Ireland A Smithsonian Natural History

by VINEY, MICHAEL

• ISBN13: 9781588342942
• ISBN10: 1588342948
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-07-06
• Publisher: Smithsonian Books

Summary

Ireland conjures up images of nature's majesty: sweeping coastlines, rolling green hills, and secluded peat bogs and marshlands. A place of legendary beauty, it is also a land with a rich natural history. Michael Viney invites us to discover the geologic forces that created the island, peer into the famous bone caves that hold unique clues about animals from long ago, and experience the dramatic scenes of the cliff-lined coast and tempestuous seas. Viney begins deep in the past, when rivers of molten rock and enormous glaciers stripped the land bare. Soon after the glaciers retreated, the island was transformed into a fresh, new landscape, home to an intriguing variety of plants and animals, and an environment that has cultivated a rich human history and inspired countless myths. Infused with the lyricism of Irish prose,Ireland: A Smithsonian Natural Historyis indispensable for anyone seeking to understand the natural beauty of the Emerald Isle.

Author Biography

Michael Viney's weekly nature column appears in The Irish Times, the country's leading newspaper. His previous book, A Year's Turning, was widely praised as “Irish lyrical writing at its best.”

Table of Contents

Editor's Note	p. vii
Preface	p. xi
Acknowledgments	p. xv
Rediscovering the Wild	p. 1
Fire and Ice	p. 15
Footprints and Fossil Caves	p. 30
A Bridge Too Far?	p. 45
Climate as Theater	p. 61
The Well-Worn Island	p. 69
The Brown Mantle	p. 101
The Magic of Limestone Country	p. 132
Rocky Shores and Sandscapes	p. 160
Wild Islands and Their Seas	p. 182
The Shining Waters	p. 208
The Green Checkerboard	p. 226
Killarney and the Woodland Heritage	p. 245
In a Moist Shade	p. 263
Fish That Came in from the Cold	p. 274
Tribe of the Mustelids	p. 295
Making Room for Nature	p. 307
Appendix: Nature Reserves in Ireland	p. 323
Index	p. 331
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