Welcome to Cyclopaedia 29: Flora and Fauna. Cyclopaedia is a monthly article on the InnRoads Ministries website. Have you heard the saying “April showers bring May flowers”? Well, that is partially the inspiration for this month’s article. I have been out working in my gardens, enjoying the feel of the soil in my hands, and thinking of the garden in bloom this summer. By mid summer my gardens are full of beautiful plants and abundant animal life, some of which I love and others are annoying pests. The worlds of our stories and games are full of natural plants and animals, not just the alien, magical, and supernatural. Time to think like a naturalist and seek the wonders of the great outdoors!
If you have questions about this article or topics you would like me to consider researching for future Cyclopaedia articles, please leave a comment below.
Overview
Flora and fauna. Nice alliteration but what do they mean? Flora relates to plant life. Fauna relates to animal life. Most often in our stories and games, we like to focus on the exceptional—myths, legends, magic, supernatural, paranormal, alien—because it captures our attention and inspires our imaginations. Yet, the natural world of plants and animals still exists in our stories and many times add some of the strongest and most emotional elements.
Think of the stories that tug at our hearts most. Many of them are stories about wild animals or pets that bond with humans whether as pets, mounts, or companions. We have an affinity for animal companions and feel a strong emotional tug when they are in danger, hurt, and especially when they sacrifice themselves for us.
Even plants, whose significance we often overlook, can have major focus in stories about survival, where the plants provide food, water, shelter, and medicine. Plants also provide setting and beauty to a story. The emotions induced by the vivid description of a sunset vista or a rare flower of exquisite beauty can be breathtaking.
Even when plants and animals are not the focus of our stories, they provide the background to the natural world of our stories or the basis we build upon to create our fantastical and alien worlds. Having an understanding of the natural world grounds our storytelling and gives our readers and players a common ground to drawn upon.
What we are NOT covering
Flora and Fauna cover a lot of ground. For this foray, we are not researching man, myth, monsters, or mega-fauna. Those are all being covered in other articles devoted to the topics. Thus, these areas of study are not included.
- Anthropology
- Crytozoology
- Paleontology
- Xenobiology
Following are sources of information pertaining to Flora and Fauna to assist prospective game masters, game designers, writers, and storytellers in knowing where to start their research.
ARTICLES
Fire and explosion hazards to flora and fauna from explosives
By Merrifield, Roy
Source: Journal of Hazardous Materials, v74 n3 (2000): 149-161
The zooarchaeology of medieval ‘Christendom’: ideology, the treatment of animals and the making of medieval Europe
By Pluskowski, Aleks
Source: World Archaeology, 42, no. 2 (2010): 201-214
BOOKS
All Creatures Great and Small
By Herriot, James
Animal Farm
By Orwell, George
Animals In War: Valiant Horses, Courageous Dogs, and Other Unsung Animal Heroes
By Cooper, Jilly
Because of Winn-Dixie
By DiCamillo, Kate
Black Beauty
By Sewell, Anna
Complete Herbal
By Culpeper, Nicholas
Does It Fart?: The Definitive Field Guide to Animal Flatulence
By Caruso, Nick and Rabaiotti, Dani
Domesticated: Evolution in a Man-Made World
By Francis, Richard C.
Elephant Company: The Inspiring Story of an Unlikely Hero and the Animals Who Helped Him Save Lives in World War II
By Croke, Vicki
Endangered
By Schrefer, Eliot
Endangered Species: A Reference Handbook (Contemporary World Issues)
By Randall, Jan A.
The Ethics of Animal Re-creation and Modification: Reviving, Rewilding, Restoring
By Oksanen, Markku and Siipi, Helena
Fauna and Flora in the Middle Ages: Studies of the Medieval Environment and Its Impact on the Human Mind
By Hartmann, Sieglinde
Flora & Fauna Of The Bible: A Guide For Bible Readers And Naturalists
By Goodfellow, Peter
Flora of Middle-Earth
By Judd, Walter and Judd, Graham
Green Pharmacy: The History and Evolution of Western Herbal Medicine
By Griggs, Barbara
Handbook of Nature Study
By Comstock, Anna Botsford
The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World
By Wohlleben, Peter
Inner Life of Animals: Love, Grief, and Compassion? Surprising Observations of a Hidden World
By Wohlleben, Peter
King’s American Dispensatory
By Breach, Dr.
Lost Animals: Extinction and the Photographic Record
By Fuller, Errol
Marley and Me
By Grogan, John
Materia Medica
By Dioscorides
A Modern Herbal
By Grieve, M.
