HISTORY AND MYSTERY
Plains portrait
The updated edition of “Prairie: A Natural History,” by Candace Savage (Greystone Books, $34.95), will clue you in about the Front Range ecosystem in which most of us actually dwell, even if our focus is on mountain majesties. In lucid prose and vivid photos, her book enlivens the story of this vast canvas, from tiny insects to avian surveyors to the wisdom of its first inhabitants. She devotes an entire chapter to prairie soil. —Susan Clotfelter
FEATS IN CLAY
A tool with teeth
If your terra is so firma it busts shovel hafts, snaps weeders and truncates trowels, you probably need A.M. Leonard’s soil knife. Its 6-inch stainless blade brandishes one tapered edge with a root- or rope-cutting notch. The other edge is serrated for harvesting squash, chopping off greens or gouging into clay to divide perennials or plant bulbs. The orange handle stands out in burgeoning foliage. $19.99; $26.99 with its own belt- clipped sheath. At local garden stores or . (Fair warning: This website is like heroin for garden-tool addicts. Check out the trowel that comes with a lifetime warranty.)
