Hunting for Frogs on Elston, and Other Tales from Field & Street

Edited by Victor M. CassidyIllustrated by Bobby Sutton

Cloth $25.00 ISBN: 9780226779935 Published April 2004

E-book $7.00 to $25.00 About E-books ISBN: 9780226779942 Published March 2010

A selection of savvy observations on urban ecology from one of the Midwest's foremost authorities on the subject, Hunting for Frogs on Elston collects the best of naturalist Jerry Sullivan's weekly Field & Street columns, originally published in the Chicago Reader. Engaging, opinionated, inspiring, and occasionally irreverent, Hunting for Frogs on Elston pays tribute to Chicago's natural history while celebrating one of its greatest champions.

Published in association with the Chicago Wilderness coalition, Hunting for Frogs on Elston comprehensively chronicles Chicagoland's unique urban ecology, from its indigenous prairie and oft-delayed seasons to its urban coyotes and passenger pigeons. In witty, informed prose, Sullivan evokes his adventures netting dog-faced butterflies, hunting rattlesnakes, and watching fireflies mate. Inspired by regional flora and fauna, Sullivan ventures throughout the metropolis and its environs in search of sludge worms, gyrfalcons, and wild onions. In reporting his findings to otherwise oblivious urbanites, Sullivan endeavors to make "alienated, atomized, postmodern people feel at home, connected to something beyond ourselves."

In the sprawling Chicagoland region, where an urban ecosystem teeming with remarkable life evolves between skyscrapers and train tracks, no writer chronicled the delicate balance of nature and industry more vividly than Jerry Sullivan. An homage to the urban ecology Sullivan loved so dearly, Hunting for Frogs on Elston is his fitting legacy as well as a lasting gift to the urban naturalist in us all.

Review Quotes
Contents

"[Jerry Sullivan] was an inquisitive investigator of the natural history of the city...Fascinating reading."

"Often, while reading Jerry Sullivan's essays, I found myself laughing out loud. Jerry wrote with fluency and humor about all manner of surprises visited upon us by the world outside--a world he knew, loved, and took immense delight in. Thank you, Jerry."

"These short tales are delightful and crammed with interest. Sullivan's consuming interest in the area's urban ecology makes the essays a pleasure for readers around the world."

"Many of these 1,500 word essays—the best of his 'Field and Streets' column—are directly relevant to our everyday city and suburban lives. They are all about those strange green things and critters without names that we, as city kids, often only vaguely notice. . . . He names them for us. He tells us their stories. And he assures us, always, that we are far more dangerous to them than they are to us. . . . Part of the fun of reading Hunting for Frogs on Elston is that you can then fascinate your friends at the next backyard barbecue with what you've just learned."—Tom McNamee, Chicago Sun-Times

"Jerry Sullivan explained wildlife with the breezy authority of a grizzled old political reporter explaining aldermen. He described terrain as familiar to us as our own backyards and made us realize we didn't know the first thing about it. Field & Street, the column he wrote for so many years in the Reader, was more than an introduction to nature; it was a long conversation with nature, which turned out to be eccentric, ingenious, always unpredictable company."

“Sullivan took a childlike delight (this is meant to be complimentary) in all of nature, from backyard birds in the city to the flora and fauna of restored prairies. I am a somewhat jaded biological specialist, but since reading the book I have taken a greater interest in, among other things, butterflies.”—Fred S. Guthery, Journal of Wildlife Management

“Sullivan had a unique passion for urban ecology and his writings bring out the naturalist in all of us. A master of the short essay (each is 1000 to 1500 words), the author captivated his audience by skillfully blending ecological theory, natural history, and humor. . . . . An excellent resource for any urban dweller with an interest in natural history. . . . The essays can be enjoyed equally by scientists and nonscientists, whether or not they have ever been to or lived in Chicago. This book is also a 'must read' for any high school or college environmental science class, especially [in] the growing field of urban ecology.”—Quarterly Review of Biology

