“There is no better place I know
To think of trees in wind and snow
Than here, where embers fall and glow . . .
Trees bewildered now in snow:”
Leigh Buckner Hanes
Wherever you find your joy this season,
wishing you happy holidays.
xo Favorite World Press
FWP Happy, Merry Playlist.
1.5-minute read
“Once upon a midnight dreary,
while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume
of forgotten lore—
While I nodded, nearly napping,
suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping,
rapping at my chamber door—
“‘Tis some visitor,” I muttered,
“tapping at my chamber door—
Only this and nothing more.”
Edgar Allen Poe—The Raven
Of all the things that go bump in the night, what is the most hair-raising horror you can imagine tapping at your door this Halloween? A horde of zombies? A pack of werewolves? A coven of vampires? A gaggle of hobgoblins? Or—gulp—all of the above.
There’s no doubt that a spooky-season visit from creatures of the underworld would be pretty darn scary (especially those zombies). Do you know what’s even scarier? The year-round global impacts of climate change. And one of the greatest contributors to climate change is deforestation. Approximately 18% of global heating is caused by the loss of trees. That exceeds the CO2 emissions created by the entire transport sector.
We have two solutions to cool a rapidly warming planet—reduce emissions, or capture the CO2 already released into the atmosphere. But lowering emissions is not happening fast enough. In fact, atmospheric CO2 reached record-high levels in 2021. While other carbon capture systems are being developed, right now reforestation is by far the most efficient and affordable solution. It is considered essential to keeping the global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.
In addition to helping to combat climate change, planting trees addresses other major planetary perils, including pollution, species extinction, desertification, floods, poverty, and malnutrition. Trees remove toxins from our air, purify our rivers and water sources, serve as habitats for millions of species, bring revenue to local populations, and help us get food, fodder, and medicine.
Trees offer so many benefits for people and the environment that planting them is a no-brainer. Sorry, zombies. That’s why we’ve partnered with Tree-Nation to plant one tree for every print or e-book that we sell. Tree-Nation is committed to planting 1 trillion trees by 2050, and we’re glad to have the opportunity to pitch in and help with the transition to a sustainable future.
You can learn more about forests and the benefits of planting trees right here.
As always, thank you for reading with us, thank you for planting with us.
Happy Halloween!
FWP – No tricks—just trees.
Autumn is a second spring
when every leaf is a flower
– Albert Camus –
The leaves are in bloom!
Wishing you all of the brilliant
colors of the splendid season.
2-minute read
Octopuses, dolphins, and whales. Oh, my!
It’s fair to say that wall-to-wall, bumper-to-bumper modern-day Manhattan would never be mistaken for a wild kingdom. Although the city island that is notoriously short on elbow room once had enough roaming room to accommodate the same number of animal species that occupy the 3,741 square miles of Yellowstone National Park, Gothamites now think of nature with a capital “N” as just about anywhere but here.
While we don’t have the spare acreage to recreate a wilderness area on Wall Street or a savanna in Central Park, there’s still enough space offshore for some of the planet’s most charismatic creatures. Just 100 miles southeast of the Statue of Liberty, extending out 350 miles, is one of the largest deep-sea canyons in the world.
Rivaling the scale of the Grand Canyon, everyone’s favorite massive gorge, and 10,500 feet below sea level at its deepest point, the Hudson Canyon is home to hundreds of species of magnificent marine animals—octopuses, squid, sharks, corals, endangered sea turtles, whales, and dolphins to name a precious few. An ecological hotspot a boat ride away from the most densely populated urban area in the United States—who knew?
Now, thanks to the efforts of the good people at the Wildlife Conservation Society and planet-appreciating citizens across the country, the 10,000-year-old canyon is in the final stages of NOAA designation as a National Marine Sanctuary. At a time when both humans and wildlife struggle to adapt to rapid environmental change, the sanctuary designation will create another much needed permanent haven for marine animals that also supports the livelihoods of local communities.
There are currently 15 National Marine Sanctuaries in the NOAA network dedicated to conserving unique and valuable marine ecosystems as well as economic, cultural, and historical resources. You can read all about them and find out how to help here.
ICYMI Nature News
Your Ant Allotment
Scientists have finished tallying the number of ants on Earth—ant, ant—ant, ant, ant—and the estimated number is… 20 quadrillion. That’s 2.5 million ants for every person on the planet. Whoa, we are seriously outnumbered. Sleep with one eye open.
