Wild in the City is an invaluable guide for an exploration of the parks and trails in the Portland metropolitan area, but it’s quite readable even if you’re stuck somewhere else. Scattered amongst the trail maps and descriptions of various sites and walks are essays about wildlife, history–both natural and human–and the complexities of disturbed ecosystems, with a good dose of philosophy on the value of having nature in an urban setting. Over one hundred writers and illustrators have contributed to this fine work.
Excerpted from the Fall 2012 Arboretum Bulletin.