After the Wildfire: Ten Years of Recovery from the Willow Fire
Swallowtail butterflies frolic on the wind. Vireos and rock wrens sing their hearts out by the recovering creek. Spiders and other predators chase their next meal. Through it all, John Alcock observes, records, and delights in what he sees. In a once-burnt area, life resurges. Plants whose seeds and roots withstood an intense fire become habitat for the returning creatures of the wild. After the Wildfire describes the remarkable recovery of wildlife in the Mazatzal Mountains in central Arizona.

It is the rare observer who has the dedication to revisit the site of a wildfire, especially over many years and seasons. But naturalist John Alcock returned again and again to the Mazatzals, where the disastrous Willow fire of 2004 burned 187 square miles. Documenting the fire’s aftermath over a decade, Alcock thrills at the renewal of the once-blackened region. Walking the South Fork of Deer Creek in all seasons as the years passed, he was rewarded by the sight of exuberant plant life that in turn fostered an equally satisfying return of animals ranging from small insects to large mammals.

Alcock clearly explains the response of chaparral plants to fire and the creatures that reinhabit these plants as they come back from a ferocious blaze: the great spreadwing damselfly, the western meadowlark, the elk, and birds and bugs of rich and colorful varieties. This book is at once a journey of biological discovery and a celebration of the ability of living things to reoccupy a devastated location. Alcock encourages others to engage the natural world—even one that has burnt to the ground.

"1124465557"
After the Wildfire: Ten Years of Recovery from the Willow Fire
Swallowtail butterflies frolic on the wind. Vireos and rock wrens sing their hearts out by the recovering creek. Spiders and other predators chase their next meal. Through it all, John Alcock observes, records, and delights in what he sees. In a once-burnt area, life resurges. Plants whose seeds and roots withstood an intense fire become habitat for the returning creatures of the wild. After the Wildfire describes the remarkable recovery of wildlife in the Mazatzal Mountains in central Arizona.

It is the rare observer who has the dedication to revisit the site of a wildfire, especially over many years and seasons. But naturalist John Alcock returned again and again to the Mazatzals, where the disastrous Willow fire of 2004 burned 187 square miles. Documenting the fire’s aftermath over a decade, Alcock thrills at the renewal of the once-blackened region. Walking the South Fork of Deer Creek in all seasons as the years passed, he was rewarded by the sight of exuberant plant life that in turn fostered an equally satisfying return of animals ranging from small insects to large mammals.

Alcock clearly explains the response of chaparral plants to fire and the creatures that reinhabit these plants as they come back from a ferocious blaze: the great spreadwing damselfly, the western meadowlark, the elk, and birds and bugs of rich and colorful varieties. This book is at once a journey of biological discovery and a celebration of the ability of living things to reoccupy a devastated location. Alcock encourages others to engage the natural world—even one that has burnt to the ground.

16.95 In Stock
After the Wildfire: Ten Years of Recovery from the Willow Fire

After the Wildfire: Ten Years of Recovery from the Willow Fire

by John Alcock
After the Wildfire: Ten Years of Recovery from the Willow Fire

After the Wildfire: Ten Years of Recovery from the Willow Fire

by John Alcock

Paperback(3rd ed.)

$16.95 
  • SHIP THIS ITEM
    Qualifies for Free Shipping
  • PICK UP IN STORE
    Check Availability at Nearby Stores

Related collections and offers


Overview

Swallowtail butterflies frolic on the wind. Vireos and rock wrens sing their hearts out by the recovering creek. Spiders and other predators chase their next meal. Through it all, John Alcock observes, records, and delights in what he sees. In a once-burnt area, life resurges. Plants whose seeds and roots withstood an intense fire become habitat for the returning creatures of the wild. After the Wildfire describes the remarkable recovery of wildlife in the Mazatzal Mountains in central Arizona.

It is the rare observer who has the dedication to revisit the site of a wildfire, especially over many years and seasons. But naturalist John Alcock returned again and again to the Mazatzals, where the disastrous Willow fire of 2004 burned 187 square miles. Documenting the fire’s aftermath over a decade, Alcock thrills at the renewal of the once-blackened region. Walking the South Fork of Deer Creek in all seasons as the years passed, he was rewarded by the sight of exuberant plant life that in turn fostered an equally satisfying return of animals ranging from small insects to large mammals.

Alcock clearly explains the response of chaparral plants to fire and the creatures that reinhabit these plants as they come back from a ferocious blaze: the great spreadwing damselfly, the western meadowlark, the elk, and birds and bugs of rich and colorful varieties. This book is at once a journey of biological discovery and a celebration of the ability of living things to reoccupy a devastated location. Alcock encourages others to engage the natural world—even one that has burnt to the ground.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780816534036
Publisher: University of Arizona Press
Publication date: 02/28/2017
Edition description: 3rd ed.
Pages: 240
Sales rank: 1,077,957
Product dimensions: 5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

John Alcock is an Emeritus Regents’ Professor in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University, where he taught from 1973 until 2008. He is the author of several books, including Sonoran Desert Spring and Sonoran Desert Summer. Alcock is a hiker and photographer.

Table of Contents

Deer Creek Long Ago 3

The South Fork of Deer Creek: January 2004 8

The Willow Fire and Its Aftermath: June 2004 and April 2005 12

Returning to Deer Creek: December 2008 19

Spring Revival: May 2009 23

After the Monsoon: September 2009 31

The Lupine Season: March 2010 35

Spring on Deer Creek: Early April 2010 39

Dodder and Hedgehogs: Late April 2010 49

Golden Eagles: Early June 2010 55

Great Spreadwings: October 2010 60

The Puzzle of Dioecy: January 2011 67

Deer Brush and Recovery After Fire: April 2011 72

Mites, Glochids, and Thunderstorms: July 2011 75

A Day Full of Predators: September 2011 82

Daddy Water Bugs: November 2011 87

Mountaintop Snow: December 2011 92

"Spring" Is Here: January 2012 101

The Creek Is Running: February 2012 104

So Much for Spring: April 2002 108

An Illegal Hike?: July 2012 114

Another Illegal Hike?: August 2012 119

Sprangletop Heaven: September 2012 126

Fall in Deer Creek: October 2012 130

The Cold Carpenter Bee: December 2012 137

The Leathopper Walk: January 2013 147

The Coyote Chorus: February 2013 153

Another Spring: March 2013 157

Back to Deer Creek: October 2013 161

Winter, Arizona Style: December 2013 168

Robins in Winter: February 2014 173

Yet Another Spring: March 2014 176

Plant Colors and Plant Visitors: April 2014 181

Back to Deer Creek Again: October 2014 187

Crab Spiders: March 2015 191

Neon Skimmers: October 2015 196

Conclusion: The Ecology of Western Wildfires 200

Acknowledgments 205

Scientific Names of Plants and Insects 207

Selected Bibliography 211

Index 225

From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews