Geek out with me about critters and plants on a mountaintop in Virginia. I’ll share what I’m learning as I try to bring native plants back on 200 acres of old farmland and tell stories from my encounters on the mountain.

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In this issue

• Book update: reviews & events

• Field notes: Flickers in the grass

• Signs of life: Footprints in the snow

• Recommended listening

• Questions for YOU

• The Official Mountain Poodle

Bad Naturalist the Book is almost here!!

After working on Bad Naturalist for 3 years, it’s hard to believe that it’s really almost here! By the time I write my January newsletter, the book will already be out in the world—and it’s already getting great early reviews!

Publishers Weekly says:

Isabella Tree’s book was a major inspiration for me, so I’m jazzed about that mention.

Washington Gardener magazine says:

Events! Events! Events!

I may be coming soon to a place near you to talk about BAD NATURALIST. If you’re nearby, I hope you’ll come out and say hello! More events are still being scheduled, so please check my website for the latest details. If you don’t see your city or town on this list yet, please reach out, and I’ll see what I can do to get there!

New Dominion Bookshop, in conversation with Adam Nemett. 404 East Main St., Charlottesville, VA. Saturday, January 11 at 4pm.

Politics & Prose Bookstore, in conversation with Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank. 5015 Connecticut Ave., NW, Washington, DC. Tuesday, January 14 at 7pm.

Oak Spring Garden Foundation with Middleburg Books, in conversation with Charlotte Lorick, Oak Spring’s Head of Biodiversity Conservation. Oak Spring Garden Granary, 8614 Mill Reef Rd., Upperville, VA 20117. Thursday, January 16 at 4:30pm. RSVP/ticket required.

Birch Tree Bookstore in conversation with Julie Borneman, 11 West Market Street, 1st floor, Leesburg, VA. Friday, January 24 at 6:30pm. RSVP/ticket required.

Rappahannock County Library, in conversation with former Washington Post ombudsman and Foothills Forum Board Chair Andy Alexander. Sponsored by Rapp-at-Home and RAAC. 4 Library Rd., Washington, VA. Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 7pm.

Porter Square Books in conversation with Laura Zigman. 1815 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA. Tuesday, March 11 at 7pm.

The Nature of Reading Bookshop with the Madison Environmental Commission. Museum of Early Trades and Crafts Education Annex, 23 Main St., Madison, NJ. Thursday, March 13. [more details TK]

Listen in!

I’ll be a guest on a number of live radio shows in January:

Front Porch Radio, KFRM, 550 AM Farm Radio, Midwest. Monday, Jan. 6 at 2:30pm Central.

The Lifestyles Show, Talk Radio Europe (based in Spain). Tuesday, Jan. 7 between 2 and 4pm, CET (Central European Time).

The Donna Seebo Show, out on Tues. Jan. 7, 8-9pm Pacific. (This is also a podcast, so the recording will be available after the air date as well.)

Ron Van Dam Show, New England Broadcasting. Wed. Jan. 8 at 8am EST

The Dave Nemo Show, Sirius XM channel 146, Sunday, Jan. 12, 9-9:30am EST

The Valder Beebe Show, KKVI 98.3 radio, Dallas/Fort Worth. Mon. Jan 13, 9:45am Central.

The Morning Show with Marcia Macomber, KSVY 91.3 radio, Sonoma, CA. Mon. Jan. 20, 9am Pacific.

I’m also a guest on a number of podcasts that will drop in January. As soon as I have those episode links, I’ll share them in the newsletter, on social media, and on my website. Please watch my website event page, or my Instagram or Bluesky feeds for details.

Just a reminder that I love talking with readers. Feel free to contact me through my website contact page with questions or if you’d like me to visit your book club.

And now, news from the mountain!

Field notes

Fogbound

I called this issue “fogbound” because there have been an unusual number of dense fog days up here on the mountain. It was so foggy that one night when we were scheduled to meet friends for dinner, we couldn’t even see to get the truck out of the garage, much less down the mountain road. Instead, we walked down the steep road—about ¾ mile—to where visibility was reasonable, and our friends went out of their way to pick us up. (Thank you, Mike and Joyce!) This is true mountain living!

Apparently, it’s hard for meteorologists to predict fog: the causes are just not well understood, and fog is very localized, whereas weather predictions are usually the made using data and observations over larger areas. Plus, the basic data that’s normally gathered for weather prediction doesn’t include all of the elements that would be needed to predict fog. But there are studies underway, including a project called “Cold Fog Amongst Complex Terrain, or CFACT” that are attempting to, um, clear things up.

Here’s a taste of what the mountain looks like in fog, although that night it was even thicker; I couldn’t see the path or the ghostly outlines of the trees; it was like standing inside of a cloud.

