Life at the City Scale

More famous for freeways and sprawl than frogs and sparrows, Los Angeles is in fact rich in biological diversity. LA County is home to over 4,000 species of animals and plants, all of which live among the 10 million people that also live here. We Angelenos live among creatures big and small, from the tiny (and ubiquitous) Argentine ant to the mighty (but scarce) mountain lion. This coexistence with the natural world raises questions. What and where is the “wild”? If so much biodiversity can be found in one of the world’s largest cities, what are the distinctions between “human” and “natural” spaces?

Recognizing the biological abundance of LA moves us to reconsider questions of belonging. Who and what is a member of our communities? Seeing the city as more than a place for humans gives us an expansive view that opens us up to our non-human neighbors. It also moves us to appreciate how our own wellbeing is entangled with theirs: the plants that clean our waters and air, the birds and insects that pollinate our gardens, the delight we take in glimpsing a hummingbird hover or a squirrel leap from a branch.

Further exploration

In the days and weeks to come, take note of the creatures, large and small, that inhabit your neighborhood. How could you make your community more hospitable to its nonhuman members?

Further reading

Lila Higgins, Gregory B. Pauly, Jason G. Goldman, and Charles Hood, Wild L.A.: Explore the Amazing Nature In and Around Los Angeles (2019)

Peter S. Alagona, The Accidental Ecosystem: People and Wildlife in American Cities (2022)

Thor Hanson, “The Neglected Abundance of Your Backyard,” Noema Magazine (2025)