The Wood for the Trees: One Man's Long View of Nature

After retiring as a museum paleontologist, Richard Fortey returned to his childhood passion for natural history, purchased a 4-acre wooded tract in his beloved Chiltern Hills near his home of Henley-on-Thames, and set about learning everything he could about it--be it ecological or historical or somewhere inbetween. Given that this is in the Midlands, every square inch of the landscape is saturated with history, going way back to at least the Iron Age. This is a veddy, veddy English book, filled with words like "bodger" and "fiddly." Most of the organisms referred to are unfamiliar to Americans, though some have close relatives here. Some, like the dormouse, are probably familiar on the page but not in the flesh. Fully grasping his narratives, which at times verge on the poetic, is a challenging assignment on this side of the pond.There is a precedent for this book which Fortey does not mention and almost surely does not know, and it is as American as his book is English. It's "A Lot of Insects: Entomology in a Suburban Garden," published in 1941 by Frank E. Lutz and quite hard to find today. Lutz was the curator of entomology at the American Museum of Natural History in New York and the author of "Field Book of Insects" (1938), keyed to the Mid-Atlantic fauna but used by about three generations of amateur entomologists way beyond that range; it was my Bible from junior high school onward. Like Fortey, Lutz was a gifted and entertaining writer, if not quite so tinged with romanticism and nostalgia. He purchased a suburban tract in New Jersey and set out to do a complete inventory of its insect fauna, an activity that today may seem way ahead of its time. What he found is remarkably rich. One wonders what such a survey would turn up today. As I have noted elsewhere, a terrifyingly large proportion of the Philadelphia-area butterfly fauna I knew before the mid-1960s seems to be gone from entire counties now.Fortey mentions the astonishing productivity of the Dipterist C.P. Alexander. I have a letter from Alexander from 1978 in which he talks about his habit of coining amusing or double-entendre scientific names for insects. This activity has such a rich history that the drafters of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature felt it necessary to include as a non-binding "Recommendation" an admonition against it! This is such a Forteyan detail that he surely would have related it had he known about it. Among his contributions to nomenclature are Chrysops balzaphire, which has a red abdomen; Stenotabanus rhizonshine, and Tabanus nippontucki. Who says taxonomy is dull?Read Fortey's book if a close look at the English countryside is your cup of Earl Grey tea. If not, have a Pepsi instead and find a copy of Lutz.

Richard Forte is a wonderful writer: clear, direct, humorous, literate. He brings his yeas as a scientist at the National Museum of London (aka the British Museum) to bear on learning about the history, geology, and biology of the ancient woods around his home in the Chiltern Hills near Henley on the Thames NW of London. The narrative starts in the month of April as spring arrives and his wood becomes alive and proceeds to the end of following March when nature is about to begin the story again. Each chapter covers one month in the evolution of his wood reflecting on its the flora, fauna, & history. The reader learns a lot about all these subjects as Forte enlists colleagues from the National Museum to help him identify and understand the flora & fauna. I suggest reading a complete chapter or chapters rather than stopping in the middle of one and picking up the rest in a later read. I have actually read the book 3 times because I find the "stories" in each chapter so enjoyable. Forte's writing feels like he is talking to you.

A fantastically and sensitively written book about a small piece forested land that is an important part of the author's life. He is a master naturalist and many things were learned by reading this marvelous book. In addition, the historical tapestries that he includes are an added bonus. Highly recommended in this time of uncertainty and materialism.

I heard about this book from a radio review programme, and remembered I'd seen and liked Richard Fortey's TV programmes. The book is written in a very engaging style even for a non-botanist and is thoroughly recommended.

The outlier book in my semiotic studies and a must read for anyone interested in botany and forest life. A glimpse into pastoral ministry for the astute clergy reader.

A wonderful microscopic and macroscopic view of the forest and all its parts down to the very dirt, and the history of England all around it.

This book took me maybe six days to read, spread out over a couple of weeks. Each time, after I put the book down to check the kids' homework or to say hi to my wife, I kept it in the back of my mind to go out into my miniature little eighth of an acre ecosystem here in th East Bay. Then I went and forked over the compost to check out the spiders. Or I sat watching my bird feeders. Or I pruned the Toyon, controlled the goldenrod or thinned the poppies. Hopefully, if you read this book, you will be likewise inspired. Even if all you have is an apartment balcony, I bet you'll plant some milkweed in a pot or hang up a hummingbird feeder. You won't be able to help it.

Great book that takes you on a long walk in the English countryside.

This is a lovely book, we have our own copy and bought this as a gift. The cover is identical, the price on the back identical. But Amazon sent us an inferior print. The photos are black and white, not colour! The typeface is smaller, more white space.Beware. The correct version says Printed by Clays Ltd St Ives plcRubbish version CPI Group UK Ltd, Croydon. Shocking. Amazon of course offer return and refund but some people will buy this and not realise they are being short changed. Beware!

Fascinating and interesting things in especially how it is just as the science of nature it is the curiousness of human. Our instincts which make us sense and follow a passion. Wonderful reading.

This is my sixth Fortey book and as always he is a joy to read. This chap is no dusty old academic whose main mission in life is to bore people to tears but quite the contrary. He writes with enthusiasm and no litter humour. Highly recommended

Interesting and informative book. Well worth reading this insight into woodland management and the woodland environment.

A delightful piece of literature :full of interesting information about English flora and fauna, mixed with our history - trade and industry, transport and aristocracy.