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Field Guide to the Piedmont: The Natural Habitats of America's Most Lived-in Region, From New York City to Montgomery, Alabama / Edition 1

Field Guide to the Piedmont: The Natural Habitats of America's Most Lived-in Region, From New York City to Montgomery, Alabama / Edition 1

by Michael A. Godfrey
Field Guide to the Piedmont: The Natural Habitats of America's Most Lived-in Region, From New York City to Montgomery, Alabama / Edition 1
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ISBN-10:
0807846716
ISBN-13:
9780807846711
Pub. Date:
10/01/1997
Publisher:
The University of North Carolina Press
ISBN-10:
0807846716
ISBN-13:
9780807846711
Pub. Date:
10/01/1997
Publisher:
The University of North Carolina Press
Field Guide to the Piedmont: The Natural Habitats of America's Most Lived-in Region, From New York City to Montgomery, Alabama / Edition 1

Field Guide to the Piedmont: The Natural Habitats of America's Most Lived-in Region, From New York City to Montgomery, Alabama / Edition 1

by Michael A. Godfrey

Overview

America's most populous region is also home to some of the nation's most serenely beautiful country. Tracing a gentle, thousand-mile curve from New York City southwestward to Montgomery, Alabama, the Piedmont connects an arc of urban centers which includes five state capitals, America's largest city, and the national capital. Between the Atlantic coastal plain and the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Piedmont's rolling hills span miles of farmland and forest. Michael Godfrey's Field Guide to the Piedmont—originally published by Sierra Club Books and here newly revised and updated—is an informative and entertaining guide to the entire region's habitats, ecosystems, and rich botanical communities.

Focusing on plant succession, geology, soils, climate, and the plants and animals with which we share the land, Field Guide to the Piedmont also features 180 illustrations for easy identification of the Piedmont's principal flora and fauna. A chapter describing and providing directions to over fifty sites of special interest will inspire Piedmont residents to take this field guide in hand and explore their natural surroundings.

Southern Gateways Guide is a registered trademark of the University of North Carolina Press

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780807846711
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Publication date: 10/01/1997
Series: Southern Gateways Guides
Edition description: 1
Pages: 536
Sales rank: 834,529
Product dimensions: 4.50(w) x 8.00(h) x 1.20(d)
Age Range: 18 Years

About the Author

Raised in the Piedmont of Virginia, Michael A. Godfrey is a natural history writer and filmmaker who now lives in the Shenandoah Valley. He recently completed A Land Without Rivers, a study of the Atlantic rivers of the South.

Table of Contents

Alabama. | Foreword
Albert E. Radford
Acknowledgments
Introduction

PART I/The Piedmont Defined

Chapter One—Geography
Beneath the Surface
The Primal Piedmont
Succession

Chapter Two—Weather and Climate
Temperature
Moisture
Effectiveness
Winds and Landforms
Climatic History
Microclimate
Effects of Climate on Life Forms

PART II/Cultivated Lands

Chapter Three—Farmlands
Row Crops
Hayfields
•Animals of Hayfields
Pastures
•Animals of Pastures
Microcommunities

PART III/Lands in Succession

Chapter Four—Plant Succession
The Terminology of Succession
The Effects of Drainage on Succession
Historical Perspective
Abandoned Farmland
Piedmont Succession Stages

Chapter Five—The Mesosere: Habitats on Well-Drained Soils
The Herbaceous Phase
•Animals of the Herbaceous Phase
Mesic Woody Succession
•Animals of the Mesic Woody Succession
The Growing Forest
•Animals of the Growing Forest
The Mature Forest
•Animals of the Mature Forest

Chapter Six—The Xerosere: Dry Soil Habitats
The Herbaceous Phase
Xeric Woody Succession
The Growing Forest
The Mature Forest
Animals of the Xerosere

Chapter Seven—The Hydrosere: Wet Soil Habitats
Flowing Water: The Lotic Habitats
The Alluvial Forest
The Swamp Forest
•Animals of the Lotic Habitats
Still Water: The Lentic Habitats
•Animals of the Lentic Habitats

PART IV/Special Places
Chapter Eight—Outstanding or Representative Botanical Communities
Granitic Outcrops
Non-Granitic Outcrops
Serpentine Barrens
Unique Gymnosperm Communities
Unique Deciduous Habitats
The Glaciated Piedmont

Appendices
Selected Lepidoptera of the Piedmont
Reptiles of the Piedmont
Amphibians of the Piedmont
Selected Birds of the Piedmont
Mammals of the Piedmont
Illustrations of Selected Piedmont Plants by Habitat
Common Names of Selected Piedmont Plants
Glossary
Bibliography
Index

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Anyone who wishes to know more about the natural history of the Piedmont region will enjoy reading this useful, friendly guide.—Bird Watcher's Digest



[Godfrey] describes the region in fascinating depth. . . . It's all here, well-arranged and illustrated. . . . [Even those] who have traveled portions of the Piedmont for 50 years will be surprised to discover, in this definitive book, how little they have actually understood their lush and beautiful countryside.—American Forests

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