Bad Naturalist

One Woman’s Ecological Education on a Wild Virginia Mountaintop

You must sign in to see if this title is available for request. Sign In or Register Now
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app

1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date Jan 07 2025 | Archive Date Jan 07 2025

Talking about this book? Use #BadNaturalist #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!


Description

With humor, humility, and awe, one woman attempts to restore 200 acres of farmland long gone-to-seed in the Blue Ridge Mountains, facing her own limitations while getting to know a breathtaking corner of the natural world.
 
When Paula Whyman first climbs a peak in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in search of a home in the country, she has no idea how quickly her tidy backyard ecology project will become a massive endeavor. Just as quickly, she discovers how little she knows about hands-on conservation work. In Bad Naturalist, readers meander with her through orchards and meadows, forests and frog ponds, as she is beset by an influx of invasive species, rattlesnake encounters, conflicting advice from experts, and delayed plans—but none of it dampens her irrepressible passion for protecting this place. With delightful, lyrically deft storytelling, she shares her attempts to coax this beautiful piece of land back into shape. It turns out that amid the seeming chaos of nature, the mountaintop is teeming with life and hope.
With humor, humility, and awe, one woman attempts to restore 200 acres of farmland long gone-to-seed in the Blue Ridge Mountains, facing her own limitations while getting to know a breathtaking...

Advance Praise

"Whyman’s sprightly memoir of her super-sized endeavor provides valuable insight for like-minded gardeners, no matter how large or small their project." —Booklist

"How can someone who knows nothing about ecological restoration successfully rehab 200 acres of retired farmland? In Bad Naturalist, her self-deprecating, humorous, and thoroughly engaging book, Paula Whyman tells us exactly how. She describes the many pitfalls, explains how she triumphed over them, and details the many benefits of persevering, both for herself and for her mountaintop ecosystem. Why should landowners read this book? Because they own—and need to restore—most of the landscape, an awesome responsibility whose meaning Whyman has distilled for us.” —Doug Tallamy, New York Times bestselling author of Nature’s Best Hope

"Whyman’s sprightly memoir of her super-sized endeavor provides valuable insight for like-minded gardeners, no matter how large or small their project." —Booklist

"How can someone who knows nothing...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781643262178
PRICE $30.00 (USD)
PAGES 256

Available on NetGalley

NetGalley Shelf App (PDF)
Download (PDF)

Average rating from 3 members


Featured Reviews

A very enjoyable read with a lovely mix of observation ( plant, animal, human impact on the Earth) and the story of a woman batting non-native plants and other factors to encourage her corner of wilderness. In the world. I liked her writing style and the slowly evolving journey. Thank you to the author. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

Was this review helpful?

This is such an important book! Okay, maybe mostly important because I also live in Virginia and I also care about restoring natives and I also don't have a clue how to do it. But I'm gonna guess that what Whyman writes about will resonate with anyone concerned about plants and the planet (which impact everything else). I enjoyed the candid, emotional side of the challenge as well as learning about methods of restoration (and mediation). Reading Bad Naturalist made me wonder if there is any other kind of 'naturalist' at this point, as we have severely befuddled our environment, sometimes unintentionally and too often with the best of intentions. Great read. I hope it finds a wide audience in Virginia and beyond. Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and offer my honest review. And thank you to the author for writing this wonderful book and sharing her journey so well.

Was this review helpful?

Readers who liked this book also liked: