In this Book

summary

Swallowtail butterflies frolic on the wind. Vireos and rock wrens sing their hearts out by the recovering creek. Spiders and other predators chase their next meal. Through it all, John Alcock observes, records, and delights in what he sees. In a once-burnt area, life resurges. Plants whose seeds and roots withstood an intense fire become habitat for the returning creatures of the wild. After the Wildfire describes the remarkable recovery of wildlife in the Mazatzal Mountains in central Arizona.

It is the rare observer who has the dedication to revisit the site of a wildfire, especially over many years and seasons. But naturalist John Alcock returned again and again to the Mazatzals, where the disastrous Willow fire of 2004 burned 187 square miles. Documenting the fire’s aftermath over a decade, Alcock thrills at the renewal of the once-blackened region. Walking the South Fork of Deer Creek in all seasons as the years passed, he was rewarded by the sight of exuberant plant life that in turn fostered an equally satisfying return of animals ranging from small insects to large mammals.

Alcock clearly explains the response of chaparral plants to fire and the creatures that reinhabit these plants as they come back from a ferocious blaze: the great spreadwing damselfly, the western meadowlark, the elk, and birds and bugs of rich and colorful varieties. This book is at once a journey of biological discovery and a celebration of the ability of living things to reoccupy a devastated location. Alcock encourages others to engage the natural world—even one that has burnt to the ground.

Table of Contents

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  1. Cover
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  1. Title Page, Copyright
  2. pp. i-iv
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  1. Contents
  2. pp. v-2
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  1. Deer Creek Long Ago
  2. pp. 3-7
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  1. The South Fork of Deer Creek: January 2004
  2. pp. 8-11
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  1. The Willow Fire and Its Aftermath: June 2004 and April 2005
  2. pp. 12-18
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  1. Returning to Deer Creek: December 2008
  2. pp. 19-22
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  1. Spring Revival: May 2009
  2. pp. 23-30
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  1. After the Monsoon: September 2009
  2. pp. 31-34
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  1. The Lupine Season: March 2010
  2. pp. 35-38
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  1. Spring on Deer Creek: Early April 2010
  2. pp. 39-48
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  1. Dodder and Hedgehogs: Late April 2010
  2. pp. 49-54
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  1. Golden Eagles: Early June 2010
  2. pp. 55-59
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  1. Great Spreadwings: October 2010
  2. pp. 60-66
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  1. The Puzzle of Dioecy: January 2011
  2. pp. 67-71
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  1. Deer Brush and Recovery After Fire: April 2011
  2. pp. 72-74
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  1. Mites, Glochids, and Thunderstorms: July 2011
  2. pp. 75-81
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  1. A Day Full of Predators: September 2011
  2. pp. 82-86
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  1. Daddy Water Bugs: November 2011
  2. pp. 87-91
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  1. Mountaintop Snow: December 2011
  2. pp. 92-100
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  1. “Spring” Is Here: January 2012
  2. pp. 101-103
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  1. The Creek Is Running: February 2012
  2. pp. 104-107
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  1. So Much for Spring: April 2012
  2. pp. 108-113
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  1. An Illegal Hike?: July 2012
  2. pp. 114-118
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  1. Another Illegal Hike?: August 2012
  2. pp. 119-125
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  1. Sprangletop Heaven: September 2012
  2. pp. 126-129
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  1. Fall in Deer Creek: October 2012
  2. pp. 130-136
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  1. The Cold Carpenter Bee: December 2012
  2. pp. 137-146
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  1. The Leafhopper Walk: January 2013
  2. pp. 147-152
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  1. The Coyote Chorus: February 2013
  2. pp. 153-156
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  1. Another Spring: March 2013
  2. pp. 157-160
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  1. Back to Deer Creek: October 2013
  2. pp. 161-167
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  1. Winter, Arizona Style: December 2013
  2. pp. 168-172
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  1. Robins in Winter: February 2014
  2. pp. 173-175
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  1. Yet Another Spring: March 2014
  2. pp. 176-180
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  1. Plant Colors and Plant Visitors: April 2014
  2. pp. 181-186
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  1. Back to Deer Creek Again: October 2014
  2. pp. 187-190
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  1. Crab Spiders: March 2015
  2. pp. 191-195
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  1. Neon Skimmers: October 2015
  2. pp. 196-199
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  1. Conclusion: The Ecology of Western Wildfires
  2. pp. 200-204
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  1. Acknowledgments
  2. pp. 205-206
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  1. Scientific Names of Plants and Insects
  2. pp. 207-210
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  1. Selected Bibliography
  2. pp. 211-224
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  1. Index
  2. pp. 225-231
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