Title: Florida's pioneer naturalist : the life of Charles Torrey Simpson /
Authors: Rothra, Elizabeth Ogren, 1923-2014
Publisher: University Press of Florida,
Year: 1995
Subjects: Simpson, Charles Torrey,; Naturalists Florida Biography.; Conchologists Florida Biography.; Natural History
Abstract: "Charles Torrey Simpson (1846-1932) settled in south Florida in 1902, a time when the vast expanse of islands and marshes that comprise the Everglades teemed with panthers, crocodiles, and great flocks of flamingos, egrets, ibis, herons, and wood storks. Simpson devoted his remaining thirty years to interpreting the subtropical plants and animals he found, becoming the environmental spokesman to the droves of settlers and tourists who invaded and developed the Sunshine State in the 1920s."--BOOK JACKET. "In this first full-length biography, illustrated with thirty-four photographs, Simpson takes his place in the galaxy of nature writers that includes his contemporaries John Muir and John Burroughs. Through his popular books, Simpson acquainted readers with a unique North American ecosystem. His Ornamental Gardening, the first comprehensive guide to Florida's tropical plants, changed the way people landscaped their homes. He advocated the formation of a national park in the Everglades, encouraged the growth of Florida garden clubs, and wrote about his experience in the hurricane of 1926 in both personal and scientific terms."--BOOK JACKET.
Contents: ONE. The Shaping of a Naturalist, 1846-1881 -- TWO. Paradise Won, 1881-1885 -- THREE. Paradise Lost, 1885-1886 -- FOUR. The Midwestern Years, 1886-1889 -- FIVE. Smithsonian Towers, 1890-1902 -- SIX. The Sentinels, 1902-1909 -- Seven. Tropical Plant Distribution, 1909-1914 -- EIGHT. Revival of the Catalogue, 1910-1914 -- NINE. The Naturalists' Cruise to Cuba, 1914 -- Ten. Tramping in the Keys, 1915-1920 -- Eleven. Field Trips with John Kunkel Small, 1916-1918 -- TWELVE. A Passion for Knowing, 1919-1921 -- THIRTEEN. An Icon for Nature, 1922-1925 -- FOURTEEN. UPS and DOWNS, 1926-1927 -- FIFTEEN. In Defense of the Everglades, 1927-1930 -- SIXTEEN. Last Things, 1931-1932.