A few months ago, when
packing up books in preparation for a big move, I stumbled upon one of my
favorite childhood reads, Brian Jacques’ 1988 *Mossflower*, part of his
long-running fantasy series, *Redwall*. I turned randomly to one of the
yellowed pages in the middle and read: “*Early morning was enveloped in white
mist. It clung to tree and bush like a gossamer shawl, sparkling with
dewdrops in the promise of a hot sunny day ahead.”*
Well, that was
enough of a hook for me, so I turned back to page one.
There’s something
evocative about Jacques’ brand of nature writing. Yes, *Mossflower* is a
children’s fantasy — with personified mice and ferrets, medieval battle
scenes between good and evil, and a hero’s journey — but, to me at least, the
magic in Mossflower Wood isn’t the talking animals but its everyday nature,
the magic of the place itself. The River Moss flows with life through the
silent and tangled forest canopy. Dewdrops sparkle through the mist. Woodland
inhabitants feast together in their arboreal great halls — their primary
connection to one another is the landscape they all call home. As a kid, and
still today, these scenes helped me recognize the kind of person I wanted to
be and the kind of life I wanted to experience.
The good news is that
this magic of everyday nature doesn’t exist in fantasy literature alone. Five
weeks ago, my wife and I planted a garden at our home in Canada’s Northwest
Territories. I didn’t expect to be harvesting so soon in the season, but I
underestimated the miracle of 20-hour sunlight. (*The kale runneth over! What
am I to do with all this chard?)* Earlier this week, we sat spellbound by
Alexandra Falls on the Hay River, which boomed like the thunderstorm that
greeted us when we arrived home later, and sent shivers down our
spines.
Everyday nature, whether in the garden or in the wilderness, is a
magic that’s very real. Literature is a great place to help us notice it and
be enchanted by it. Now it’s time to cherish it, and even fight for it,
not unlike those woodland creatures in Mossflower Wood. Enchantment may
prove essential in overcoming the ecological crises we
face.
*Austin Price* Contributing Editor, *Earth Island
Journal*
John Oliver is in love with octopuses — yes,
that’s the correct plural spelling for these soft-bodied, eight-limbed,
nine-brained molluscs. And now we are that much more in love with John
Oliver!
This may look cool, but being thrown out of an
airplane isn’t the best experience for baby fish. Utah’s wildlife department
apparently dumps tens of thousands of fry from the air into lakes every year
in an effort to restock the state’s roughly 200 high-elevation, popular
fishing waterbodies that aren’t easily accessible by other
vehicles.