Field Notes from the Northern Forest
Biologist Stager's collection of essays about plants, animals, insects, and physical phenomena in the forests of the northeastern U.S. and eastern Canada is based on a series of weekly radio programs he has cohosted since 1990. The region contains a patchwork of conifer, hardwood, and mixed forests--to say nothing of a large number of people. Following the course of the four seasons, Stager probes the lives of such animals and insects as bees, woodpeckers, snakes, fireflies, beavers, and bears. He discusses plant defenses (tannins, resins, alkaloid poison, etc.) and mosses, lichens, and bogs (a botanical paradise, he calls them). Chapters on conifers, princess pines, the woods in winter, the northern lights, bird feeder biology, snow fleas, and maple sap precede the glossary of scientific names, which includes English names and root words translated into English. Although Stager's abundant research included interviews with experts in various fields, the book is written for the layperson. Anne Lacy's appealing illustrations complement the informative and amusing text.George Cohen--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.