The author celebrates a love of nature and science in this collection of 40 essays and memoirs. They reveal deep curiosity about biology, including our fellow creatures, and his concern for planetary and human health. Not a science book for scientists nor a nature book for naturalists, it is offered to everyone who shares those cares, and not only for information but also for contemplation. Stories are seasoned with humor and quotations from favorite writers and poets. The straight-jacket of academia was cast off for the freedom of writing in a hopeful tone for an anxious age.