When the Earth was green Plants, animals, and evolution's greatest romance

In her latest book, Black (The Last Days of the Dinosaurs, 2022), equates viewing fossils behind glass in a museum and observing life out of context. To truly understand the bounty of past and present life and the possibility of future life, it's useful to acquire deep knowledge of geology, ecology, ecosystems, and mass extinctions. Excavated bones on display were once part of a creature, but not one that lived in isolation, rather an animal that interacted with plants and other life-forms and, on an instinctual level, did its best to continue its own life and its species within an ever-changing environment. Black begins by describing early plant life 1.2 billion years ago, then proceeds through eras and eons over millions of years, chronicling the evolution of plants and reptilian, avian, and mammalian life and symbiotic relationships. Black's creative writing style and vivid descriptions, paired with well-chosen scientific facts, transport readers to verdant, sometimes violent scenes from our planet's past and point to the inevitable changes and potentials in our collective future.

In this striking study, science writer Black (The Last Days of the Dinosaurs) presents vignettes illustrating the complex interplay between animals, plants, and the environment from 1.2 billion through 15,000 years ago. An account of a proto-dinosaur's wanderings around a forest of araucarioxylon trees 220 million years ago details how the conifers thrived in a warming world by growing massive root systems able to withstand frequent wildfires. Describing a jeholornis bird feasting on a magnolia flower 125 million years ago, Black discusses how early birds took to swallowing seeds whole after losing their teeth, helping plants spread farther than they'd previously been able to. The entries emphasize chance's prominent role in evolution. For instance, Black imagines a saber-toothed cat chowing down on catnip and notes that the plant initially evolved to produce the chemical compound that intoxicates felines as a defense against insects, who are repulsed by the substance. Black excels at packaging science for lay readers, weaving illuminating natural history into sparkling descriptions of what the Earth was like millions of years ago ("The humid, dew-dappled forests that have cradled... Cretaceous survivors are shifting now, the greenhouse world becoming one where a persistent and sweltering summer is feeling the aches of seasonal change once more"). This is another triumph from Black. Illus. Agent: Deirdre Mullane, Mullane Literary. (Feb.)