author
Grace Greylock Niles
1864–1943
Drawn to wild orchids, local legend, and the landscape around Vermont and western Massachusetts, this writer brought science and storytelling together in a way that still feels vivid. Her books mix close observation with a real love of place.
1 Audiobook
Bog-trotting for orchids
by Grace Greylock Niles
About the author
Grace Greylock Niles was an American botanist, writer, and artist, born in 1864 and raised in Pownal, Vermont. She was born Grace Stoddard Niles and later adopted Greylock as her middle name, a choice linked to Mount Greylock and Chief Gray Lock. She attended local schools, later taught school, and built a writing life rooted in nature and regional history.
Her best-known books include The Origin of Plant Names (1902), Bog-trotting for Orchids (1904), and The Hoosac Valley: Its Legends and Its History (1912). Bog-trotting for Orchids is especially notable for combining botanical interest with her own illustrations, while her historical writing shows the same strong sense of curiosity about the places she knew best.
Remembered as a botanist, author, and artist, she moved easily between careful observation and imaginative, place-based writing. Even now, her work stands out for the way it turns field knowledge and local history into something warm, personal, and readable.