The Bartram 300, in 1999, will celebrate the birth of America''s first great naturalist and conservationist, John Bartram. His scientific travels in Pennsylvania, New York and throughout Florida, with his son William, are now scientific and mythic legend. William''s return to Florida in 1771, and later publication of Travels, concluded the Bartram saga. The Bartrams awakened the scientific and literary world to America''s environmental beauty and natural uniqueness. The Bartrams'' history ...

Encore Seasons is a poetic exploration of nature's diverse moods and the web of life. The collection began when the author and his wife moved from their long-time home on Florida's Braden River to an apartment in a large college campus–like retirement community in Maryland. There, Bennett experienced a new array of enchanting seasonal ecosystems and observed--while overlooking a forested courtyard and exploring nearby trails--the natural landscape as it evolved through the changing seasons...

About a quarter century ago, a previously unknown writer named William Least Heat-Moon wrote a book called Blue Highways. Acclaimed as a classic, it was a travel book like no other. Quirky, discursive, endlessly curious, Heat-Moon had embarked on an American journey off the beaten path. Sticking to the small places via the small roads -- those colored blue on maps -- he uncovered a nation deep in character, story, and charm.Now, for the first time since Blue Highways

Niagara Falls is one of the most recognized landmarks in the United States and Canada. Millions of people visit the falls every year.While you may recognize this landmark, how much do you really know about it? Can you answer these questions?How many waterfalls make up Niagara Falls?How much water goes over Niagara Falls every second?How much of the water in the Niagara River goes over Niagara Falls?Where does the rest of it go?How far has Niagara F...

Death Valley is a strange and unique area found in the state of California in the United States. What makes this area so different, and what mysteries does it hold? Read on and find out fun facts such as:When do the animals in Death Valley hibernate?Is Death Valley above or below sea level?What happens to most of the rain that tries to fall in Death Valley?What happens to your teeth when you smile in Death Valley?Find out more about Death Valley and ama...

Thomas loves his summer visits to his grandmother's on Cape Cod. He spends his days wondering about the sailing ships of the past and imagining their stories.One afternoon, after a night of terrible thunderstorms, Thomas finds, deep in the sands, a weathered old-fashioned belt buckle. When he picks it up, a boy his own age appears before him. His name is Silas Rich, a cabin boy from a ship called the Monomoy that sailed almost 250 years ago. As Silas tells his tale, suddenly the wo...

Most people think of New Jersey as a suburban-industrial corridor that runs between New York and Philadelphia. Yet in the low center of the state is a near wilderness, larger than most national parks, which has been known since the seventeenth century as the Pine Barrens.The term refers to the predominant trees in the vast forests that cover the area and to the quality of the soils below, which are too sandy and acid to be good for farming. On all sides, however, developments of on...

*** As a boy, famed scientist Edward O. Wilson spent his happiest days outdoors hunting for fish, snakes, and bugs in Florida and Alabama. Drawing from Wilson's autobiography Naturalist, author Sara van Dyck shows how the shy boy who loved ants grew into the man who became a world leader in nature conservation. He believes that there is always more to discover and has dedicated himself to promoting biodiversity and protecting habitats around the globe. Written for ages 7 and up, the book i...

A lot of people think that bamboo is a tree because it grows so tall. It also has a trunk with leaves and branches sprouting from it.Bamboo is not a tree, it is a grass. Scientists have found that it has much more in common with the lawn in front of your house than it does with any trees growing in the forest.Which is stronger, a pound of bamboo or a pound of steel?How does bamboo spread?When a bamboo plant fruits, why does it bring starvation to the surrounding...

The giraffe is the tallest animal alive today. A male giraffe can grow to be over 18 feet (5.5 metres) tall. That's taller than a two-story house!Giraffes look a bit like a horse with a stretched out neck and stretched out legs. They have long skinny legs and a very long neck.Their front legs are longer than their back legs. That is why their backs slope down toward their rump.Find out more about this wonderful animal and learn the answers to these questions:How...

Gorillas are huge, hairy, man-like creatures that live in Africa. How much do you know about them? Do you know:How long are a gorilla's arms?What is a gorilla's favorite food?Where does a gorilla sleep?Can gorillas tie knots?Find out what a gorilla looks like, where it lives, what it eats, what eats it, how babies are born, and other fun facts.All measurements in American and metric.LearningIsland.com believes in the value of children pr...