Noted nature writer Ted Williams invites readers along on a year-long immersion in the wild and fleeting moments of the natural world, from winter candy and spring quackers to summer's scarlet farewell and autumn reveilles. This beautifully crafted collection of short, seasonal essays combines in-depth information with evocative descriptions of nature's marvels and mysteries. Williams explains the weather conditions that bring out the brightest reds in autumn leaves, how hungry wolf spiders catch their prey, and why American goldfinches wait until late July or August to build their nests. In the tradition of Thoreau, Carson, and Leopold, Ted Williams's writing stands as a testament to the delicate balance of nature's resilience and fragility, and inspires readers to experience the natural world for themselves and to become advocates for protecting and preserving the amazing diversity and activity found there.
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Renowned nature writer Ted Williams captures the wonders of the natural world in this series of short observational essays that describe the fleeting beauty of each season, from the deliberate flight of a bumblebee to the lush fragrance of wild grapes. Ted Williams writes full-time on fish and wildlife issues in a monthly "Recovery" column for The Nature Conservancy's Cool Green Science and in various other publications. A longtime contributor to Audubon magazine, Williams was recognized by the Outdoor Writers Association of America (OWAA) as the nation's best outdoor columnist and has received numerous other national writing and conservation awards. He serves as national chair of the Native Fish Coalition and lives in Grafton, Massachusetts.
Verlyn Klinkenborg is the author of The Last Fine Time, Making Hay, and The Rural Life. His articles have appeared in many magazines, including The New Yorker, Harper's, Audubon, Smithsonian, and The New Republic. He teaches creative writing at Harvard University. Foreword by Verlyn Klinkenborg
Preface
Acknowledgments
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Resources
Index When grass goes gold and the bright, still air is full of milkweed silk and cricket song, the daddy longlegs goes a-courting.
So begins one of Ted Williams's essays on summer in this seasonal chronicle of the natural world. With the eye of a naturalist, the curiosity of a journalist, and the heart of a poet, Williams beckons us to walk with him through the year, to peer with him into ponds and nests and up at the night sky, and to bear witness to nature's ephemeral moments and miracles.
Williams's words invite us to pause and experience "what is pure and clean and right with the world." His clarity of perception and evocative writing call our attention to the planet's complex and fragile beauty and remind us just how much we stand to lose when we stop noticing.
