Wild in SeattleWild in Seattle

A collection of essays on the geology, animals, plants, and architecture that shape Seattle.
Have you ever stopped to look, really look, at the Exchange Building, which was built with 3.5 billion-year-old Morton Gneiss? Or seen Glaucous-winged Gulls practice "clam slamming" -- dropping clams from just the right height to crack them open? Or taken a moment to appreciate a skunk cabbage superbloom in spring David B. Williams has, and in this collection of lively essays he focuses his observant eye on the geology, animals, plants, and architecture that shape the Emerald City. Wild in Seattle is a beautifully illustrated journey of discovery in this city where nature is all around us, even written in the stones of the urban streetscape. The topography has a story to tell too -- one of the glaciers, tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanoes that have left their imprint here. When you start wondering about the habits of coyotes, crows, and otters, or notice rain shadows and fin trails or the animal sculptures that reside high on downtown buildings you'll never see Seattle the same way.