Naturally Curious: A Photographic Field Guide and Month-by-Month Journey Through the Fields, Woods, and Marshes of New England Paperback – October 15, 2010

This goes through the seasons and tells you ALL kinds of interesting facts. A very handy reference, plus a fun read.

As a lifelong naturalist, I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to know a little bit more about the plants and animals they are likely to notice when they take a walk outside! While the book is about New England, most of the species discussed, or others with similar habits, occur widely throughout the USA. The general idea of organizing nature observations by time of year, rather than by taxonomic group, is one of those genius “of course” ideas that someone should have thought of years ago. This is the way that the average person experiences nature. You are walking past a waterlogged area in the forest in March, with patches of ice still covering much of the water, and you hear a strange barking sound. What might it be? I’ll bet that your first instinct wouldn’t be to grab a field guide to reptiles and amphibians to search for an answer. But that sound, the mating call of a Wood Frog, is an early harbinger of spring and an invitation to observe a fascinating ritual which only takes place for a few days every year. Know what to look and listen for before you step out the door and you’ll be less likely to miss out on these unique nature experiences.

This is a great book for all ages. I love the way it goes by the month, so you can read about what’s going on out there!! I’ve bought several copies for friends.

Answers a lot of questions about what’s happening right outside your door in an easily accessible way.

I have enjoyed Mary Holland's blog for quite some time. Her regular pictures and brief write-ups focusing on the natural splendour of Northeastern flora and fauna provide a perfect break between tasks during the hustle of my daily workday in downtown Boston.This work is an opus of transportive vistas to the natural world that we are both so close to and so distant from. In that regard, I found myself thinking of this work as more of a guidebook to a world many of us have overlooked or as an 'English to Nature' dictionary.The first copy I ordered is going abroad as a gift to a good friend who just moved from New England to London for work and misses the New England wildlife, while the second is for my own enjoyment (more will likely be coming in the holiday month).Along with beautiful and remarkable pictures, the book follows a monthly theme and works to capture the most important seasonal aspects for different species. One can easily flip to any page for a brief foray into the natural world, or spend hours starting in the opening 'March' section of Fisher Cat tracks in the spring snow and the plump, emerging Skunk Cabbage and then follow the teeming crescendo of life through the warming Spring months and into summer and beyond.This is a remarkable collection from a lifetime of patient and open observation of a world many of us feel increasingly distant from. Perfect for those curious by nature.

Exquisite photos and beautifully written

This book is really well done. Every New Englander should own this. It is broken down into months and what's going on in nature. I have been trying to read the corresponding sections as the year goes by which is really a unique experience; I feel very in tune with the environment around me as I am aware of what nature is doing at every moment of the year, and this book will teach you that something new is going on nearly EVERY moment of the year. We humans have so much control over our environment, we tend to think in terms of seasons, if even that. We don't ever have to change our existence because we simply control our immediate environment: food, water, shelter, temperature. But in the natural world, EVERY moment is a progression through the seasons which directly affects the activity of every plant and animal in the natural world. Every day for plants and animals contains activities that will directly affect their survival. This book enlightens and humbles by making us aware of this activity.

Naturally Curious: A Photographic Field Guide and Month-by-Month Journey Through the Fields, Woods, and Marshes of New England Having moved to New England a couple of years ago, I found there was so much I wanted to know more about during my frequent walks in the woods. This book answers every question, and more, with beautiful photographs to illustrate and fascinating detail that takes the reader to a new depth of understanding nature.I think, however, what this book has done for me more than anything else, is deepen my connection to this incredible land and it's inhabitants, giving me a new respect and gratitude for the place that I call home, a home I share with bountiful flora and fauna.Taking the book with me into the woods, my walks have now become an adventure and education and I love that it is organized into months, so you can easily look something up depending on the time of year.This will make a great gift for anyone interested in nature.Thank you Mary Holland!

Lovely book to own. Lots of interesting information in the book. Just what I wanted.

Packed with interesting nature notes.