The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year

To anthropomorphize is to attribute human traits, emotions, or intentions to nonhuman life. While Renkl often describes animals with emotional richness, she seeks to avoid simplifying their behaviors through anthropomorphizing them.

A low-intervention gardening approach, benign neglect allows natural processes to unfold with minimal interference. Renkl embraces this method to support wildlife in her backyard.

The scientific study of interactions among organisms and their environment is known as ecology. Renkl’s observations reflect a deep ecological awareness shaped by both science and storytelling.