National Audubon Society Field Guides
By various authors
Nature Anatomy
By Rothman, Julia
The Plants of Middle Earth: Botany and Sub-Creation
By Hazell, Dinah
Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It’s So Hard to Think Straight About Animals
By Herzog, Hal
The Truth About Animals: Stoned Sloths, Lovelorn Hippos, and Other Tales from the Wild Side of Wildlife
By Cooke, Lucy
Voynich manuscript
By Unknown
Where the Red Fern Grows
By Rawls, Wilson
GAMES
3 Seeds – Tabletop Game
Agricola – Tabletop Game
Agricola: All Creatures Big and Small – Tabletop Game
American Megafauna – Tabletop Game
Animals on Board – Tabletop Game
Antler Island – Tabletop Game
Arbos – Tabletop Game
Arboretum – Tabletop Game
At the Gates of Loyang – Tabletop Game
Bärenpark – Tabletop Game
Battle Sheep – Tabletop Game
Cottage Garden – Tabletop Game
Creatures & Treasures – RPG
Crows – Tabletop Game
Dominant Species – Tabletop Game
Elk Fest – Tabletop Game
Evolution – Tabletop Game
Fauna – Tabletop Game
A Feast for Odin – Tabletop Game
Fields of Arle – Tabletop Game
Fields of Green – Tabletop Game
Finca – Tabletop Game
Fleet – Tabletop Game
Flowerpower – Tabletop Game
Glen More – Tabletop Game
GURPS Bestiary – RPG
Habitats – Tabletop Game
Heartland – Tabletop Game
Herbaceous – Tabletop Game
Hey, That’s My Fish! – Tabletop Game
Homesteaders – Tabletop Game
Indian Summer – Tabletop Game
Keyflower: The Farmers – Tabletop Game
La Granja – Tabletop Game
The Legend of the Cherry Tree that Blossoms Every Ten Years – Tabletop Game
Lotus – Tabletop Game
Monarch – Tabletop Game
Mondo – Tabletop Game
Monsters & Animals – RPG
Morels – Tabletop Game
Myrmes – Tabletop Game
Photosynthesis – Tabletop Game
Pi mal Pflaumen – Tabletop Game
Rattus – Tabletop Game
Reef Encounter – Tabletop Game
Salmon Run – Tabletop Game
The Sanctuary: Endangered Species – Tabletop Game
SimAnt – Video Games
Scoville – Tabletop Game
Snow Tails – Tabletop Game
Spirits of the Rice Paddy – Tabletop Game
Takenoko – Tabletop Game
The Dog Island – Video Game
Topiary – Tabletop Game
Vinhos – Tabletop Game
Viticulture – Tabletop Game
Wilderness Survival Guide – RPG
Zoolereto – Tabletop Game
Zoo Tycoon – Video Game
CINEMA
The Adventures of Rin Tin-Tin – TV
Black Beauty
The Black Stallion
Born Free
Flipper
Fly Away Home
Free Willy
Gorillas in the Mist
Hidalgo
Hotel for Dogs
Hoot
Into the Wild
Lassie – TV
Lassie Come Home
March of the Penguins
The National Parks: America’s Best Idea – TV
Old Yeller
The Private Life of Plants
The Plant
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
We Bought A Zoo
Whale Rider
White Fang
Winged Migration
LOCATIONS
Berlin Zoological Garden
https://www.zoo-berlin.de/en
The Field Museum
https://www.fieldmuseum.org/
Henry Doorly Zoo
http://www.omahazoo.com/
National Agricultural Hall of Fame
http://www.aghalloffame.com/
National Museum of Natural History
https://naturalhistory.si.edu/
National Zoo
https://nationalzoo.si.edu/
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
https://www.kew.org/
San Diego Zoo
http://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/
U.S. National Parks
https://www.nps.gov/index.htm
PEOPLE
David Attenborough
John James Audubon
Steve Backshall
Georges Cuvier
Charles Darwin
Dame Jane Morris Goodall
Alexander von Humboldt
Steve Irwin
John Muir
Freeman Tilden
Alfred Russel Wallace
I hope you find these resources informative and inspiring for your adventures, storytelling, or game design.
Stay Creative!
T.R. Knight
( If you would like to save this list of resources as a convenient PDF for later reference, you can find that HERE )
WHO IS T.R. KNIGHT?
He is a freelance editor, proofreader, and writer in the game industry. He is also a Husband and Caregiver to his wife Angie, Father of Twins Emily and Rachel, Gardner and Hobby Chef, and Director of Academic Technology and User Services at Taylor University. You can learn more about T.R. at his blog http://www.thomasrknight.com.