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Adventures with a Texas Naturalist
A classic since its first publication in 1947, Adventures with a Texas Naturalist distills a lifetime of patient observations of the natural world. This reprint contains a new introduction by noted nature writer Rick Bass.
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1947
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 8, 2013
Had a hard time getting into "Adventures," and at times it was hard to continue. Bedichek's prose is often matchless, but equally often, I had to stop and reread a sentence multiple times to understand it. This lack of suitable pacing could have resulted im my being totally ambivalent about the book.
However, Bedichek's history of different species, coupled with profiles of the same kept me reading..., and enjoying.
For example, I thought the armadillo had been here for hundreds if not thousands of years. Pure foolishness on my part. The Austin icon arrived in Texas around 1907.
Similar revelations helped my to see how many species disappeared in the generation before mine, just as I saw a few disappear in mine. I loved roaming by myself through cat claw, bluethorn, devil's head, and prickly pear on my grandparents' place when a boy of 8 or 10. I doubt that humans had been on that land for decades--the animals were almost totally unafraid of me, and only started to become so after my family began fencing the property. I remember one bitterly cold winter morning, many trees had frozen and occasionally one would explode, sounding like a cannon going off in the stillness. And on that same walk, a red fox followed me for 20 minutes or more, peaking from behind bushes and trees.
So, "Adventures" brought back fond memories, and made me remember also how I regret having no land of my own on which my children could experience nature without any other human presence.
However, Bedichek's history of different species, coupled with profiles of the same kept me reading..., and enjoying.
For example, I thought the armadillo had been here for hundreds if not thousands of years. Pure foolishness on my part. The Austin icon arrived in Texas around 1907.
Similar revelations helped my to see how many species disappeared in the generation before mine, just as I saw a few disappear in mine. I loved roaming by myself through cat claw, bluethorn, devil's head, and prickly pear on my grandparents' place when a boy of 8 or 10. I doubt that humans had been on that land for decades--the animals were almost totally unafraid of me, and only started to become so after my family began fencing the property. I remember one bitterly cold winter morning, many trees had frozen and occasionally one would explode, sounding like a cannon going off in the stillness. And on that same walk, a red fox followed me for 20 minutes or more, peaking from behind bushes and trees.
So, "Adventures" brought back fond memories, and made me remember also how I regret having no land of my own on which my children could experience nature without any other human presence.
September 21, 2021
It’s fun to read a Walden starring the animals and plants you’ve grown up with. It’s not perfect, but I think it’s good. He calls bullshit on the claim that one can’t both study nature and feel sentimental towards it. His footnotes reveal a vast personal network of tx nerds. He details cases where new technologies bless some species and condemn others. He’s got stellar turns of phrase and he loves birds in a tender, all-consuming way.
April 27, 2021
Though published in 1947, "Adventures" is a refreshing take
on the natural world. As the title implies "Bedi" spends
his time in Texas and mostly Central Texas at that, so if
you are familiar with, or interested in, those areas there
will be added flavor, however many of the insights apply
to the great outdoors where ever you may be.
I say a 'refreshing' as he never uses the words 'environment', 'green' or any of the familiar buzzwords one cannot escape these days, in fact, I'm having trouble writing this without using them.
Bedi has a common sense approach to observations and takes a look at all sides, something lacking in the hysteria that often surrounds contemporary ecological concerns.
For example, it's interesting that he posts some negatives on fencing, then follows up with many positives; the fencing of the railroads and highways of USA created a lot of no grazing zones, so various species were preserved, whereas in Europe & China the open grazing wiped out a lot of plants. Additionally the highways tend to be conduits of the seeds thus the abundant wildflowers that tend to grow along them.
That's not to say you won't get riled up about an issue or two, the shooting of eagles from small airplanes was common place (golden eagle weren't protected till 1962). The chapter on Denatured Chickens, the term for factory raised, was enough to make me want to switch to what we call 'Free Range' these days. Note he's not against a chicken dinner, just how they live before they are put on the table.
'Adventures' covers many critters plants and places one ponders about in these parts; armadillos, warblers, cedar choppers, Davis Mountains, herons, swallows, goats, mockingbirds. In fact, in our work parking lot we've had a mockingbird attacking the car mirrors for a few weeks now,
undoubtedly he thinks he's battling a trespasser and has little concern for the presence of humans.
J. Frank Dobie, Walter Prescott Webb, and Roy Bedichek are credited with being the fathers of modern Texas literature, though I don't know how Bedichek was included without having 3 names.