Flickers in the Grass

On clear, cold mornings, when I can see what’s going on, I’ve noticed a regular gathering of flickers in the field outside of my window. In the suburbs, I’ve only seen these birds one at a time. But here, there are always at least five or six of them. They’ll peck around on the ground and then fly up to the branches of the nearest cherry tree to confer.

Flickers are a type of woodpecker, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen one doing what I think of as standard woodpecker behavior, that is, climbing along a tree trunk and stopping to drill for insects along the way. Instead, I always see them on the ground.

I was researching flickers when I came across a forum in which a reader complained that the birds were “digging holes in the lawn.” After acknowledging that they were probably eating insects, a respondent recommended applying “a heavy rate of Sevin insecticide on the lawn, water it in, and it should take care of the [insect] problem” — at which I nearly had a heart attack. If birds are eating insects on your lawn, they’re providing a free service to you, helping to keep insects in check. They’re feeding themselves while playing their part, supporting balance in the ecosystem. (I have to think that person works for a lawn company.) A commenter on the same forum suggests adding a bird feeder, but flickers aren’t big customers at bird feeders. Unlike most woodpeckers, they focus on ants and beetles, which is why you’re likely to spot them on the ground.

The northern flicker can be seen in Virginia, and many other parts of North America, year-round, although unlike most woodpeckers flickers will migrate when it’s cold. The bird is about a foot long, with black spots on its cheeks, a black “bib,” a red splotch on the back of its head, and a white spot on its rump, which is easy to see when the bird is in flight. Apparently they got their name from European colonists who noted the way the colors of their feathers seemed to “flicker” in flight—the white rump and the yellow underside of their wings disappearing and reappearing as the bird flaps its wings. The Western variety of the northern flicker has red cheeks rather than black. The bird’s call reminds me a little of a high-pitched monkey whoop.

Like other woodpeckers, flickers will hammer loudly on metal objects—not because they think they’ll find bugs in your siding, but to communicate and to attract a mate. Apparently, the louder the better. According to the Cornell Lab website, a flicker in Wyoming was heard “hammering on an abandoned tractor” from a half-mile away. Something to look forward to in spring, on my metal roof, I guess.

Signs of Life

Footprints in the snow

One of my favorite things to do after a snow is look for animal tracks. There was recently a perfect snow for this purpose, because it was only a thin layer, and any footfall would reveal the dark ground below, making it easier to see the shapes of the various tracks. One small area, just a few feet across, proved to be a busy animal crossing. I found deer, squirrel, and rabbit tracks there, along with the tracks in the images below.

I wasn’t too surprised to see these raccoon prints. I’d seen them before, by the tiny frog pond. One night, I saw the animal itself lumbering past our front door.

This bobcat print also didn’t surprise me, since I’ve seen plenty of bobcat action on our trail cam. I couldn’t help wondering how much time passed between the rabbit’s crossing and the bobcat’s appearance.

At first it didn’t register that these were turkey prints. I didn’t expect them to be so large. It appears that the birds were having a meeting, but maybe it was only one bird, crossing over its own tracks. (My boot is there for scale).

Recommended Listening

The podcast Writer’s Voice, hosted by Francesca Rheannon, features writers and their books, and often the episodes focus on topics that are nature- or conservation-oriented, like the one featuring yours truly… (I’ll be appearing on the podcast sometime in January; details to come.) I especially enjoyed the episode featuring Olivia Laing, who discussed her recent book, The Garden Against Time, as well as an episode focused on eels. Eels, it turns out are fascinating, and they’re threatened in part because they’ve become a valued commodity in an unusual black market. Eels! Who knew? On the podcast, author Ellen Ruppel Shell discusses her book Slippery Beasts: A True Crime Natural History with Eels. I can’t wait to read it.

What’s happening in your neck of the woods?

Tell me where you are and what you see this month, in a park near where you live, or in your own yard or window box. Send me a photo, if you like.

And don’t forget to tell me about your favorite nature-related book or podcast.

The Official Mountain Poodle

Cleo is sporting blaze orange this month, because we are well into deer season, and I wouldn’t want her mistaken for a deer; she is after all a graceful leaper. Here she’s seen against a field of yellow crownbeard, in a rare dignified moment looking rather like she’s posing for a portrait.

Now’s a good time to subscribe for more mountain discoveries, book news, and the requisite poodle photos.

Thanks for joining me on the mountain!

Until next month—

Paula W.

Bad Naturalist: One Woman’s Ecological Education on a Wild Virginia Mountaintop

Coming January 7, 2025 from Timber Press/Hachette Book Group

Remember, you can…