Snow Fleas and Chickadees

In Snow Fleas and Chickadees, Eve Quesnel invites readers to join her on strolls through the forest surrounding her neighborhood in the Sierra Nevada mountains near Lake Tahoe. The book serves as an extended field guide and natural history reference for residents of the region and those visiting and exploring the Sierra. Through her writing, the author shares personal narratives and information gleaned from experts in the field, including biologists, ornithologists, and foresters. Each of the book’s twenty-one essays begins with a detailed black-and-white drawing by illustrator Anne Chadwick that provides a backdrop for the vignettes that follow. Quesnel embraces the notion that to simply walk in one’s neighborhood is to familiarize oneself with the local flora and fauna, drawing attention to everyday things too often neglected. She argues that we can be complacent with what surrounds us, but with careful observation and research, we become acutely aware—and in awe of—nature’s everyday activities. The black bear’s hibernation techniques and mountain chickadee’s caching methods reveal just two of nature’s wily ways. Quesnel chases other curiosities as well, asking, “How does a spider create an orb web?” or, “How does a boulder the size of a small car end up alone in the woods?” In the introduction, she writes, “It is this ‘un-peeling’ of layers in nature that opens up our world.”  For anyone interested in nature writing, whether an armchair explorer, outdoor enthusiast, or science aficionado, Snow Fleas and Chickadees provides an entertaining and engaging discovery of the picturesque Sierra Nevada.