Curious Naturalist: Nature's Everyday Mysteries

by Sy Montgomery

Our lives are surrounded by ordinary miracles, everyday mysteries. To find them, all you need to do is indulge your senses. Follow the scent of earth outdoors on a cool, wet morning in spring. On a hot August afternoon, go down to the local pond and watch dragonfly larvae crawl out of their skins. On a still December night, let the moonlight call you outdoors to listen to the wind sigh in the pines.

Genres: Nature, Nonfiction, Science, Animals, Essays, School, Childrens

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Part Indiana Jones, part Emily Dickinson, as the Boston Globe describes her, Sy Montgomery is an author, naturalist, documentary scriptwriter, and radio commentator who has traveled to some of the worlds most remote wildernesses for her work. She has worked in a pit crawling with 18,000 snakes in Manitoba, been hunted by a tiger in India, swum with pink dolphins in the Amazon, and been undressed by an orangutan in Borneo. She is the author of 13 award-winning books, including her national best-selling memoir, The Good Good Pig. Montgomery lives in Hancock, New Hampshire.

Reviews

[Cheryl]

Can't rate, can't even evaluate, as I've been on a Sy Montgomery kick lately and they're blurring together a bit... and this is earlier work so it's def. not as wonderful as newest. I can observe that:

1. sometimes she wants her last sentence in these mini essays to make an impact or show wit or something... but coming up with last sentences is not her forte. 2. sometimes I was bored because I've seen much of this information elsewhere, and Sy's appeal lies in her ability to find out things we all didn't already know. 3. the essays are too short for my taste.

However, I did get a lot of bookdarts:

Reading widely, especially older books and non-fiction, gives one a bigger vocabulary... not the LetterPress/Scrabble words varve & bysuss, conk & bosky & bolete, and a drey is a squirrel nest... ;)

Even though I don't have kids, I will try to find Talking to Fireflies, Shrinking the Moon: Nature Activities for All Ages. Point a small flashlight at the ground. When you see a firefly blink, wait two seconds, blink your flashlight once. Continue 'talking' and the firefly will land on your hand. (We'll see if that's true in a few months.)

A mushroom is to a fungus as an apple is to a tree, so it's ok to pluck them, or to kick puffballs.

Shelf fungus (or at least one kind of it) grows on dead or dying trees, so if you see it, make sure there's nothing under that tree that you don't want downed when the tree falls.

The mosquito essay is entirely fascinating.

Children, esp. age 5-7, "have incredible powers of observation." Give them a leaf to examine in detail, then blindfold the child, put the leaf in a pile, and see them be able to pick out the leaf they had examined.

I want to look for Stokes Guide to Bird Behavior as I can't get the hang of listening to their calls and songs, and can't see colors and details even with the sun at my back. But I can see if they swoop as they fly, or call more in the morning... maybe Stokes can help me with things like that.

Violets, including stems, are edible; try them on a cream cheese sandwich. Dandelions are even more edible than I realized, root compared to parsnip, I'll google for more ideas.

Dragonflies wings are flat, damselflies wings angle 'like a fairy's.'

She reports that mountain lions seem to be repopulating New England, as of the 1990s.. I need to check if there's been more evidence since.

Extensive selected bibliography is included, but not tied to essays, more like 'for further reading.' And I'm sure I will find books in that list that I will want to read.

I would have loved this when I was a 'tween. I do recommend it to people who are curious, but haven't read a lot on the subjects before.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Collection of "Boston Globe" columns about varied aspects of nature mostly in New England. Short and interesting. I especially liked reading about porcupines, beavers, crows, and flies.

[Sandy D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun collection of essays about animals, birds, reptiles, plants - short 2-4 page pieces that are great to pick up here and there. Well-researched without being pedantic; witty without being precious.