“Those of us who are city dwellers so often forget that we share our space with a host of creatures that can enrich and enliven our lives if we simply take the time to notice and enjoy them. Jerry noticed and enjoyed every creature—from the caterpillar to the butterfly, the sparrow to the falcon, the wild onion to the orchid—and helped us see and appreciate them as well. This book, from an extraordinary man, is an extraordinary gift to all of us who inhabit Chicago wilderness and other urban ecosystems.” <Bruce Boyd, The Nature Conservancy

“Some nature writing is lofty to the point of being nearly anti-social. But Jerry Sullivan comes across as “the regular guy," writing with wisdom, insight, and affection for bugs, birds, and the folks next door. Hunting for Frogs on Elston is by turns surprising, hilarious and heartbreaking. Deep in each piece is a reassuring confidence that the love of nature is a very human thing.” <Stephen Packard, Director, Audubon – Chicago Region

Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction by Glenda Daniel
1 State of the Prairie
Prairie Cathedral 9/27/85
Fragmented Grasslands 5/22/87
Managing Nature 10/9/87
Too Many Deer 1/3/92
Middle Fork Savanna 7/9/93
Biodiversity 2/22/91
Transanimaling 6/26/92
Prairie September 9/25/98
2 The Seasons
Spring Comes to Chicago 2/24/95
Early Spring 3/13/98
Early Risers 3/9/84
The Ephemerals' Moment 4/12/85
Cherries 7/11/97
Bees 7/3/98
Fall Flora 10/17/97
Turkeys 11/16/84
Winter Reading 12/20/85
Squirrels' Nests 1/27/95
Ice Fishing 1/20/84
Feeding Urban Birds 12/12/86
3 Creatures Great and Small
Hunting for Frogs on Elston Avenue 5/16/86
Caterpillars 8/30/85
Woodchucks 3/8/91
Counting Butterflies 7/15/88
Sludgeworms 2/14/92
Rattlesnake Hunting 8/14/92
Ant Transplant 3/27/87
Searching for Bats 8/10/84
Fireflies 7/19/85
Migrating Monarchs 9/7/84
Badgers 11/23/90
Chorus Frogs 3/27/98
Coyotes in the City 2/2/96
Yellow Jackets 9/11/87
Reading Animal Tracks 1/25/91
4 Birds and More Birds
The Bird Hunter 5/10/85
Woodpeckers 1/16/87
Looking for a Gyrfalcon 2/8/91
Sparrows 4/6/84
Red-Tailed Hawks 3/13/87
Birding in North Channel 7/17/92
Kestrels 1/18/85
Savanna Birds 2/19/93
Feathers 4/10/87
Winter Flocks 12/1/89
Christmas Bird Count 1/8/88
How to Find Nests 6/14/91
Mourning Doves 3/24/95
Goldfinches 9/28/90
The Passenger Pigeon 4/4/86
5 Plants
Healthy Communities 2/27/98
Oak Trees 12/16/94
Sedges 6/27/97
Nightshade 6/13/86
Purple Loosestrife 9/5/97
Jewelweed 10/3/86
Hazels 10/11/96
Raspberries 7/17/98
Wild Onions 1/31/92
Eastern Prairie Fringed Orchid 10/1/93
6 People and Places
Field Guides 9/8/89
Surveying Illinois 6/21/96
Inland Marsh 1/5/96
Women Naturalists 7/25/86
Bird-Watchers 8/28/87
Henry Chandler Cowles 11/6/98
Poplar Creek Preserve 9/6/91
Lichen Scholar 11/3/95
Dinosaurs and Birds 11/9/90
Roger Tory Peterson 8/16/96

For more information, or to order this book, please visit http://www.press.uchicago.edu

Chicago and Illinois

Geography: Environmental Geography

You may purchase this title at these fine bookstores. Outside the USA, see our international sales information.

Hunting for Frogs on Elston, and Other Tales from Field & Street

Chicago Blog: Biology

Events in Biology

Keep Informed

JOURNALs in Biology

Instructors

Librarians

Book Reviewers/Marketers:

Rights, Permissions & Translations

RELATED BOOKS

Hunting for Frogs on Elston, and Other Tales from Field & Street

Chicago Blog: Biology

Events in Biology

Keep Informed

JOURNALs in Biology