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Spring is here and the birds are returning. But the roar of the leaf blowers is a big turn-off to our feathered friends:
Right now they’re starting to migrate back in from Central and South America and either coming through or stopping to stay and breed. And if they’re going to a spot where there’s this constant noise, well, why are they going to want to nest there?
We talk with Nancy Lawson about her book, Wildscape: Trilling Chipmunks, Beckoning Blooms, Salty Butterflies, And Other Sensory Wonders Of Nature. It’s about the vibrant web of nature outside our back door—where animals and plants perceive and communicate using marvelous sensory abilities we are only beginning to understand.
Then, a novel links the Pandora myth to a young namesake in Jane Austen’s London — and a mystery that must be solved. Susan Stokes Chapman tells us about Pandora.
What We Are Missing and Messing Up About The Nature Around Us
As Writer’s Voice celebrates Earth Month, we are watching the Earth come alive with the new Spring season. But how much of the wildscape around us do we really appreciate? How much of it can we truly see, hear or smell? And how much of it are we disturbing and suppressing with our heedless pursuit of perfect lawns and gardens filled with fancy exotics?
Naturalist Nancy Lawson’s first book, The Humane Gardener, explored the importance of creating habitats for wildlife in our own backyards by creating diverse ecosystems with pollinator-friendly native plants and other wildlife-friendly practices.
The Five Senses of the WIldscape
Lawson’s new book Wildscape takes us deeper into understanding the secret lives of the animals, insects and plants that surround us.
Lawson takes readers on a fascinating tour of the vibrant web of nature outside our back door—where animals and plants perceive and communicate using marvelous sensory abilities we are only beginning to understand.
Organized into chapters investigating each of their five senses, Lawson’s exploration reveals a remarkable world of interdependent creatures with amazing capabilities.
About the Author
In addition to WIldscape, Nancy Lawson is the author of The Humane Gardener: Nurturing a Backyard Habitat for Wildlife, a habitat consultant, and a national speaker on garden ecology. She founded Humane Gardener to pioneer creative planting strategies and other animal-friendly landscaping methods.
A Turtle In Nancy Lawson’s Garden
The Pandora Myth
The Ancient Greek myth of Pandora is a cautionary tale about the dangers of female curiosity—curiosity that unleashes all the ills that plague Man.
But what if that curiosity is actually a strength? One that expresses the power of female creativity? That’s a theme explored in Susan Stokes Chapman’s novel Pandora.
A historical novel with touches of Gothic horror, good old-fashioned mystery and a fascinating look at the illegal trade in antiquities in London in 1799, Pandora is a cinematic and compelling work of fiction, where the discovery of a mysterious ancient Greek vase sets in motion conspiracies, revelations, and romance.
Susan Stokes-Chapman is a writer based in North Wales. Pandora was first published in the UK in January 2022 and became an instant #1 bestseller. It came out in the US in January from Harper Perennial.