The Song of Trees by David Haskell

Summary (Amazon): David Haskell has won acclaim for eloquent writing and deep engagement with the natural world. Now, he brings his powers of observation to the biological networks that surround all species, including humans. Haskell repeatedly visits a dozen trees, exploring  connections with people, microbes, fungi, and other plants and animals. He takes us to  trees in cities (from Manhattan to Jerusalem), forests (Amazonian, North American, and boreal) and areas on the front lines of environmental change (eroding coastlines, burned mountainsides, and war zones.)  In each place he shows how human history, ecology, and well-being are intimately intertwined with the lives of trees.
 
Scientific, lyrical, and contemplative, Haskell reveals the biological connections that underpin all life.  In a world beset by barriers, he reminds us that life’s substance and beauty emerge from relationship and interdependence.

Reviews:

Videos:

1. Listening to Trees: Alex Metcalf: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AtcQL7bIHc

2. TED Talk: Trees, People and Interconnection: We're All Made from Relationships: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ILCendITgM

3. Stories Happen in the Forest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4bpKHfWhAk

4. Nature Moments: The Song of Trees: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e28IYTONXdY

5. National Geographic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kHZ0a_6TxY

6. BBC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWOqeyPIVRo

(Ceibo, Ecuador)

Reviews:

1. The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/04/trees-have-their-own-songs/521742/

2. The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/jul/07/songs-of-trees-david-george-haskell-review

(wikipedia - Red-bellied Woodpecker)

Interviews: 

1. NPR: https://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2017/04/04/522011396/the-key-to-life-is-the-network

2. Outside Magazine: https://www.outsideonline.com/2167116/david-haskell-speaks-trees

3. 360 Yale: https://e360.yale.edu/features/how-listening-to-trees-can-help-reveal-natures-connections

Author's Site: https://dghaskell.com/

(Sabal palms on Catherine Island from Author)

Discussion Questions: (This will include last month's book, Buzz, Sting, Bite and also Haskell's book for our discussion due to the pandemic and change of format. We will be meeting via Zoom - if you are interested in participating, please make a comment below for an invitation to join in. If you are a member, you should have received an invitation via email.)

After reading Buzz, Sting, Bite, which facts and stories surprised you and how did they change your perspective about insects?

As described in both books, humans are having major impacts on every aspect of life on earth. Discuss how these changes affect both insects as well as trees including, excess light, insecticides, climate change, plastics, salt, etc.

Haskell emphasizes that life is about relationships and a living network, but that there are tensions that exist between them. Discuss the human relationship with “nature” as well as reflecting on your own concept of what nature means to you. (See pp. viii, 179, 186)

In the Songs of Trees, which stories resonated with you and why?

We read The Forest Unseen by Haskell previously, and this is the second “Haskell” reading for our group. Discuss his style and organization of this book. Are there any excerpts that you especially liked or not? Which book did you like more?

Which aspects of the world are you attuned to and tickle your senses? (see page 191-)

(mnn.com)

Buzz, Sting, Bite: Why We Need Insect by A. Sverdrup-Thygeson

Summary: (Amazon) Insects comprise roughly half of the animal kingdom. They live everywhere—deep inside caves, 18,000 feet high in the Himalayas, inside computers, in Yellowstone’s hot springs, and in the ears and nostrils of much larger creatures. There are insects that have ears on their knees, eyes on their penises, and tongues under their feet. Most of us think life would be better without bugs. In fact, life would be impossible without them.

Most of us know that we would not have honey without honeybees, but without the pinhead-sized chocolate midge, cocoa flowers would not pollinate. No cocoa, no chocolate. The ink that was used to write the Declaration of Independence was derived from galls on oak trees, which are induced by a small wasp. The fruit fly was essential to medical and biological research experiments that resulted in six Nobel prizes. Blowfly larva can clean difficult wounds; flour beetle larva can digest plastic; several species of insects have been essential to the development of antibiotics. Insects turn dead plants and animals into soil. They pollinate flowers, including crops that we depend on. They provide food for other animals, such as birds and bats. They control organisms that are harmful to humans. Life as we know it depends on these small creatures.

With ecologist Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson as our capable, entertaining guide into the insect world, we’ll learn that there is more variety among insects than we can even imagine and the more you learn about insects, the more fascinating they become.

(NY Times)

Reviews:

1. Kirkus Review: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/anne-sverdrup-thygeson/buzz-sting-bite/

2. NY Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/15/books/review/mosquito-timothy-winegard-buzz-sting-bite-anne-sverdup-thygeson.html

3. Video review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCCfzOuxeAQ

Interviews:

NPR: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/07/29/746205720/bugged-by-insects-buzz-sting-bite-makes-the-case-for-6-legged-friends

Publisher and Author information: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Buzz-Sting-Bite/Anne-Sverdrup-Thygeson/9781982112875

Author's Site (in English): https://www.nmbu.no/fakultet/mina/forskning/prosjekter/anne-sverdrup-thygeson/anne/in-english

Videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPUoDnnk54E

Online Course: Bugs 101: https://www.coursera.org/learn/bugs-101

Discussion Questions: Discussion cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

(science.aardnews.com)