This collection of 78 nature columns, originally written for the online Amherst Independent, explore the flora, fauna, geology, and skies of the Pioneer Valley region of Massachusetts, with a few adventures in wild areas elsewhere. Personal, often humorous, and filled with interesting scientific details, these reports from trails, waterways, and back roads are what happens when a curious mind interacts with the surprising diversity of the local natural world. The nineteenth-century British biologist and anthropologist Thomas Huxley once said, “To a person uninstructed in natural history, his country or sea-side stroll is a walk through a gallery filled with wonderful works of art, nine-tenths of which have their faces turned to the wall.” A Pioneer Valley Almanac aims to turn some of those wonderful works of art around for the enjoyment and enchantment of those who prefer to take the roads less traveled by in this storied region.
About the Author Stephen Braun
I am not a professional naturalist, entomologist, mycologist, geologist, or any other kind of highly-trained “ist.” I did once want to be a national park ranger, so I got an associate’s degree in natural resources conservation. But then I became more interested in writing, so I went on to get a degree in journalism. I’ve been a writer of one kind or another ever since.
What I actually am, as it relates to these columns, is a very curious person. I love to explore outdoors, and am constantly noticing things that puzzle me. Whether it’s a pile of bark at the base of a dead tree, a bird making a strange sound, an unusual-looking flower, or an animal behaving in a surprising way, I am often saying to myself (or a companion) “What the heck is that…?”
Back home I look up whatever it was that puzzled me, often discovering, along the way, all sorts of things about the tree, bird, flower, rock, or critter that are amazing…or at least interesting. I like writing about what I’ve learned, and people seem to enjoy reading what comes out when I sit down at the computer. So…voila! I’ve ended up with a pile of these little mystery stories.
