author

Wilson Flagg

1805–1884

Best known for graceful books about birds, woods, and changing seasons in New England, this 19th-century naturalist wrote with the close attention of both an observer and an essayist. His work turns everyday walks outdoors into something vivid, calm, and memorable.

1 Audiobook

A year among the trees : $b or, the woods and by-ways of New England

A year among the trees : $b or, the woods and by-ways of New England

by Wilson Flagg

About the author

Born in Beverly, Massachusetts, on November 5, 1805, Wilson Flagg was an American naturalist and writer whose work centered on the landscapes, birds, and plant life of New England. He died in North Cambridge, Massachusetts, on May 6, 1884.

Flagg wrote a steady stream of nature essays and books, including Studies in the Field and Forest (1857), The Woods and By-Ways of New England (1872), The Birds and Seasons of New England (1875), and A Year with the Birds (1881). He also published essays in The Atlantic Monthly, especially on birdsong and outdoor life.

What makes his writing last is its mix of careful observation and easy, reflective style. He paid close attention to ordinary scenes—orchards, forests, ponds, and birdlife—and helped shape a distinctly New England tradition of nature writing.