Skip to main content

Wild Hares & Hummingbirds by Stephen Moss: book review



 

Wild Hares and Hummingbirds: The Natural History of an English Village (2012) is about the author’s home town in the ancient West Country of England in the Somerset Levels, the home of King Arthur in medieval times. This is about village life, its nature, and the wildlife that lives in his garden and surrounding environment. 

 

The book is divided into the months of the year, beginning with snow in January. He tells of birds, insects, reptiles, and mammals—most in hibernation at this time of year. Weather plays a large part in this book, with the changing seasons and the unseasonal changes. As does the metamorphosis of insects, the reproduction of animals, the growth of the young, and their demise. 

 

As the months pass and the year unfolds, readers can visualize the landscape and the integral life of everything that lives within it. Here and there, a poem appears, to enrich the narrative. Colours are described in relation to the sunlight or shadow, in all their softness and brightness, from camouflage to displays of ‘look-at-me’ attention seeking. 

 

Set amid the history of the location, the local events, and the author’s ambllng walks among the criss-crossing paths in his village, it is a gentle stroll through a patch of land that he loves. Ancient and modern roads run side by side. A lone hot-air balloon contrasts with the jets descending to the nearby Bristol airport. Visitors mix with locals, just as migrant birds mix with residential birds. 

 

There are symbols of longevity and long life, such as the towering yew trees, and the brevity of a flower or an insect. There are mesmerising episodes, such as birds at the author’s bird-feeders outside his kitchen window, juxtaposed with the natural brutality of animal-eat-animal, and the reality of human encroachment. 

 

What Moss reveals is the richness of the diversity of flora and fauna, including his favourite brown hares and hummingbird hawk-moths. The white snow of winter and the heat haze of summer—the four seasons, and the twelve months provide a variety of sights in each chapter. 

 

The writing is as evocative as the landscape, rich in its descriptions and fascinating in its scientific knowledge. It is a delightful blend of bird and beast, and the beauty of science.   











<iframe style="width:120px;height:240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=f0777-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0224086723&asins=0224086723&linkId=38486624d86c8b515e784b871d3a76c4&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true"></iframe>

 

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases



MARTINA NICOLLS

Website

Publications

Facebook

Paris Website

Animal Website

SUBSCRIBE TO MARTINA NICOLLS FOR NEWS AND UPDATES 

 

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author  of: The Paris Residences of James Joyce  (2020), Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

 

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pir-E-Kamil - The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed: book review

The Perfect Mentor pbuh  (2011) is set in Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan. The novel commences with Imama Mubeen in medical university. She wants to be an eye specialist. Her parents have arranged for her to marry her first cousin Asjad. Salar Sikander, her neighbour, is 18 years old with an IQ of 150+ and a photographic memory. He has long hair tied in a ponytail. He imbibes alcohol, treats women disrespectfully and is generally a “weird chap” and a rude, belligerent teenager. In the past three years he has tried to commit suicide three times. He tries again. Imama and her brother, Waseem, answer the servant’s call to help Salar. They stop the bleeding from his wrist and save his life. Imama and Asjad have been engaged for three years, because she wants to finish her studies first. Imama is really delaying her marriage to Asjad because she loves Jalal Ansar. She proposes to him and he says yes. But he knows his parents won’t agree, nor will Imama’s parents. ...
1 comment
Read more

The acacia thorn trees of Kenya

There are nearly 800 species of acacia trees in the world, and most don’t have thorns. The famous "whistling thorn tree" and the Umbrella Thorn tree of Kenya are species of acacia that do have thorns, or spines. Giraffes and other herbivores normally eat thorny acacia foliage, but leave the whistling thorn alone. Usually spines are no deterrent to giraffes. Their long tongues are adapted to strip the leaves from the branches despite the thorns. The thorny acacia like dry and hot conditions. The thorns typically occur in pairs and are 5-8 centimetres (2-3 inches) long. Spines can be straight or curved depending on the species. MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Suda...
1 comment
Read more

Shindi: the Georgian Cornelian cherry

The Cornelian cherry – shindi in Georgian – is a fruit with medicinal and decorative properties. It was grown from ancient times, according to the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS). It is also commonly called the European cornel. It is native to southern Europe from France to Ukraine as well as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Turkey, Israel, Lebanon, and Syria. The Cornelian cherry tree ( Cornus mas ) can be grown in orchards, but it is often seen in the forests of Georgia where it grows up to 1,350 metres above sea level. It is a medium to large deciduous tree, growing from 5-12 metres tall. The flowers are small with four yellow petals in clusters, which flower in February and March. The Cornus mas has three botanical varieties: (1) var. typica Sanadze with cylindrical red fruits, (2) var. pyriformis Sanadze with pear-shaped red fruits, and (3) var. flava vest with yellow fruits. The fruits are oblong red drupes about 2 centimetres ...
Post a Comment
Read more