Field Notes From the Woods
February 16, 2013
“It’s colder than old bones this morning,” somebody must have said once upon a time to nobody in particular.
If mercury doesn’t run through yours, ask the rhododendrons their secret: the waxy leaves curl back upon themselves as the temperature falls, so that below 20°F, these that cover the knees of the roadside birches no longer have leaves at all, but only hundreds of dangly, dark-green, tubular earrings, their facets glinting in dawn light like a chandelier’s. No explanation of rhododendrons... more
February 4, 2013
Winter’s favorite game is the painter’s, covering surfaces, funneling the light, dividing things from their shadows.
He paints with awfully broad strokes, that’s true, but he knows what he’s up to. The apple tree out my window, under new snow, does its best to hold a pose while the artist works. He’s got his theme, he’s got his style—still lifes, mostly, very sparing in the use of color—and he’s dogged, you have to give him that: Study in White, Study in Gray & White, Study in Mostly White... more
Pages
Field Notes From the Woods, written by Henry Walters, shares observations and ruminations on plants, wildlife, weather, and other facets of nature. Henry Walters is a naturalist, a teacher, and a falconer. He lives and writes in a cabin in southern New Hampshire on a 1,700-acre tract of conservation land, of which he acts as steward. His poems, essays, and translations have appeared or are forthcoming in a number of print publications, including The Old Farmer’s Almanac.
FREE BEGINNER'S GARDEN GUIDE!
BONUS: You’ll also receive our Almanac Companion newsletter!
