Connecting with nature through story and verse
I love learning about the natural world and about how we are connected with all the rest of it—animals (I especially love the animals) and plants and even rocks and water and soil. We’re all in this together, and it is fun to learn about our neighbors and our common home. As John Muir said, “When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it hitched to the rest of the world.”
I am not a scientist, but none of us has to be a biologist or zoologist to have fun becoming aware of each little connection, how unseen bonds help us live in this world together.
Besides writing, I have had the good fortune of being able to share some of what I have learned with visitors of all ages at four nature centers (two in Northern California, two in Southern California).
I focus on animals that are native to North America. There are many wonderful books about exotic animals — after all, who doesn’t love elephants and giraffes? — or scary animals, or ocean animals. But I don’t believe we give enough attention and appreciation to the animals in our back yards, or at least nearby — raccoons, turkey vultures, gopher snakes, and other wild neighbors. They all have interesting stories.
