At the summer soltice, spiderwort, spike lobelia, and sweet Cicely appear. Spring-blooming forbs are gone. In fall, blackbirds are flocking and frost may be seen below the big bluestem and bronze Indiangrass. Bats have departed for caves along the Mississippi River. Swallows leave as the supply of insects declines.
Tamaracks don their golden dress.
Thus nature changes in its expression from season to season. Four essays deal with the physical structure of the land. Fire is the topic of the third essay and its role in prairie and forest development is treated. Finally water is portrayed for its effects on ponds, lakes and rivers. The role of water in plant growth is shown and both its abundance and scarcity are highlighted.