Under the Maples

Written in the quiet of his Catskills study, this collection gathers the late John Burroughs’s meditations on the maple woods that shaped his childhood. He moves between the crisp March thaw in California and the golden autumn of the Hudson Valley, letting the scent of sap and the rustle of leaves guide his thoughts. The prose is part diary, part natural history, inviting listeners to feel the cool shade of a maple grove and hear the subtle changes of each season.

Throughout the essays, Burroughs marvels at the ritual of falling leaves, describing them as carpets of gold and crimson that soften the world’s edges. He observes how each tree, especially the maple, renews itself, turning the ordinary into a quiet celebration of life’s cycles. The voice is gentle yet vivid, offering both scientific insight and poetic reverence, making the listener feel as if they are walking beside him under the trees, sharing his wonder at the simple, enduring beauty of nature.