Our natural world is fascinating in its diversity, history, flora and fauna and beauty. Three books being reviewed offer a wealth of information on mammals, wolves and wild berries. They connect us with our environment by identification, thereby providing knowledge which helps one enjoy the wilderness and what is in it.
Wolves in Canada
Author: Erin McCloskey
Lone Pine Publishing
208 Pages Softcover
It is the quintessentially iconic Canadian image, it is the cry heard in the wilderness, and it is a charismatic species often misunderstood and often hunted: it is the wolf (c. lupus).
Author Erin McClosky, an active campaigner for the protection of endangered species and spaces, writes of the natural history and status of Canadian wolves. She writes of the behaviour, physiology, and interspecies relationships of wolves as well as culling, hunting, trapping and the intrinsic values of wolves in our society.
Everything you ever wanted to know about wolves is pretty much covered in Wolves in Canada. It is not a glossy hardcover coffee table book, but rather an interesting read providing information without the romanticism. The “big bad wolf,” “a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” “the wolf from the door,” “crying wolf,” and other similar quotes have made the wolf an animal to be feared and exterminated.
McClosky’s book points out how the wolf deserves our understanding.
It is about respect for an animal that does have a place in the Canadian landscape.
The book contains maps, illustrations and photos throughout.
Mammals of Canada
Authors: Tamara Eder and Gregory Kennedy
Lone Pine Publishing
448 pages Hardcover
A field guide is usually an informational publication which can be used to identify plants, animals, and other things in the natural world. The Mammals of Canada is a lively, informative text for 188 common species of mammals. From the grizzly bear to the ground squirrel, the orca to the shrew, each is covered in just enough detail to give you an idea of its description, habitat, food sources and reproduction.
Well laid out with colour plates, this book will give the reader a strong sense of the nature of the mammals featured in the 448 pages. The chapters are colour-coded and a quick reference guide in the first pages allows the reader to assess what type of animals they are looking at. Many of the descriptions include interesting “Did you Know?” facts. As an example: Did you know - “Sometimes these seals follow fish several hundred kilometres up major rivers; there are even residents in some inland lakes. Harbour Seals can be found in Harrison lake, B.C., more than 180 km upriver from the coast.”
Excellent reference guide, easy to read and a great addition to any library.
Wild Berries of British Columbia
Author: Fiona Hamersley Chambers
Lone Pine Publishing
192 pages, Softcover
Wild berries look luscious, delicious and edible. Some are just that while others are not. Rather than risking an upset stomach, this guide will guide berry lovers to the edible morsels. Wild Berries of British Columbia will allow you to identify most native berry species in your region, but it is not a complete reference guide. The author warns people to exclude from use any plant they cannot identify. The author includes paragraphs on edibility, fruit, season and description.
Did you know that the berries of the arbutus are edible? The taste is described as bland, mealy, astringent, bitter and sweet. A cider was made from the berries which stimulated the appetite.
Did you know that cranberries were traditionally prescribed to relieve nausea, to ease cramps in childbirth and to quiet hysteria and convulsions?
Simple recipes for cooking, preserving or enjoying berries fresh of the plants are included throughout the book. Enjoy rosehip jelly or blackberry cordial or syrup.
This guide will be indispensable for those searching the wilds for edible berries.
Lone Pine Publishing books are available in Sooke at Village Foods.