Catbirds and pocket gophers, bur oaks and bull snakes, bluestem grass
and leopard frogs have populated the gently rolling prairies around Sue
Leaf's midwestern farming community for centuries. A hundred years ago
her town, located forty-five miles from the nearest city, shipped
thousands of tons of potato starch across the country, stiffening the
collars of working men. Today it has become one of America's
fast-growing suburbs.
As naturalist and biologist Sue Leaf watched her rural surroundings
become a magnet for developers, she became curious about the history of
the land. Before the freeway and the housing developments, before the
farmers cultivated the fertile soil, what plants and animals called this
place home? To her delight, Leaf discovered the oak savanna, a park-like
ecosystem that supports abundant wildlife and soothes the human psyche
with its quiet, open spaces. As she looked more closely, she found
remnants of the savanna in her own yard, in the trees lining her quiet
street, and in nearby preserved patches of prairie.
In lyrical essays, Leaf traces the natural history of her community,
offering rich details about the people who built this area, about its
once prosperous farms, and about the oak trees and wildflowers and
prairie animals native to this part of the country. By examining
remnants of the past still visible in a place deeply affected by sprawl,
Leaf reveals how to slow down, look carefully, and untangle the jumble
of unnoticed clues that can enrich our daily lives.
