Locust: The Devastating Rise and Mysterious Disappearance of the Insect that Shaped the American FrontierThroughout the nineteenth century, swarms of locusts regularly swept across the continent, turning noon into dusk, demolishing farm communities, and bringing trains to a halt as the crushed bodies of insects greased the rails. In 1876, the U.S. Congress declared the locust "the single greatest impediment to the settlement of the country." From the Dakotas to Texas, from California to Iowa, the swarms pushed thousands of settlers to the brink of starvation, prompting the federal government to enlist some of the greatest scientific minds of the day and thereby jumpstarting the fledgling science of entomology. Over the next few decades, the Rocky Mountain locust suddenly -- and mysteriously -- vanished. A century later, Jeffrey Lockwood set out to discover why. Unconvinced by the reigning theories, he searched for new evidence in musty books, crumbling maps, and crevassed glaciers, eventually piecing together the elusive answer: A group of early settlers unwittingly destroyed the locust's sanctuaries just as the insect was experiencing a natural population crash. Drawing on historical accounts and modern science, Locust brings to life the cultural, economic, and political forces at work in America in the late-nineteenth century, even as it solves one of the greatest ecological mysteries of our time. |
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... natural history...Locust is a terrific read, blending mystery novel, character sketch, deep ecology, and outstanding science. What more could a reader want?” —ROANOKE TIMES In 1876, the U.S. Congress declared the locust “the single ...
... natural history...Locust is a terrific read, blending mystery novel, character sketch, deep ecology, and outstanding science. What more could a reader want?” —ROANOKE TIMES In 1876, the U.S. Congress declared the locust “the single ...
Page ii
... natural history . . . he has brought the Rocky Mountain locust to life, thankfully only on the pages of this lucid and eminently entertaining book.” —Natural History “Locusts! The very name provokes a primeval shudder, bringing with it ...
... natural history . . . he has brought the Rocky Mountain locust to life, thankfully only on the pages of this lucid and eminently entertaining book.” —Natural History “Locusts! The very name provokes a primeval shudder, bringing with it ...
Page xiv
... Natural Sciences. Bob Randell of the University of Saskatchewan provided unique insights on Ashley Gurney and other acridological luminaries. Hillary L. Robison (University of Nevada at Reno) generously shared insect remains collected ...
... Natural Sciences. Bob Randell of the University of Saskatchewan provided unique insights on Ashley Gurney and other acridological luminaries. Hillary L. Robison (University of Nevada at Reno) generously shared insect remains collected ...
Page xv
... natural history with elements of politics, sociology, history, and religion is destined to simplify certain aspects of the story and perhaps even introduce blatant, if hopefully forgivable, errors. INTRODUCTION JULY 1875, DODGE COUNTY ...
... natural history with elements of politics, sociology, history, and religion is destined to simplify certain aspects of the story and perhaps even introduce blatant, if hopefully forgivable, errors. INTRODUCTION JULY 1875, DODGE COUNTY ...
Page 6
... natural disaster can persist for a lifetime— or more. From the frontier farmers our culture inherited the images of devastation that were etched in their memories, rather than the pangs of hunger that settled in their bellies. LOCUST ...
... natural disaster can persist for a lifetime— or more. From the frontier farmers our culture inherited the images of devastation that were etched in their memories, rather than the pangs of hunger that settled in their bellies. LOCUST ...
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Locust: The Devastating Rise and Mysterious Disappearance of the Insect that ... Jeffrey A. Lockwood No preview available - 2005 |
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