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Tracing the patterns of iconic native species - ponderosa pine, sagebrush and turles and the interruputions of pervasive non-natives - knapweek, cheatgrass, and indeed, us - The Sky and the Patio registers the complex histories and relatioships that we have with the natural world.
Ecologist Don Gayton holds a frame up to his own backyard Okanagan Valley, revealing that there's more to be told by a tree's rings than just its age, more to be learned from the sockeye than a suitable wine parting (although Gayton also offers his expertise there). From the wonders of composting to the finicky particulars of at-home vitiulture and cannabis growing, these 25 essays draw together lessons learned over a career of ecological research guided by both an attentive, scientific eye and a careful, reverent pen.