New England's Roadside Ecology

This was a thoroughly interesting look at nature's wonders that you can access a short distance from the road. Wessels highlights a handful of locations in each state that makes up New England. Sometimes I wish the book just focused on one state since if you were just driving through the state, you only had a few chances of having one of the sites near by.

New England's Roadside Ecology is a travel book highlighting 30 accessible nature areas in New England curated and presented by Thomas Wessels. Due out 14th Sept 2021 from Timber Press, it's 236 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.

This is a really handy and useful book full of nature walks and natural attractions each beginning at a roadside stop. Given the difficulties of traveling the last couple years, this book will be useful for nature lovers in the area and also travelers from other areas looking for outdoor attractions which can be enjoyed far away from crowds. Trail lengths for the highlighted walks range from .5 to 4 miles (most are in the 1-2 mile range). Alongside the individual trail guides, the author provides some general info on things to look for along the trail as well as trees, plants, flowers, general trail features, man-made changes, and (importantly) a little about trail etiquette and conservation.

The hikes themselves are arranged in chapters grouped together geographically: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. The number of destinations varies by state from 2 (Rhode Island) to 7 (New Hampshire & Massachusetts) for a total of 30. Each walk covers several pages and includes a title, special features, location, details, difficulty, length, and many photos with captions showing plant life to keep an eye out for and interesting sights along the way.

Four stars.The author is clearly knowledgeable and keenly interested in the subject and he does a good job of bringing these walks to a wider public.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Attention hikers of all skill levels! Have you ever wondered about the landscape and plant life you see around you? What stories would they share if you could read their messages?

If you live in New England or plan to visit, Thomas Wessels offers an indispensable guide that deciphers those messages. Wessels has identified 30 short hikes (no longer than 4 hours) each with distinctive flora and features. You will learn, for example:
* how to recognize a pillow and cradle;
* where to find one of the largest bearberry patches in New England;
* where the Fibonacci sequence is hidden in nature;
* where to find a krummholz;
* what a border tree is;
* where to find the cave that inspired Herman Melville’s Moby Dick.

Several of these hikes are not typically highlighted in other guidebooks. Furthermore, they represent fragile or unique landscapes within the region. As such, Wessels gently reminds the reader to stay on the prescribed paths. Bravo!

New England’s Roadside Ecology is likely to become a perennial reference for years to come, as long as we don’t destroy the very attractions we seek.

Why you should not miss this one:
* Who knew there was so much ecological diversity in New England?
* The many captioned photos enrich the stories even if not hiking.
* If you already have Reading the Forested Landscape and Forest Forensics, both by Tom Wessels, this book seems to complete a trilogy.

Thanks to NetGalley, Timber Press, and the author, Thomas Wessels, for the opportunity to read a digital copy in exchange for this review.

#NetGalley #NewEnglandsRoadsideEcology

Also posted on Goodreads.