In this marvelously original and authoritative book, Thomas Palmer introduces us to a community of rattlesnakes nestled in the heart of the urban Northeast, one of several such enclaves found near cities across the country. From this unusual springboard, Palmer plunges into an examination not only of Crotalus horridus, but of ecology, evolution, folklore, New England history, and American culture.
Just south of Boston, within view of the State House, a range of low, rugged hills interrupts the suburbs. In these Blue Hills lives one of the last populations of timber rattlesnakes-easy enough to find if you know where, and how, to look. LANDSCAPE WITH REPTILE celebrates their survival with a kaleidoscopic journey through nature, literature, and history, a journey guided and informed by the snake's own serpentine passage through time. It includes a spirited defense of an outlaw species, a glance at the hazards of snakebite, an account of a multimillion-dollar development project halted by Crotalus, a travelogue, a collection of tall tales, and a meditation on the spectacle of life on earth. Like the best nature writers, Palmer lives and breathes with his landscape; but unlike most nature writers, Palmer finds his landscape is his own backyard.
Rarely has a book of natural history moved out in such original and unexpected ways from a focus so original and unexpected. A master craftsman, Thomas Palmer serves up a story with the authentic flavor of the woodlands it comes from, telling us everything we ever wanted to know about rattlesnakes-and much more we'd never dream to ask.