Backyard Wonders

A colorful, charming, and immersive guide to exploring and treasuring the complex, miraculous natural world in your own backyard and beyond.

Backyard Wonders is an illustrated celebration of the vast natural diversity of the world, one that you can find by simply stepping outside. This guide to backyard (or front stoop!) ecology encourages you to notice every sight, sound, and smell—the rustle of falling leaves, the chirping of crickets, the scent of spring rain, and the radiance of the stars above—as a way of understanding the wonders of our complex, beautiful planet.

Interact mindfully with your surroundings and embrace the simple joys offered by the great outdoors while gleaning tidbits of scientific information written to teach and inspire all ages. Each chapter—teeming with gorgeous, intricate nature illustrations—begins with a mindfulness prompt like "Notice the Small Things," "Taste the Wild," or "Discover Patterns," encouraging curiosity about the call-and-response interactions between birds or what a cloud can tell us about the future. Learn about foraging, sacred geometry, moon phases, animal tracks, clouds, weather, and more.

As you leaf through Backyard Wonders, you will find your understanding of nature''s everyday feats expanding. Let wonder and curiosity bloom as you embark on this illustrated journey of the outdoors.