Includes bibliographical references (p. 197-211) and index
Introduction. The languages of nature : an overview -- Botany's beautiful arrangement : Almira Phelps and Enlightenment science -- The pressure of hidden causes : Margaret Fuller and Romantic science -- The noble designs of nature : Susan Fenimore Cooper, natural science, and the picturesque aesthetic -- Spiders, ants, and carnivorous plants : Mary Treat and evolutionary science -- Epilogue. Human homes in nature's household : the emergence of a conservation ethic