Winter Reading

– By Anne B. Wagner Feb. 2, 2023

Opportunities abound to walk on roads and trails and to notice the natural world in this season. Here are some book selections that may guide you to plant identification, snow flake information, tracks and other winter signs.

 A Guide to Nature in Winter (1976) is one of Donald Stoke’s well-known field guides. As the author points out in the introduction it contains several mini-guides to identifying weeds, mushrooms, tracks, insects and more. Liberally illustrated, the drawings assist in keying target subjects. The author suggests reading before your walk “to sharpen your approach to seeing,” then carry it with you. Includes an index and a bibliography of classic guides for further study.

Weeds in Winter (1976) by Lauren Brown features her line drawings to accompany the texts with hints to identifying dead or dried plant materials. The book is arranged by plant family and contains a key with instruction in how to use it. Lauren is also the author of Grasses, Sedges and Rushes, eminently useful for the growing season.

Wandering Through Winter (1965) by Edwin Way Teale. Mr. Teale was a prominent naturalist in the 1950s and ’60, but don’t let the date dissuade you from reading his books. He and his wife Nellie criss-crossed the United States in each season noting natural signs and interviewing people and then publishing their experiences. Wandering Through Winter was the fourth and final volume and won the Pulitzer prize for non-fiction. Since their time we have become aware of climate changes and you may note some of these from your own experiences as you read. Excellent fireside reading! (Note: Edwin Way Teale’s farm, Trail Wood, is owned by Connecticut Audubon Society and is open to the public. It makes a fine day trip in any season. Link: https://www.ctaudubon.org/trail-wood-home/)

Winter World: the ingenuity of animal survival (2003) by Bernd Heinrich delves into the author’s studies of animal and plant strategies for living in the cold, snowy winters of northern New England. He approaches his keen observations as a scientist with a love and respect of the snowy world around him and its inhabitants. While the emphasis is on birds and animals plants and water come into the picture as essential components to their survival. Lovely drawings by the author throughout the book. Bibliographies for each chapter and index. Another fascinating fireside read!

Life in the Cold: an introduction to winter ecology (1996, 3^rd ed.) by Peter J. Marchand. The author has devoted his life to the study of winter and teaching others to appreciate all aspects of the season—the wonders of survival in snow and cold, the chemistry and physics of snow, and the effects of cold on warm- and cold-blooded creatures. Copious notes, glossary and index. Fascinating for advanced information, more scholarly than the other titles mentioned here, and not necessarily easy fireside reading.