When the Earth Was Green: Plants, Animals, and Evolution’s Greatest Romance

In this striking study, science writer Black (The Last Days of the Dinosaurs) presents vignettes illustrating the complex interplay between animals, plants, and the environment from 1.2 billion through 15,000 years ago. An account of a proto-dinosaur’s wanderings around a forest of araucarioxylon trees 220 million years ago details how the conifers thrived in a warming world by growing massive root systems able to withstand frequent wildfires. Describing a jeholornis bird feasting on a magnolia flower 125 million years ago, Black discusses how early birds took to swallowing seeds whole after losing their teeth, helping plants spread farther than they’d previously been able to. The entries emphasize chance’s prominent role in evolution. For instance, Black imagines a saber-toothed cat chowing down on catnip and notes that the plant initially evolved to produce the chemical compound that intoxicates felines as a defense against insects, who are repulsed by the substance. Black excels at packaging science for lay readers, weaving illuminating natural history into sparkling descriptions of what the Earth was like millions of years ago (“The humid, dew-dappled forests that have cradled... Cretaceous survivors are shifting now, the greenhouse world becoming one where a persistent and sweltering summer is feeling the aches of seasonal change once more”). This is another triumph from Black. Illus. Agent: Deirdre Mullane, Mullane Literary. (Feb.)