With such a heritage, I set about to read the 'best' book by each of them, so far I've read Dobie's 'Tell Me a Tale', and now 'Adventures', both good reads.
on the natural world. As the title implies "Bedi" spends
his time in Texas and mostly Central Texas at that, so if
you are familiar with, or interested in, those areas there
will be added flavor, however many of the insights apply
to the great outdoors where ever you may be.
I say a 'refreshing' as he never uses the words 'environment', 'green' or any of the familiar buzzwords one cannot escape these days, in fact, I'm having trouble writing this without using them.
Bedi has a common sense approach to observations and takes a look at all sides, something lacking in the hysteria that often surrounds contemporary ecological concerns.
For example, it's interesting that he posts some negatives on fencing, then follows up with many positives; the fencing of the railroads and highways of USA created a lot of no grazing zones, so various species were preserved, whereas in Europe & China the open grazing wiped out a lot of plants. Additionally the highways tend to be conduits of the seeds thus the abundant wildflowers that tend to grow along them.
That's not to say you won't get riled up about an issue or two, the shooting of eagles from small airplanes was common place (golden eagle weren't protected till 1962). The chapter on Denatured Chickens, the term for factory raised, was enough to make me want to switch to what we call 'Free Range' these days. Note he's not against a chicken dinner, just how they live before they are put on the table.
'Adventures' covers many critters plants and places one ponders about in these parts; armadillos, warblers, cedar choppers, Davis Mountains, herons, swallows, goats, mockingbirds. In fact, in our work parking lot we've had a mockingbird attacking the car mirrors for a few weeks now,
undoubtedly he thinks he's battling a trespasser and has little concern for the presence of humans.
J. Frank Dobie, Walter Prescott Webb, and Roy Bedichek are credited with being the fathers of modern Texas literature, though I don't know how Bedichek was included without having 3 names.
With such a heritage, I set about to read the 'best' book by each of them, so far I've read Dobie's 'Tell Me a Tale', and now 'Adventures', both good reads.
September 11, 2019
Texas Naturalist Roy Bedichek takes us on a close look at the nature of Texas in this classic work first published in 1947.
"Alliances, mutual dependencies, parasitisms, preyer and preyed-on, linkages joining into one chain a dozen widely differentiated forms, and other relationships amazingly intricate weave all life, animal and vegetable, into the unity of one vast organism. It is exciting, especially when we of more mystical inclinations fancy we feel a pulse of sympathy beating through it all."
Yes, a naturalist, but also a philosopher. Bedichek lets his eye linger on simple things---fences, birds, flowers, cedar trees---and the glance becomes gaze and gaze leads to thought and thought leads to deep pondering and this meditation on Texas flora and fauna. It's a sweet walk in the past, but Bedichek's meditations remain timely.
"Alliances, mutual dependencies, parasitisms, preyer and preyed-on, linkages joining into one chain a dozen widely differentiated forms, and other relationships amazingly intricate weave all life, animal and vegetable, into the unity of one vast organism. It is exciting, especially when we of more mystical inclinations fancy we feel a pulse of sympathy beating through it all."
Yes, a naturalist, but also a philosopher. Bedichek lets his eye linger on simple things---fences, birds, flowers, cedar trees---and the glance becomes gaze and gaze leads to thought and thought leads to deep pondering and this meditation on Texas flora and fauna. It's a sweet walk in the past, but Bedichek's meditations remain timely.
February 8, 2008
This captures Texas better than anything I've ever read, excepting Lonesome Dove.
December 5, 2012
A naturalist's naturalist.
November 4, 2014
His prose can be dense but for Central Texas readers, the scenes he paints are still recognizable 60 years later.
July 10, 2019
Great read! Right up there with Aldo Leopold!
September 28, 2020
Bedichek’s writing offers some truly insightful views of nature, while at the same time being substantially outdated, talking about a time in the formative years of the 20th century that few of us can relate to. He talks about 1916 highway construction when the Texas population was only 4 million, compared to 28 million today, reminding us of how much the world has changed. At the same time though, he talks about how fences transformed the Texas landscape, which is a painful reminder of the fact that only 5% of Texas is publicly owned. It was also a time when killing animals indiscriminately was accepted as a way of life.
The chapter on the abominable treatment of chickens is worth skipping.
Importantly, he explains the connections that exist among all living things in the natural world. His curiosity and attention to detail are most admirable. He provides some in-depth insights into Mockingbirds, Eagles, Herons, Owls, Swifts, Cedar Trees, Hackberrys, etc.
