My Backyard Jungle
The Adventures of an Urban Wildlife Lover Who Turned His Yard into Habitat and Learned to Live with It
For James Barilla and his family, the dream of transforming their Columbia, South Carolina backyard into a haven for wildlife evoked images of kids catching grasshoppers by day and fireflies at night, of digging up potatoes and picking strawberries. When they signed up with the National Wildlife Federation to certify their yard as a wildlife habitat, it felt like pushing back, in however small a way, against the tide of bad news about vanishing species, changing climate, dying coral reefs. Then the animals started to arrive, and Barilla soon discovered the complexities of merging human with animal habitats. What are the limits of coexistence, he wondered? To find out, Barilla set out across continents to explore cities where populations of bears, monkeys, marmosets, toucans, and honeybees live alongside human residents. "Backyard Jungle" brings these unique stories together, making Barilla's yard the centerpiece of a meditation on the struggles between animals and people coexisting in an increasingly urban world. Witty, original, and insightful, the book invites readers to envision the world as other species might see it, and to imagine new possibilities for animals and humans living together.
About the Author
James Barilla is assistant professor in the MFA program of the University of South Carolina where he teaches creative nonfiction and environmental writing. He has held a variety of posts in wildlife research and management, both in U.S. and England.
Reviews
"In today's world wildlife are burgeoning in unexpected places – our urban centers. While few people are equipped or willing to accept these wild neighbors Barilla encourages them in his own backyard and pursues them through encounters leading from Brooklyn to Florida and Delhi to Brazil. The resulting tales are entertaining and insightful" – David Foster, author of "Forests in Time: The Environmental Consequences of 1,000 Years of Change in New England"
