IT IS AMAZING how many birds, butterflies, insects, and small creatures live in the yards and gardens around our houses. They about even in the tiny back yards of city homes and apartments and in small parks and rushing traffic.

In this book the author-artist-naturalist of In Woods and Fields describes and pictures around two hundred of the commonest things that live and grow near homes. Trees and shrubs, flowers and vegetables are included. The descriptions are authentic, yet simple and pleasantly written; the pictures are painstakingly accurate as well as delightful to look at. There is an index, with Latin names, and a reading list.

In Yards and Gardens is based on years of firsthand observation and study; it has also been checked by authorities at the American Museum of Natural History and the National Audubon Society and by the nature advisers of the Boy Scout and Girl Scout organizations.

Here is endless information, authentic and fascinating, about the world that lies just outside our door. "The more you know about all these creatures and growing things," says the author, "the more you will enjoy your yard and garden."

From the dust jacket