Summary (from Bookslut: http://www.bookslut.com/nonfiction/2009_05_014542.php)
Summer World is a celebration of the warm seasons from chlorophyll and foliation to abscisic acid and fall. It’s a study of life and its adaptations, including mosses and larches, beetles and butterflies, grackles and phoebes. Like the book’s 2003 companion, Winter World, it is a survey, constructing a mosaic from snapshots, discussions, and investigations. It reads like a collection of themed essays on evolution and adaptation. Memories and observations culled from decades of the author’s journals lead to brief reflections on the methods of nature and the state of natural science today.
Reviews:
NY Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/31/books/review/Royte-t.html
Kirkus Review: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/bernd-heinrich/summer-world/
Mud daubers and spiders
Birds and Hornets Building Nests:
1. Thrush: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnRMx2yzMiw
3. Hummingbird: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aupSOndl7W0
4. Bald Faced Hornet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsihnTKAzuE
What's inside a Bald Faced Hornet's Nest and Yellow Jacket Nest Video:
Can you spot the caterpillar? and ID:
Interview on PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/bernd-heinrich-pcroyb/
Author's Blog: The Naturalist's Notebook: http://www.thenaturalistsnotebook.com/books-by-bernd
Cowbird's egg in a Phoebe nest
Videos:
Sapsucker Lick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yxwio7uDA0
Wood Frog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLPeehsXAr4
Caterpillar ID: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYxmLd7BMOg
Welwitschia Plant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVLACJsoGjk
1. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/22/smarter-living/green-funeral-burial-environment.html
2. https://www.greenburialcouncil.org/green_burial_defined.html
3. https://www.lhlic.com/consumer-resources/green-burial/
4. A death doula organization for training and information with a large directory
5. Intro to what death doulas are
6. What deathbed planning is
7. A video of a natural/green burial for those that are curious to see what it is like
https://vimeo.com/328070466/
8. Cremation Tree Pods: https://www.thelivingurn.com/pages/product
8. Cremation Tree Pods: https://www.thelivingurn.com/pages/product
Discussion Questions: (Discussion to be lead by Heidi via Zoom. Please see your email for the Zoom Invite)
1. What are signs that mark the summer season for you? (p. 8-)
2. Heinrich discovers and also realizes many unique relationships and interconnections that exist between animals. Discuss, these including paper wasps and Vireos (p. 64), Mud Daubers and spiders (p. 70-), bird nesting materials (p. 69), blue azure butterfly and ants (p. 78-), sapsuckers and hummingbirds (p. 146-), etc.
3. Here in the Northern Hemisphere, our world is shaped by the changing seasons, each with its unique events and impact. In Summer World, Heinrich explores and questions various observations he makes in his wanderings. What have you encountered yourself during the summer that gave you pause?
4. Discuss the impact of heat on organisms from color, developmental patterns, (p. 98-), thermal warrior strategies, (p. 171-), cicadas, etc.
5. Discuss the checks and balances of predator and parasites in controlling populations from the wasp and moth to cowbird and phoebe, etc. (p. 54-, 112-113, etc.
6. Which observations and stories did you especially find interesting (handling hornets, wood frogs, caterpillars, moths, beetles, moss, human nakedness, etc.)?
7. Discuss burial traditions and what are your thoughts?
8. Written over 10 years ago, Heinrich address climate change a number of times and has an afterword as well, titled, “A World of Permanent Summer”. What are the issues that he discusses?
Moth drawings from Heinrich