[WarmerSommerregen · Rating 5 out of 5]

So bezaubernd wie der Titel

Als ich das wunderschöne Cover und den ansprechenden Titel dieses Werkes entdeckte, war meine Neugierde geweckt. Und tatsächlich bin ich nicht enttäuscht worden.
„Vom magischen Leuchten des Glühwürmchens bei Mitternacht“ ist in die vier Jahreszeiten gegliedert, was ich als sehr gelungen empfunden habe. Da ich immer wieder auf Faszinierendes stieß, das ich selber auch unbedingt erleben, erforschen oder ausprobieren möchte, konnte ich mir eine Liste für das kommende Jahr erstellen. Beispielsweise das Anlocken von Glühwürmchen werde ich auf jeden Fall ausprobieren und freue mich jetzt schon darauf. Aber auch jedes andere Kapitel hat viel zu bieten. Insgesamt war ich überrascht, was alles verborgen in der Natur vorgeht. Sy Montgomery macht aufmerksam, weckt das Interesse und zeigt auch die Schönheit unterschätzer Tiere und Pflanzen wie Mücken oder Flechten. Sehr ansprechend war für mich zudem das Kapitel zur Wald- und Wiesenküche.
Bei diesem Werk handelt es sich um ein Füllhorn an Ideen, das Seite für Seite ins Staunen versetzt. Darüber hinaus ist der Schreibstil wunderbar gelungen: Mit reichlich Humor und spürbarer Begeisterung für das Thema, liest sich das Buch sehr angenehm. Was mich außerdem begeistern konnte ist, wie viel ich bei der Lektüre habe dazulernen können. Des Weiteren merkt man beim Lesen, wie viel Mühe in dieses Werk geflossen ist: Zahlreiche Forscher werden zitiert, vieles wird verständlich erklärt und die Illustrationen von Tine Pagenberg sind ebenfalls sehr schön.

„Der geneigte Leser möge beurteilen, ob sich darin eher Reste patriarchalischen Verhaltens finden lassen oder erste Anzeichen eines neuen sensiblen Männerbildes“ (S. 78). Wer ganz neue Blickwinkel auf die Natur kennenlernen, ins Staunen und zum Schmunzeln gebracht werden; wer mit kleinen Projekten Kindern und Jugendlichen wie auch sich selbst die Natur näher bringen und sie hautnah erlebbar machen möchte, wird an diesem Werk große Freude haben. Die 45 kleinen Geschichten eignen sich bestens dazu, sie immer wieder zu lesen. Mir hat das wunderschöne Buch ausgesprochen gut gefallen und mich den vielen Wundern der Natur näher gebracht.
Gerne würde ich diesem besonderen Werk mehr als 5 Sterne vergeben – sicherlich wird dies nicht mein letztes Buch der Autorin gewesen sein.

[Casseroll · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great info on local animals in North America. Makes me want to go outside and find the local wildlife in different seasons.

[Kendra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this as a slow-but-steady, savoring only one or two essays each morning. Had I not been pacing myself, I would flown through this. It was a special sort of magic to be so immersed in the wonders of the natural world. A perfect read for my #oneword2023, which is curiosity.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Montgomery is clearly a knowledgeable naturalist and writes in a smooth and enjoyable style. This book is actually a reprinted collection of columns she wrote for the Boston Globe. They are arranged more or less by month from Jan. to Dec. and, I assume, that is when the actual columns were published. It is a trifle confusing to read about how we may find natural events will be occuring at this time when reading a December column years later in August with no hint that the page was written for the dead of winter in New England.
If that seems nitpicking, that's because it is. Once I figured out why Sy and I were on a different calendar sequence, I could read on with enjoyment.
For the curious naturalist at any level, this book is full of information and pleasure!

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short essays (3-6 pp each), organized by season, about the natural world of plants, animals, weather, soil, underwater life, and so on. Some of the essays felt like they ended abruptly,  but most were interesting and informative with an easy-to-read style. My favourites were those on lightning, skunks, beavers, and geology.

[k · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Sy Montgomery. I am in awe of and grateful to be a part of this wild and natural mystery. This is a fun and easy montage to return to throughout the seasons.

[Lea · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars - Read this slowly, sat on my nightstand. More for the northeastern naturalist, this is a collection of essays by the seasons. I learned quite a few things and earmarked some favorites - and haven’t looked at flies the same way.

Definitely could have used a proofread, lots of missing quotation marks.

[Tricia]

I read the essays in the Spring section and found it to be rather humdrum. Didn't learn much new. Don't need to continue.

[Sabra Kurth · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much to observe.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative and delightful!