Concrete Botany: The Ecology of Plants in the Age of Human Disturbance by Joey Santore

* New York Times Bestseller * * USA TODAY Bestseller * * Independent Press Bestseller * Concrete Botany is a gritty, kick-in-the-guts look at the ecological disturbance humans have caused and the resilience of the plants living amongst it. Delivered in his raw and unapologetic yet botanically accurate tone, Joey Santore—the unforgettable host of Crime Pays but Botany Doesn’t—offers an often unsettling view of human-caused ecological destruction and its impact on the natural ecosystems our very lives depend on. The choices of modern civilization have led to a f***ed-up planet, scraped bare and covered in concrete and invasive species. We’ve wiped out entire ecosystems, moved invasive plants to new continents where they don’t belong, and, in a few hundred years, we’ve managed to muck up the intricate balance of a planet that has been evolving for eons. The consequences of our actions are now at our doorstep, ready to strike a match. Read more

From the Publisher Acer negundo (Sapindaceae), also known as Boxelder, is one of the most aggressive native maple species in North America and is an important pioneer species, one of the few natives that thrives in urban settings such as Chicago. Given these traits, it's not surprising that it is also an invasive species on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean in various European locales. Datura wrightii (Solanaceae), a.k.a. "Jimsonweed," is native to the southwestern deserts of North America, but it also thrives along human development in places such as parking lots, freeway on-ramps, and even the LA River. The large fragrant white flowers are pollinated by moths and bloom at night. It is a member of the nightshade family, and small amounts of seeds were historically used by shamans to induce visions. The line between intoxicant and poison is very thin, however, and ingestion of the seeds have sent many people who have intentionally ingested the plant to the hospital. Cortaderia selloana (Poaceae), a.k.a. "Pampas Grass," is an ecologically important plant in its native South America, but in Northern California, it is an aggressive invasive species that thrives and has few checks and balances. It forms large clumps of long, sharp-edged grass leaves. It was originally used in horticulture but quickly escaped.