Univ of south carolina press Aliens in The Backyard

In a volume that is part natural history, part anecdote, and part ode to survival, Leland cuts through myths coloring our grasp of the natural world and suggests that the stories of how these plants and animals have reshaped our landscape are as much a part of the continent's history as that of our presidents and politics. At the same time Leland poses questions about what exactly, of all our accepted icons, is truly American. Not apple pie or Kentucky bluegrass; not Idaho potatoes or Boston ivy. With an engaging style and genuine appreciation for nature's resiliency, Leland forces us to rethink our understanding of what it means to be American. He reveals how plant and animal invaders have made the country as much an environmental melting pot as it is melding of peoples and cultures. ...