The author of this new book is absolutely a kindred spirit
for me. This is a collection of urban nature essays that remind you that nature
is right outside our door. I first heard of Jo Brichetto’s Sidewalk Nature blog from my friend Gail
in Nashville, TN. Subtitled “Everyday wonders in everyday habitat loss,” my own
experiences in Georgia can validate what she is experiencing just 4 hours north
of me.
The stories of her exploring nature at baseball fields while
her child played (I mean, you might as well, right?); shouting out findings to anyone
with her (“Coopers hawk!”); getting excited that someone was taking a picture
of a hackberry (“That man sees that
tree!”); all of these are my same types of ups and downs (he didn’t see that tree after all) that
come with living in urban nature.
This collection of essays is grouped by season but they are
perfect for anytime. If you’re a Southerner, you’ll enjoy her easy conversational
style, sprinkled with the expressions we all grew up with (and if not, you’ll
be amused by them at least). Most importantly, these are stories of someone
living with nature every day: in every walk and car ride; with every sound, smell,
and wayward leaf; and sharing it as much as possible with those who will listen
… and learn.
In the catalpa story in the spring section, we discover
someone did listen (and those rewards
keep us all going). I’ll let you read about that yourself but leave you
with her delightful description of the flowers:
“Catalpa blooms such blooms.
Big, frilly, and so exotic I’d never buy them if they were in a flower shop,
which they aren’t, and if I bought cut flowers, which I don’t. They look like
some made-up tropical thing on a sunscreen bottle, but catalpa is a native
tree. They are as Nashville as Osage orange or black locust, and nearly as
redneck as a hackberry.”
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| Catalpa speciosa |
