In
this enthralling collection
of essays and full-color paintings, George and Elizabeth Ellison call
upon a lifetime of outdoor experiences to illuminate the extraordinary
natural history of the Blue Ridge mountains. George's absorbing essays
offer insight into the region's geologic origins, plants, animals and
related Cherokee and settler lore while Elizabeth's artwork provides an
evocative journey through the natural heart of this celebrated region.
Gathered into two broad sections -- Flora and Fauna -- Blue Ridge
Nature Journal is a masterful tribute to the natural
wonder that permeates the Blue Ridge. In the first section, readers
will learn why Jack-in-the-pulpit plants periodically change sexes, the
defining characteristics of the mountain forests and how early settlers
made bee hives and rabbit traps from hollow black gum trees. The second
section includes details about the natural origins of the great Mythic
Hawk and Mythic Serpent of the Cherokees, the demise of the timber wolf
and the amusing spotted skunk, who does a handstand and looks between
its legs before spraying an intruder.
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Blue Ridge Nature Journal
Reflections on
the Appalachian Mountains in the Essays and Art
by George Ellison and Elizabeth Ellison
Natural
History Press, 2006.
Order
a copy
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