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In his meticulous notes on the natural history of Concord,
Massachusetts, Henry David Thoreau records the first open flowers
of highbush blueberry on May 11, 1853. If he were to look for the
first blueberry flowers in Concord today, mid-May would be too
late. In the 160 years since Thoreau's writings, warming
temperatures have pushed blueberry flowering three weeks earlier,
and in 2012, following a winter and spring of record-breaking
warmth, blueberries began flowering on April 1-six weeks earlier
than in Thoreau's time. The climate around Thoreau's beloved Walden
Pond is changing, with visible ecological consequences. In Walden
Warming, Richard B. Primack uses Thoreau and Walden, icons of the
conservation movement, to track the effects of a warming climate on
Concord's plants and animals. Under the attentive eyes of Primack,
the notes that Thoreau made years ago are transformed from charming
observations into scientific data sets. Primack finds that many
wildflower species that Thoreau observed-including familiar groups
such as irises, asters, and lilies-have declined in abundance or
have disappeared from Concord. Primack also describes how warming
temperatures have altered other aspects of Thoreau's Concord, from
the dates when ice departs from Walden Pond in late winter, to the
arrival of birds in the spring, to the populations of fish,
salamanders, and butterflies that live in the woodlands, river
meadows, and ponds. Primack demonstrates that climate change is
already here, and it is affecting not just Walden Pond but many
other places in Concord and the surrounding region. Although we
need to continue pressuring our political leaders to take action,
Primack urges us each to heed the advice Thoreau offers in Walden:
to "live simply and wisely." In the process, we can each minimize
our own contributions to our warming climate.
In the acclaimed Walden Warming, Richard B Primack uses Henry David
Thoreau and Walden, icons of the conservation movement, to track
the effects of a warming climate on Concord, Massachusetts' plants
and animals. Under the attentive eyes of Primack, the meticulous
natural history notes that Thoreau made years ago are transformed
from charming observations into scientific data sets. Primack finds
that many wildflower species that Thoreau observed - including
familiar groups such as irises, asters, and lilies - have declined
in abundance or have disappeared from Concord. Primack also
describes how warming temperatures have altered other aspects of
Thoreau's Concord, from the dates when ice departs from Walden Pond
in late winter, to the arrival of birds in the spring, to the
populations of fish, salamanders, and butterflies that live in the
woodlands, river meadows, and ponds. Climate change, Primack
demonstrates, is already here, and it is affecting not just Walden
Pond but many other places in Concord and the surrounding region.
Although we need to continue pressuring our political leaders to
take action, Primack urges us each to heed the advice Thoreau
offers in Walden: to "live simply and wisely." In the process, we
can each minimize our own contributions to our warming climate.
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