Field Guide to the Natural World of New York City - by Leslie Day (Paperback)

About the Book

Throw it in your backpack, hop on the subway, and explore.

Book Synopsis

"This little gem fills you in on everything finned, furred, feathered, or leafed, and how to find it, in all five boroughs."--House and Garden

Second place for scholarly/reference books (design), Bookbinders' Guild of New York 2008 New York Book Show.

New York just might be the most biologically diverse city in temperate America. The five boroughs sit atop one of the most naturally rich sites in North America, directly under the Atlantic migratory flyway, at the mouth of a 300-mile-long river, and on three islands--Manhattan, Staten, and Long.

Leslie Day, a New York City naturalist, reveals this amazing world in her Field Guide to the Natural World of New York City. Combining the stunning paintings of Mark A. Klingler with a variety of photographs and maps, this book is a complete guide for the urban naturalist--with tips on identifying the city's flora and fauna and maps showing the nearest subway stop.

Here is your personal guide to the real wild side of America's largest city. Throw it in your backpack, hop on the subway, and explore.

Review Quotes

The scientific detail is appropriate for all levels, and additional readings are referenced in a selected bibliography. Highly recommended.
--Choice

This book should be in every New Yorker's library as both reference and inspiration for low-carbon-impact journeys to places of unexpected beauty and tranquility.
--Crawford-Doyle Booksellers Newsletter

This is a unique an excellent beginner's guide . . . Highly recommended.
--International Hawkwatcher

This little gem fills you in on everything finned, furred, feathered, or leafed, and how to find it, in all five boroughs.
--House and Garden

Wonderfuly written and well organized . . . In short, this useful book is, quite simply, beautiful.
--Living the Scientific Life

You may well wonder why I am reviewing a book about New York city when we preach 'local, local, local' throughout these pages. I'll tell you, because this beautifully illustrated handbook is a wonderful example of exploring the bucolic city . . . All illustrated with gorgeous watercolors by Klingler. We should have one of these. But in the meantime, you will find many of the same species in our fair cities., so why not pick up a copy for inspiration?
--Minneapolis Observer Quarterly

A complete guide for the urban naturalist.
--Greg Rienzi, Gazette

A guidebook to nature in the Big Apple would range from slim to empty, one might think. Try again. Painted turtles, American eels, dwarf centipedes, Eastern spotted newts, black-crowned night herons and Manhattan schist rocks are among the highlights of Leslie Day's Field Guide to the Natural World of New York City.
--Robin Lloyd, www.livescience.com

Describes how to find and explore some of the greener parts of the concrete jungle.
--Walter Dawkins, The Record

Dr. Day . . . A sort of Julia Child of nature.
--Ellen Pall, New York Times

Leslie Day ('a child of Manhattan') reveals hidden depths of this urban behemoth. . . A wonderful guide to the green side of the Big Apple.
--PDSmith, Guardian

Provides historic facts, photographs and maps to give a snapshot of the city's natural resources and to remind hard-charging New Yorkers of the unchanging parts of their environment.
--Sally Goldenberg, Staten Island Advance

This guide is useful for students and anyone interested in locating and identifying the flora and fauna of New York City.
--Denise A. Garofalo, American Reference Books Annual

Useful for students and anyone interested in locating and identifying the flora and fauna of New York City.
--Denise Garofalo, ARBA Online

About the Author

Leslie Day is a New York City naturalist. The author of Honeybee Hotel: The Waldorf Astoria's Rooftop Garden and the Heart of NYC, Field Guide to the Street Trees of New York City, and Field Guide to the Neighborhood Birds of New York City, Dr. Day taught environmental science and biology for more than twenty years. Today, she leads nature walks, gives talks, and teaches at the New York Botanical Garden. Mark A. Klingler is a scientific illustrator at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. He was trained at Carnegie Mellon University and Pennsylvania Academy of the Arts. His work has appeared internationally in major scientific journals and popular magazines, as well as museums and art forums across the country.