Recreation

I woke up early. The early snow had inspired me. Instead of curling up and falling asleep like a bear this winter, I decided to embrace the season. All I needed to live out my newfound Nordic attitude were ice skates and cross country ski boots. I had grown up skiing and skating, but the more boring things in life had taken over recently. That was about to change.

When is the most important time to have big, boisterous blooms?  In the dead of winter of course, when you’re in desperate need of some real garden joy.  My friend Sally suggested an Amaryllis garden — lots of bright red and white blossoms for the Holidays. Or dark burgundy, under lit by tea lights, running down the dining room table. Perfect. I’ve always grabbed bulbs on sale at Home Depot and scattered them around.  It never quite did the trick. This disciplined use of color, form and repetition sounded truly elegant.

Everything changed when I took a walk in the woods. I have lived in the northwest corner for 15 years and I thought I knew the area well. But there is another world going on alongside the one we think we know, a parallel place that is peaceful and  cool even on the hottest days of summer, and quietly waiting to be explored. 

Anurag Agrawal, professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and the Department of Entomology at Cornell University, is the author of last year’s award-winning book, “Monarchs and Milkweeds: A Migrating Butterfly, A Poisonous Plant, And Their Remarkable Story Of Coevolution.” He has agreed to answer five questions, so we can learn more about one of our favorite Lepidoptera.