Stop in the shop during Stag & Doe to get a signed copy of this beautiful new coffee-table book Jewel of the Wissahickon by Bill Konstant and Glenn Mason - a perfect holiday gift!
Book Review
The transformation of a tiny patch of Pennsylvania into a thriving ecosystem is celebrated in this lavishly illustrated natural history.
Konstant and Mason showcase the Dixon Meadow Preserve, 14 acres of former farmland located on Wissahickon Creek just outside of Philadelphia that was recently turned into a nature preserve by the Whitemarsh Foundation. The site was “rewilded” with native species of grass, shrubs and trees (as well as a new pond and marsh) that attract the wildlife depicted in the book’s hundreds of glorious color photographs. These include a green-black bullfrog peeping quizzically over the pond’s surface, a mink greedily chomping a fish, a lean red fox staring hungrily at winter woods, and cottontail rabbits trying desperately to escape notice. But the images are dominated by birds of every feather, like a stately great blue heron poised to strike at fish, a wild turkey iridescent in russet and purple plumage, a bald eagle fixing the reader with a severe, implacable gaze, and a woodpecker industriously chipping a hole in a tree amid a cloud of sawdust. The accompanying text explores various biological themes, from the medicinal properties of wild plants to the wild profusion of avian nesting structures. (“The tiny blue-gray gnatcatcher builds a nest of lichens and spider silk, which by weight is five times stronger than steel.”) The photographs by Konstant and Mason feature exquisitely detailed close-ups of critters in action and repose, with brilliant colors and haunting views of mist rising from the grass at dawn, or the hypnotic slither of a creek beneath blazing autumn foliage. The commentary conveys a wealth of intriguing ecological lore in evocative, sometimes lyrical prose. (“A hunting kingfisher will perch patiently on a branch above the stream, waiting for the ripple that betrays a fish swimming near the surface. Detecting its prey, the bird bursts from its perch like a bullet, closing the distance between them in a flash.”) Nature-lovers—and especially birders—will find here a feast for the eyes and the mind.
A captivating coffee-table study of a small, vibrant Eden, pairing lush visuals with engrossing writing.