My Nature Bookshelf

It is starting to feel like the holidays have arrived, a time for snow and lights, cross-country skiing in the woods followed by hot cocoa inside, a quiet evening with family and presents, presents, presents!  My wife and I are both avid readers, so the hunt is on for each of us to find that book that will be relished but that has not yet even been contemplated.  I love to browse through bookstores, especially those with both new and used volumes just waiting for me to find them.  Here are some of my favorites.

City Creatures: Animal Encounters in the Chicago Wilderness, edited by Gavin Van Horn and Dave Aftandilian is full of essays and poems, accompanied by illustrations and photographs, that introduce you to a variety of species that live among us in the urban environments of northeastern Illinois.  The book is divided into six sections; each introduces us to a different place that includes animal encounters.  Gavin Van Horn is also the creative director and executive editor for the Center for Humans and Nature, and you can find several of his pieces framing new perceptions of the environment on their website.

Winter World: The Ingenuity of Animal Survival, and its companion volume, Summer World: A Season of Bounty, both by Bernd Heinrich are in-depth explorations of what it takes for different species to survive the environmental conditions present at different times of the year.  Heinrich looks at many of the adaptations that allow animals to find appropriate shelter, warmth, food and mates in extreme conditions.

Fire and Ice by Jonathan Mingle is an investigative piece written over several years of traveling to the Himalayan region of Zanskar in northwest India.  In recent years, this region has been drastically changed by drought due to disappearing glaciers.  Mingle ties this in with the problems being generated by black carbon, the unburned particulate matter from fire of all types.  He tells a wonderful tale of the people and their family stories, as well as how black carbon is making a huge impact on their region and the entire world.

Another section of my shelves includes books that provide a wonderful assortment of activities that can involve everything  from individual investigations to gathering data for citizen science projects. 

The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling by John Muir Laws is a detailed presentation on how to make simple to complex drawings for anyone who enjoys the hobby of journaling.  It includes instructions on making simple line drawings, the use of colored pencils, and working with watercolors.  There are numerous examples on what to journal, gathering your thoughts in the written word and transferring your observations to pictures on a page.  A fun and entertaining treatment of nature journaling.

The Amateur Naturalist by Gerald Durrell, published in 1983, or by Nick Baker, published in 2005, are both excellent books with tips and activities on observing nature.  They provide information about different habitats and species, how to make observations of each, what data to record, activities that will make your time fun and rewarding, and suggestions on how your data may be used by yourself and others.  The books identify tools to collect and use to make your ventures into nature fun learning experiences.

A companion volume, How To Shoot An Amateur Naturalist by Gerald Durrell, tells us how he made the television series “The Amateur Naturalist,” based on the book above.  It is a humorous and fun story of film making, adventure and travel concentrating on learning natural history using a variety of the techniques and activities detailed in his book.

Another fun book is The Big Year by Mark Obmascik, also made into a motion picture starring Jack Black, Steve Martin and Owen Wilson.  The book takes us on a wild romp through nature areas, backyards and wild places with the goal of counting as many bird species as possible in one calendar year.  Documenting the journeys of three bird watchers taking a year out of their lives to compete for the honor of counting the most birds in one year in the U.S., this volume is a humorous and insightful story of just how passion can turn a hobby into an obsession.

The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs by Tristan Gooley provides thoughtful insight on how to enhance your nature walks.  Everywhere we go, there are hundreds of things to see in nature.  This volume can help you learn what to look for that you may have missed in past walks.   The book provides dozens of ideas about what to look at, how to discern more detail, and what questions to consider as you discover things along your way.  A fun way to learn about learning as you enjoy each nature walk you take.

These books can provide a perfect starting place for a new year of activity and learning while having fun.  Find one for yourself or consider a gift book for a friend who loves nature.  If you have books that you have found to be insightful and interesting, or have started you on a new journey, consider posting them in the comments section for this blog.  Have fun browsing!