They're everywhere - it's just that sometimes we don't really notice them. The next time you're walking in an urban neighborhood, take a quick look around. You'll notice that even the densest of concrete jungle boasts a surprising variety of foliage - trees of all shapes and sizes growing, seemingly, out of the harsh pavement below.

These are the botanical wonders that Arthur Plotnick (in consultation with The Morton Arboretum) profiles in The Urban Tree Book: An Uncommon Fiels Guide for City and Town (Three Rivers Press/May 2000). Himself a denizen of the urban forest, Plotnik guides readers to some 200 species of trees that are known to flourish within the tough confines of North America's urban and suburban neighborhoods. With graceful, detailed illustrations by Mary Phelan, the book fully documents each tree type, including identification features and likely urban locations.

The Urban Tree Book will help any city dweller learn to appreciate (and even love) theire colorful suroundings better. Nature lovers already familiar with the forest trees will find amazing new aspects of tree life in their neighborhood species.

Like every good field guide, The Urban Tree Book provides all the key botanical information about the trees it examines, but it also provides much, much more. Its indepth "biographies" include fascinating stories from history, folklore, and today's news. The book abounds with sidelights such as why a willow "weeps," how linden trees kayo bees, and how the mulberry tree changed history.

With many reference sections, including a basic tree primer, The Urban Tree Book tells how to observe trees in urban settings, talk tree lingo, and plant and maintain healthy trees (lists of relevent websites, organizations, and other resources are appended).

And when you discover and learn more about your neighborhood trees, Plotnik demonstrates, you witness miracles that can thrill and inspire. They may or may not prompt you to activism, but they will reveal new ways of relating to your environment - of engaging nature more actively in the city. The Urban Tree Book is an insightful, comprehensive guide that should be an essential carry-along for urban hikers, community planners, nature enthusiasts and anyone else curious about the environment.

About the Author:

Arthur Plotnik is the author of, among other books, The Elements of Editing and the former publishing executive for the American Library Association. A member of American Forests, he lives in Chicago with his wife, artist Maty Phelan, who is the book's illustrator.

The Urban Tree Book - pocket, Engelska, 2000