Charles Fergus has published 16 books on nature and wildlife, including The Wingless Crow and Thornapples: The Naturalist's Year (collections of nature essays), Wildlife of Pennsylvania and the Northeast, Wildlife of Virginia and Maryland, Trees of Pennsylvania and the Northeast, Trees of New England, Common Edible and Poisonous Mushrooms of the Northeast, and two books in Stackpole's Wild Guides series: Bears and Turtles. A communications consultant for the Wildlife Management Institute, he helps produce publications, displays, and Best Habitat Management Practices guidebooks, and handles three websites about wildlife that need young forest habitat. Fergus has shared a nature column, "Crossings," in Pennsylvania Game News magazine for the past 15 years; before that, he wrote the popular "Thornapples" column for the same magazine. In addition to his books, he has written about nature and wildlife for publications including Country Journal, Highlights for Children, Audubon, and the New York Times. He lives in
