Life in the Chesapeake Bay

by Alice Jane Lippson

Published in 1984, the first edition of Life in the Chesapeake Bay became an instant classic, providing fascinating insights into some of the more than two thousand plants and animals that make their home in American's largest estuary, the Chesapeake Bay. Superbly illustrated and clearly written, this acclaimed field guide described the richly varied habitats found along the mid Atlantic coast and cataloged more than three hundred species of fish, invertebrates, and aquatic plants commonly found in the Chesapeake Bay and in coastal inlets form Cape Hatteras to Cape Cod. Reflecting a further decade of research, this new edition expands on the Lippsons' discussion of wetland habitats and covers an additional life species closely associated with the Chesapeake Bay, including a broad range of birds and several species of insects, reptiles, and mammals. Written to be useful to a variety of readers - year-round residents and summer vacationers, professional biologists, and amateur scientists, conservationists and sportsmen - Life in the Chesapeake Bay is a unique and comprehensive guide to one of this country's most important and beautiful natural resources.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Nature, Reference, Field Guides

304 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1984

Reviews

[Christine Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative and beautifully done. I loved learning more about the ecosystems and wildlife of the place I call home. Diagrams and pictures are in black and white, which is the only downfall.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, excellent, excellent. I’ve seen nothing comparable, with the exception of White’s Chesapeake Bay Field Guide, which is much more brief. Much more brief probably suits many people – this book is quite detailed. But for lovers of the Bay with inquiring minds the detail is welcome. And there’s a great wealth of first-rate illustrations. The two books have inestimably enriched my visits and paddles around the Bay’s tributaries, marshes, swamps and shores, along with a few other flora & fauna guides and paddling guides, especially Ed Gertler’s. For those of us who live near the Bay and truly treasure it, the understanding it provides of how the Bay was formed, how it functions, how rich, variable and fragile it is, and how human activities affect it is invaluable.

[Megan Simmons · Rating 4 out of 5]

here are some under sea life>
Phylum Phoronidea-Phoronid Worms
Phoronidea is a smell plylum containing only 15 known species of wormlike animals, all marine and all living in parchmentlike tubes. Phoronids are more closely related to bryozo( phylum Ectoprocta) than they are to annelids, although they look like some polychaete worms because of the tentacles that extend from their heads.

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

It wasn't really for me: it more or less just catalogued the different plants and animals that live in the Bay. I'm not a bio person, and reading almost only about the anatomical descriptions wasn't that interesting.

[Benjamin Plume · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just some fun facts, and depressing thoughts on losing the Bay.