Near the Forest, By the Lake is a personal exploration of the wonders of the natural world close to home. In this collection of essays, Angela E. Douglas reflects on the lives and habits of the plants, birds, insects, and other creatures inhabiting the landscapes that neighbor her in upstate New York.

Some essays focus on individual species, from the salamanders migrating in early spring and the butterflies of summer, to the yellow goldenrods of the fall and the rafts of ducks on the lake in winter. Others provide insight into some of nature's mysteries, including why certain birds sing in fall and how turtles survive the winter in ice-sealed ponds. The inevitable fingerprint of human activities is interwoven into these explorations of the diversity of the living world.

In Near the Forest, By the Lake, Douglas shows us that the natural world is closer than we might think and that our local environment, be it city sidewalk or country meadow, can always offer a glimpse of nature's splendor.

Angela E. Douglas is Emerita Daljit S. and Elaine Sarkaria Professor of Insect Physiology and Toxicology at Cornell University. She is the author of several books, including Nature on the Doorstep, Fundamentals of Microbiome Science, and Insects and Their Beneficial Microbes.

Angela E. Douglas has written a collection of essays that are both entertaining and scientifically accurate—two very difficult tasks. They will inspire her readers to get out in nature and 'do likewise' wherever they live.

Dorothy F. McLeer, Environmental Interpretive Center, University of Michigan–Dearborn:

Douglas inspires curiosity with descriptive accounts of seasonal observations near her home, allowing readers to feel that they are by her side, asking questions along with her. She encourages our minds (and feet) to wander and wonder.

Deborah Cramer, author of The Narrow Edge:

Turn off those cell phones and go outside, near the forest or by the lake, where, guided by the keen eye of Angela E. Douglas, you can experience in any month, at any time of year, the natural world unfolding in its splendid glory.