I still love nature. [Earth Almanac by Ted Williams]

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.

More poetic musings from author Ted Williams than scientific journal, Earth Almanac is a personal journey through the seasons. Gentle illustrations are scattered throughout four chapters, each named for a season. Williams takes the reader on a journey through the seasons, conveyed in blurbs highlighting animal, fungal, and plant activity. Short blurbs introduce the quirks of a variety of animals, offering individual and intermittently vignettes through the yearlong cycle. The human interaction is provided through Williams' relation of his family's traditions in and relationship with nature and how it's changed over the years.

This is not a book to serve as a reference, this is not an observational series. Earth Almanac is rather an ode to nature from a nature lover. The reader will learn, but not in an overly technical sense. Someone looking for naturalistic writings and anecdotes of the world around them will thoroughly enjoy this book. At times I really enjoyed this book, but I wasn't ever super emotionally invested. I would have enjoyed more illustrations. 3 stars from me.

Earth Almanac is set to be published September 29, 2020.