Tinkering with Eden: A Natural History of Exotic Species in AmericaMosquitoes in Hawaii, sea lampreys in the Great Lakes, mountain goats in the Olympic Mountains of Washington State--not one of these species is native to the environment in which it now flourishes. Kim Todd's Tinkering with Eden is a lyrical, brilliantly written history of the introduction of exotic species into the United Sates, and how the well-meaning endeavors of scientists, explorers, and biologists have resulted in ecological catastrophe. Todd's assured voice will haunt her readers, and the stories she tells--such as the druggist who brought starlings to America because he wanted the landscape to feature every bird mentioned by Shakespeare--will forever change how we see our increasingly afflicted landscape and its unanticipated inhabitants. |
Contents
Introduction | 3 |
The Pigeons Progress | 9 |
The Land of Milk and Honey | 24 |
War Stories | 39 |
Flight of the Mosquito | 47 |
An Artificial Wedding | 62 |
Following Silk Threads | 77 |
Flush with Success | 90 |
Improving the Olympics | 169 |
Tarzan in the Empire of Sunshine | 183 |
Swamp Riches | 195 |
A Borderline Case | 213 |
A Fly in Every Seed Head A Weevil in Every Root | 230 |
Narrow Miss | 245 |
Afterword | 251 |
Endnotes | 257 |
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Alaska American animals Avery Island bees Biological Control birds breed brown trout bugs cage California Canal caribou caterpillars colonists crops deer Denny eggs entomologist Eskimo European exotic species farmers feathers female fields fish flies flowers Forest and Stream garden gathered grass gypsy moths habitat Hawaiian head heath hen herd Hessian fly History honeybees house sparrows hundred Ibid imported insects introduced Island Jackson Jungle kangaroo knapweed Koebele ladybugs Lake lamprey land larvae live look McIlhenny monk parakeets monkeys Montana mosquito mountain goats native nest North numbers nutria Olympic Olympic Mountains Olympic National Park Oregon Park parrots patches pheasant pigeons plants population prairie reindeer released Report rhesus Riley ringnecks River rock rock doves Schieffelin scientists seed ship silk sparrows spring starlings story thousand trees United Vedalia Virginia Washington watched weed Welland Canal wheat wild Wildlife wings winter wrote York