a male-dominated field. From using ropes to climb trees in Australia, to using a hot air balloon to get up into the canopy of trees in Africa, Lowman has seen the top of the world in many places. The writing is good but not first rate. Highly recommended for young women starting out in botany or ecology.
July 12, 2019
I related to this book hardcore. I mean, Dr. Lowman is a lady tree researcher who has an enduring love for Oreos. She uses scientific names (and families!) for all the organisms she mentions! Her advisor was my advisor's dad! And the Oreos!
I think this book appeals the most to a very specific audience and I am that audience.
I think this book appeals the most to a very specific audience and I am that audience.
August 29, 2019
This was so good! The author is an amazing scientist, mother and woman who helped pave the way for tree canopy discoveries since the 70s and female scientists in general! She stays positive through the hardest parts of the story, is charmingly nerdy about her discoveries and rode a wonderful line of science notebook and entertaining read. I will have to hunt up the rest of her books.
September 25, 2024
This book caught my attention at a used book store and I’m so glad it did! My copy was old and unassuming, so I didn’t anticipate the absolute joy with which I would read every page. I read the entire thing in two sittings, owing both to the excellent, accessible prose of Dr. Lowman and her absolutely fascinating life.
This book is about doing science—the art of fieldwork, which here is described as a painstaking, uncomfortable, and sometimes dangerous activity, yet the author never hesitates to point out the thrills her experiences have brought her. She traveled around the world and rose to the top of her field, pioneering innovative research methods (each chapter describes her experiences with a new method), and the personal details she gives make this a compelling memoir. I particularly appreciated the honest, matter-of-fact way Dr. Lowman discusses the challenges women in science have faced, especially when they choose to balance their passion for discovery with the responsibilities of building a family. The parts about the obstacles she herself faced and how she overcame them were some of my favorite parts of the book.
We often take for granted what we know about forests, trees, leaves, and wildlife, but Dr. Lowman illuminates the immense effort that professionals put in behind-the-scenes to figure out the facts that reach the classroom and the seriousness with which they approach their work. This is now a favorite in my collection and one that I will gladly reread.
This book is about doing science—the art of fieldwork, which here is described as a painstaking, uncomfortable, and sometimes dangerous activity, yet the author never hesitates to point out the thrills her experiences have brought her. She traveled around the world and rose to the top of her field, pioneering innovative research methods (each chapter describes her experiences with a new method), and the personal details she gives make this a compelling memoir. I particularly appreciated the honest, matter-of-fact way Dr. Lowman discusses the challenges women in science have faced, especially when they choose to balance their passion for discovery with the responsibilities of building a family. The parts about the obstacles she herself faced and how she overcame them were some of my favorite parts of the book.
We often take for granted what we know about forests, trees, leaves, and wildlife, but Dr. Lowman illuminates the immense effort that professionals put in behind-the-scenes to figure out the facts that reach the classroom and the seriousness with which they approach their work. This is now a favorite in my collection and one that I will gladly reread.
October 3, 2015
I was fortunate to have heard Dr. Lowman present the keynote address at the annual conference of the International Society of Arboriculture this past August in Orlando, FL. Her story is in part about the obstacles and challenges a woman finds in pursuit of a career as a research biologist, a field dominated by males. To make things more challenging, her early years were spent in Australia, trying to juggle between her career dreams and determination to meet the Australian expectations for a wife as homemaker.
I am also intrigued by her pioneering work in the development of tree canopy walks as a means both to facilitate access to rain forest tree tops, but also to create an eco-tourism economy to support preservation of the rain forests.
I am also intrigued by her pioneering work in the development of tree canopy walks as a means both to facilitate access to rain forest tree tops, but also to create an eco-tourism economy to support preservation of the rain forests.
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August 11, 2016
I enjoyed this book. I really liked how she talked about her life and the paths she chose, even though those didn't always turn out to be the right ones for her. She makes me feel inadequate as a person and scientist, because there is no way I could have as many cool ideas as she did, or raise kids and do research as well as maintain a house. She is amazing.
September 7, 2014
This is a great story of a woman who stood her ground, was able to be a positive force in influencing students to take up the study of arboriculture and developed a new way of investigating trees. Bravo, Dr. Lowman!
October 18, 2016
Should be read by every working woman :)
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November 16, 2022
【taaze 訂90 -得58】
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 31, 2012
About a female biologist studying in the treetops of Australian rainforests. Very good.
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March 5, 2019Amazing inspirational
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews