40-acre growth found in Michigan. br — The Los Angeles Times br br br The sky is full of ruddy ducks br and widgeon's, mockingbirds, br bees, bats, swallowtails, br dragonflies, and great horned owls. br br The land below teems with elands br and kit foxes, badgers, aardvarks, br juniper, banana slugs, larch, br cactus, heather, humankind. br br Under them, a dome of dirt. br Under that, the World's br Largest Living Thing spreads br like a hemorrhage poised br br to paralyze the earth—like a tumor br ready to cause 9.0 convulsions, br or a brain dreaming this world br of crickets and dung beetles, br br sculpins, Beethoven, coots, br Caligula, St. Augustine grass, Mister br Lincoln roses, passion fruit, wildebeests, br orioles like sunspots shooting high, br br then dropping back to the green br arms of trees, their roots br sunk deep in the power br of things sleeping and unknown.