When I worry that our beavers have to contend with poor water quality, garbage trucks, beer bottles, train whistles, restaurant lights, city workers, floating styrofoam cups and the occasional shopping cart, I think about beaver cousins in colder climates where the pond freezes and they have to store enough food underwater to make it through the winter. Early on they reportedly make a concerted effort to “break the ice” by poking their heads through at intervals. Remember beavers breathe air like us and they want to make sure they can get through to the air when they reach their destination. .
The naturalist behind this lovely photograph is Mary Holland, who resides in Vermont and recently published the irresistible book “Naturally Curious“. She maintains a nature blog of the same name and has an open-hearted wonder for the living world outside that regards with equal delight loon chicks, dragonfly larvae or scat samples.
Mary says she is especially interested in ponds and is a big fan of beavers. She once crashed through a frozen beaver pond wearing snowshoes and that’s got to test any relationship! Since she lives about 38 miles away from Skip Lisle, I can only assume they’ve met. Why they’re not teaming up for a speaking tour touting beaver ponds as the trickle down economy that will make more nature to be “Naturally Curious” about we can only speculate.
You can bet I’ll suggest it.
Watch Mary Holland on PBS. See more from Profile.
