Natural History of Vacant Lots

California Natural History Guides #50

by Matthew F. Vessel, Herbert H. Wong

Vacant lots aren't really a surprising number of plants and animals live in the left-over spaces in our cities. In this fascinating guide, authors Vessel and Wong provide a broad introduction to the unique ecosystems that can survive in the urban environment.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Nature, Ecology, History, Environment, Urban Planning

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

Reviews

[Jesse Dirks · Rating 5 out of 5]

So as boring as it looks/sounds, this is about one of the coolest books ever published. It's not a cover to cover read, unless you read it cover to cover over a long period of time, but rather it's a companion for exploring urban eco-systems.

One might not have considered how the mechanisms of evolution are demonstrated so perfectly well in that hell hole of a vacant lot around the corner, but if you acquire this book, that will change. This book makes you see EVERY setting you encounter as an eco-system, correcting the fallacy that urban life is somehow separate from the natural world. Not only are vacant lots thriving eco-systems, but they are REALLY FRICKIN' COOL ONES! Plant and insect varieties have been selected for under such harsh circumstances, that the victors of this race are the toughest, most badass plants that ever graduated from the school of hard knocks. Their features have been selected for to resist chemicals and pesticides, to grow strong enough to resist heavy traffic, and even to break through concrete. These hardass cowboy plants are uncultivated ruderal plants, and their attributes may pave the way for genetic engineers to produce food crops that can grow in any environment whatsoever.

I highly recommend you grab this book and go vacant lot exploring. If you're a biology teacher, then take your ENTIRE CLASS vacant lot exploring, and be amazed at how many evolutionary concepts can be witnessed and understood in that lot right down the street. Encourage your students to see the mechanisms that play out all around them, and they'll have a greater understanding of the science of diversification of life.

[Clare]

https://archive.org/details/naturalhi...

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw this book floating around the internet somewhere, and, as a hater of vacant lots, I decided I had to check it out. It wasn't available near me (makes sense, as this book focuses on California, and I am Not from California), so it came to me as an inter library loan. I didn't know much about it, so I went in expecting a commentary about vacant lots, and why they are there, and what we can do about them, etc etc. Instead, this book accepts their presence and adds them into our ecosystem seamlessly.
This book is not one to sit down and read; half of it is a field guide, after all. During the first section, I though, 'what have I got myself into?' as I skimmed through passages about food chains and habitats, much reminiscent of my freshman year biology class. But I soon realized that it was necessary context to get the reader used to the idea that vacant lots are a part of our ecosystems! and have ecosystems in them! Once I got to the next section, Suggested Activities, everything began to make sense. This is not only a field guide, but a guide to seeing those vacant lots which are so common everywhere (but especially in my deindustrialized city) as something living, and as something to be explored and even marveled at. The book gives suggestions on how to track insect, mammal, and plant populations, how to create censuses and determine relationships between species, and everything else in between. I found myself wishing that my high school biology teacher, and in fact biology teachers everywhere, would have picked up a copy of this book. When it comes to science, I have sometimes found that it is difficult for me to reconcile the science-y terms and explanations that are found in a classroom with the world all around me, but the Natural History of Vacant Lots makes it sound supremely easy. A vacant lot is a bitesize, manageable ecosystem; and you can be a part of it if you only take a second to look a little deeper.

[MANTA! · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not so much a history as it is a field guide, a survey, a toolkit, and a quick refresh of the kind of biology they teach you in middle school, but an illuminating read nonetheless. Nature rises through the cracks, again and again, seeking out the light. Life is everywhere, and all we have to do it look for it. Despite its simplicity, it's obviously a book crafted with a lot of love, and I especially adore how tender and candid the included identification photos are. Made me remember to download iNaturalist.

https://www.are.na/block/9381780

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

~3.25

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

need to apply via walking around LA

[Raven]

"A town or city is a disturbed natural area modified drastically by humans to accommodate their own needs."

"A more appropriate term for plants that voluntarily colonize disturbed and waste areas is ruderal plants."

"Ants and termites appear to be enemies, so a habitat will usually accommodate one or the other, but not both."

"achene: a small dry one-seeded fruit that does not open when mature, e.g., a sunflower seed."