Another book featuring photographs NY Robert Llewellyn, to be savored and appreciated slowly. Maloof's writing is good, too. But it's the photos that will draw me back again and again. ( )

I was attracted to this book because of the photographs - most of my work is made up of similar shots and in some cases, nearly identical ones. Some of the images included are sub-par in my opinion. Not only in comparison to Llewellyn's other work in the book, but to mine. Many of the images are excellent though, particularly the tree bud photos.

If you’re into nature, nature writing and natural history you may find this a pretty simplistic book. It doesn’t use a lot of science jargon and sometimes simplifies things too much. Here’s an example - on p 26 it’s said that the ear tufts on owls are for display. Well, kinda but not really. They are there to break up the owl’s silhouette and keep them hidden...it’s a camouflage strategy not for display in the common sense of the word. Also the writer used the term spore pods for sporophytes and I don't understand why. It's a perfectly acceptable teaching moment.

That said, I did enjoy my time with the book since the authors have the same wonder and appreciation for woodlands that I do. It’s a magical place of peace and intricate harmony for me and I love every minute I get to spend there and am glad my house is basically in the middle of the woods. Here are a few things I learned from this book -

** Box turtles eat may apples - they are the perfect height for them to nosh
** Maple trees have both male and female flowers - the males fall off and the females become samaras (the helicoptery seeds)
** Some species of moth can jam bat sonar!
** Rhododendron leaves can stay on the plant for 6 years before falling off ( )