Sneezing Sponges
Did you know that sea sponges can sneeze? Did you even know that sea sponges have the equivalent of a nose—or should we say noses? Well, they can, and they do. Behold a sneezing sponge. Gesundheit!
Spiders Go Electric
Researchers have finally discovered the secret to long-distance spider travel. It seems that our multi-legged friends can harness the energy of Earth’s electric field to get where they need to go without the benefit of wings or charging stations.
Avian Art, Awe, and Action
The Audubon has invited artists to reimagine the artwork of John James Audubon in their own unique style. You can awe-scroll the aviary here.
Walk the Walk for Wildlife
Would you like to make a commitment to conservation that’s also good for your health? Throughout October, you can contribute to the protection of the world’s amazing animals and wild places by joining the World Wildlife Fund Species Step Challenge. Take on either 5,000 or 10,000 steps a day to help secure a future for people, wildlife, and the planet. Sign up to walk the walk with WWF here.
Road Trip Reminder
It’s officially autumn—the time of year when many of our national parks reach peak splendor. If you’re tempted to hit the highway for a dose of leaf peeping, it just so happens that Saturday, September 24, every park in the U.S. is free. Check this list for a beauty spot near you and go, go, go!
Happy trails!
Lyrical words to decorate your headspace from William Cullen Bryant.
The Gladness of Nature
“Is this a time to be cloudy and sad,
When our mother Nature laughs around;
When even the deep blue heavens look glad,
And gladness breathes from the blossoming ground?”
“There are notes of joy from the hang-bird and wren,
And the gossip of swallows through all the sky;
The ground-squirrel gaily chirps by his den,
And the wilding bee hums merrily by.”
“The clouds are at play in the azure space
And their shadows at play on the bright-green vale,
And here they stretch to the frolic chase,
And there they roll on the easy gale.”
“There’s a dance of leaves in that aspen bower,
There’s a titter of winds in that beechen tree,
There’s a smile on the fruit, and a smile on the flower,
And a laugh from the brook that runs to the sea.”
“And look at the broad-faced sun, how he smiles
On the dewy earth that smiles in his ray,
On the leaping waters and gay young isles;
Ay, look, and he’ll smile thy gloom away.”
From The Sense of Wonder
& Silent Spring
“Those who contemplate
the beauty of the earth
find reserves of strength
that will endure
as long as life lasts.”
“The more clearly we can focus
our attention on the wonders
and realities of the universe
about us,
the less taste we shall have
for destruction.”
Rachel Carson
Answer July
Answer July—
Where is the Bee—
Where is the Blush—
Where is the Hay?
Ah, said July—
Where is the Seed—
Where is the Bud—
Where is the May—
Answer Thee—Me—
Nay—said the May—
Show me the Snow—
Show me the Bells—
Show me the Jay!
Quibbled the Jay—
Where be the Maize—
Where be the Haze—
Where be the Bur?
Here—said the Year—
Emily Dickinson
To make myself understood
and to diminish the distance between us,
I called out: “I am an evening cloud too.”
They stopped still,
evidently taking a good look at me.
Then they stretched towards me
their fine transparent, rosy wings.
That is how evening clouds greet each other.
They had recognized me.
Rainer Maria Rilke
“A Light exists in Spring
Not present on the Year
At any other period —
When March is scarcely here.”
Emily Dickinson
Today marks the vernal equinox.
The sun will be exactly above the equator.
The darkness will equal the light.
Tomorrow the light wins.
Welcome spring.
Welcome the season of hope and resilience.
From The Owl, by Louise Driscoll:
If it were not for you and your long cry
I might forget
How very old the world is, and how long
Song after song
Has gone like a silver arrow toward the light
Tinted with rose and purple at the breaking
Of the day and night.
Did you know that
the endearing, heart-shaped face of the barn owl
helps the nocturnal bird
to pick-up and amplify sounds
as it silently flies
over the night landscape?
For the love of nature
– XO –
LSF • WW • FWP
“Kindness is contagious. Pass it on.”
April 26, 1785 – January 27, 1851
Graveyard at the Church of the Intercession in the Trinity Church Cemetery and Mausoleum at 155th Street and Broadway.
Yeah, okay, but can you do this?
100 blog posts = sparklers + cake mountain!
Strenuously exercising on the inside!
“It’s going to be alright!”
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