I would not have titled the book "Adventures," since there are no real risks or hazards to his activities. However, his observations are often unique and eye-opening into animal and plant behavior. These alone make the book worth reading.
The chapter on the abominable treatment of chickens is worth skipping.
Importantly, he explains the connections that exist among all living things in the natural world. His curiosity and attention to detail are most admirable. He provides some in-depth insights into Mockingbirds, Eagles, Herons, Owls, Swifts, Cedar Trees, Hackberrys, etc.
I would not have titled the book "Adventures," since there are no real risks or hazards to his activities. However, his observations are often unique and eye-opening into animal and plant behavior. These alone make the book worth reading.
August 22, 2021
Reading this book was like discovering an old box of jewelry. Inside I found some out-of-fashion language, amusing anecdotes and a few precious gems. The first edition was published in 1947. The introduction written in 1994 by Rick Bass is what brought Bedichek to my attention.
Observing how the mockingbird nibbled on the same fig for several days vs. how the blue jay ate the entire fig, Bedichek saw that fruit flies were caught in the marred fruit. “I concluded…the mocker liked fruit flies in his fruit juice while the jay preferred his figs straight.”
Bedichek's observations on his fellow humans are just as informing as those on birds. About the mutilation of trees by utility workers, he notes “the workmen returned after workinghours in trucks and hauled off cords of good post oak…it naturally occurred to me to question whether cupidity had not in this case whetted the solicitude of these workmen for the interests of their employer.”
Commenting on sportsmen who were killing pelicans, "It is well-established by psychologists that we do not act so much from reason as from desire. We do what we want to do and then, if our action is questioned on moral or other grounds, we use our reason to justify ourselves. Act first, inform yourself and reason later in defense of the action: that seems to be the pattern... (the sportsman) justifies himself by furnishing you with fisherman's folklore which classes this bird among the worst enemies of the game fish."
To quote the passage, I would have to issue a "spoiler alert" but I did tear up reading his story of the Inca dove and the old man in a nursing home. I was reminded of another old man, a dear friend we often visited in Galveston who heard in the dove's song "Dial Hope".
Footnotes are not to be missed. One footnote about the spelling of "agarita" vs. "agrito" covers two and a half pages, ending with "It is an interesting case of the rebellion of the lazy southern palate against a grinding "g" followed by a burring "r".
For me, this book was thoroughly entertaining with all the required elements: set in Texas, focused on Texas flora and fauna, witty and informative.
Observing how the mockingbird nibbled on the same fig for several days vs. how the blue jay ate the entire fig, Bedichek saw that fruit flies were caught in the marred fruit. “I concluded…the mocker liked fruit flies in his fruit juice while the jay preferred his figs straight.”
Bedichek's observations on his fellow humans are just as informing as those on birds. About the mutilation of trees by utility workers, he notes “the workmen returned after workinghours in trucks and hauled off cords of good post oak…it naturally occurred to me to question whether cupidity had not in this case whetted the solicitude of these workmen for the interests of their employer.”
Commenting on sportsmen who were killing pelicans, "It is well-established by psychologists that we do not act so much from reason as from desire. We do what we want to do and then, if our action is questioned on moral or other grounds, we use our reason to justify ourselves. Act first, inform yourself and reason later in defense of the action: that seems to be the pattern... (the sportsman) justifies himself by furnishing you with fisherman's folklore which classes this bird among the worst enemies of the game fish."
To quote the passage, I would have to issue a "spoiler alert" but I did tear up reading his story of the Inca dove and the old man in a nursing home. I was reminded of another old man, a dear friend we often visited in Galveston who heard in the dove's song "Dial Hope".
Footnotes are not to be missed. One footnote about the spelling of "agarita" vs. "agrito" covers two and a half pages, ending with "It is an interesting case of the rebellion of the lazy southern palate against a grinding "g" followed by a burring "r".
For me, this book was thoroughly entertaining with all the required elements: set in Texas, focused on Texas flora and fauna, witty and informative.
August 29, 2020
Bedichek has a little classic here. It's a joy to read for anyone who loves Texas. The keen observation seems friendly and conversational, and it's salted with a background of long reflection on the whole human journey of care and hypocrisy. All the advances in ecological common sense over the past half century can't improve on Bedichek's perceptions from the 1940s. You gotta wish you'd known him, and heard him talking with friends after dinner.
August 3, 2020
A few interesting nuggets about wildlife and the natural world in and around Austin but not worth the ramblings or vague racism
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews