This is how a robin drinks And other essays on urban nature

There's power in unusual glimpses of the highways, parking lots, and backyards of urban America. Certified Tennessee Naturalist Brichetto, who shares her nature writing on the website Sidewalk Nature, compiles a series of humorous and educational short essays. "This is my almanac: sketches arranged by season, set in the backyard, the sidewalk, the park, the parking lot, connected by urgent wonder." Brichetto's keen eye peers at cicadas, admires the beauty of a vacant lot with asters growing in pavement cracks, and wonders about the purpose of dandelions--is a dandelion to blow, or is it, as Thoreau mused, "the sun itself in the grass?" Almost anything alive or dead merits Brichetto's curiosity, voiced in cocktail party--worthy chatter on everything from where cotton candy was invented to details of the author's personal life and how her children and husband live with her almost fanatical commitment to urban nature. To learn about maple samaras--those winged seed pods--from Brichetto is to share her devotion to keeping nature safe in our backyards.

Excerpted from This Is How a Robin Drinks: Essays on Urban Nature by Joanna Brichetto All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.