Wild New York A Guide to the Wildlife, Wild Places, and Natural Phenomena of New York City, by Margaret Mittelbach and Michael Crewdson. ISBN 0609803484

I know that there are birds in New York, but aside from pigeons I couldn't identify a particular species. Yet, when asked to review Wild New York: A Guide to the Wildlife, Wild Places, and Natural Phenomena of New York City, by Margaret Mittelbach and Michael Crewdson, I delayed. I believed I knew what there was to know about nature in New York: The Botanical Gardens, Pelham Bay Park, Central Park. However, since reading Wild New York, I now know that despite the fact that the warbler (a songbird) has been slowly vanishing over the last twenty years in other areas, forty-one species have been spotted in Central Park. I also learned that nature's great mimic, the mockingbird, which is common in New York City, has added the sound of car alarms and police sirens to its repertoire. So, the next time you're out looking for the license plate number of the offending vehicle, make sure you check any nearby trees, as well.

Mittelbach and Crewdson have written an entertaining book full of arcane and fascinating facts that even those with an intimate knowledge of the relationship between New York City and nature will find surprising.

The first six chapters of Wild New York address weather, geology, ecosystems, city animals, city plants, and naturally occurring phenomena. The final chapter takes a borough by borough look at the parks, gardens, preserves, and refuges where one can come in direct contact with the wild life of New York. Though none of the sites will be unfamiliar to New Yorkers, the routes mapped out by the authors through these spots provide for the fullest wild experience. This book reminds us to stop and smell the Dutchman's breeches (one of the city's wildflowers).

Reviewed by Joann Smith, September/October 1998