A tree that sheds poison daggers; a glistening red seed that stops the heart; a shrub that causes paralysis, a vine that strangles; and a leaf that triggered a war. Amy Stewart takes on over two hundred of Mother Nature's most appalling creations in an A to Z of plants that kill, maim, intoxicate, and otherwise offend.Menacing botanical illustrations render a ghastly portrait of evildoers that may be lurking in your own backyard. Drawing on history, medicine, science, and legend, this compendium of bloodcurdling botany will entertain, enlighten, and alarm even the most intrepid gardeners and nature lovers.
Describes how animals that live in a backyard have adapted to live in that sort of ecosystem, and how humans have created tools to help them perform similarly.
Less than a year before 9/11, Michael Petrou trekked through al Qaeda's backyard in the Tribal Areas of Pakistan. He was back in Central Asia within weeks of the attacks -- this time as a reporter, sl