Tiny Worlds of the Appalachian Mountains

An Artist's Journey

240 pages
Publisher: Mountaineers Books
ISBN: 978-1-68051-635-7
Published: Aug 25, 2024

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Description

Tiny Worlds of the Appalachian Mountains features artist Rosalie Haizlett’s hand-drawn exploration of the region’s smallest creatures and plants--a celebration of biodiversity and an invitation to slow down and appreciate nature’s hidden wonders. It’s also an adventure travel story, the result of Haizlett’s journey throughout the Appalachian peaks, trails, and rivers from Alabama to Maine to Canada. Along the way, Haizlett looks closely at the earth, discovering luna moths, earthstar mushrooms, pickerel frogs, showy orchids, and more.

Exploring national forests, national parks, wildlife refuges, and other public lands, Haizlett met with biologists, ecologists, and rangers to get an insider’s look. Tiny Worlds draws readers into her sketchbook of vibrant colors, textures, and original maps for an unforgettable journey through a treasured mountain range.

Contributors

Details

240 pages
Publisher: Mountaineers Books
ISBN: 978-1-68051-635-7
Published: Aug 25, 2024

Reviews

Tiny Worlds of the Appalachian Mountains is an invitation to slow down, look close, and appreciate the hidden wonders of alien slime molds, delicate wildflowers, colorful caterpillars, orchids, moss, mushrooms, and more. Gorgeous watercolor maps and illustrations complement conversations with regional rangers and biologists, travel journal musings, and fascinating ecological facts, reminding us how to pay loving attention to the natural world.
— Orion Magazine
The high peaks and towering forests of the Appalachians draw our eyes upward, but with her lovely art and conversational writing, Rosalie Haizlett pulls our attention down, to all the wonders we’ve been walking right past. Tiny Worlds of the Appalachian Mountains is a delight in every way.
— Scott Weidensaul, author of Mountains of the Heart: A Natural History of the A
This book inspires me- so loving, so playful, so observant, so curious, all the things that I want to be. Tiny Worlds of the Appalachian Mountains is an invitation to slow down to the speed of wonder, to intimately explore phenomena, micro beauty, little mysteries, and to lose yourself in nature. It is a guide to changing the pace of our busy world and finding more in every rich moment. The artwork takes my breath away. Each little discovery is painted with such care and respect. There is a deep desire in each brushstroke to honor and faithfully represent the structure and life energy of every plant, mushroom, or salamander. I also have new ideas to help me explore nature near me. I never thought of exploring the edge of a waterfall to see who lives in the splash and spray. And don't you want to take your own stream snorkel? Life is too short not to! This book shows how we may accept everything before us, from gnats, to slime molds, to migraines and embrace the world with awe and gratitude.
— John Muir Laws, artist and naturalist
Rosalie Haizlett’s latest book, Tiny Worlds of the Appalachian Mountains: An Artist’s Journey is a joy to look through. Her precise illustrations are gorgeous yet playful. I was particularly taken by the way Rosalie examines small species and objects in the palm of her hand, all perfectly rendered, pulling me into her world so that I felt as if I were observing and painting alongside her.
— Samantha Dion Bake, author of the Draw Your Day book series
Rosalie Haizlett’s enthusiasm for the natural world shines through in this delightful book. With her gorgeous, vibrant paintings, Haizlett captures the thrill of exploring the nooks and crannies of Appalachia. Every richly illustrated page embodies the joy that she finds in the process of exploration and discovery, and her descriptions underscore the interconnectedness of all things great and small. Above all, through her art and writing, she instills in us her sense of curiosity and adventurous spirit.
— Maria Ferguson, Curator of the Roger Tory Peterson Institute, Jamestown, NY
The Appalachian Mountain Range is one of the four most important regions on Earth for climate resilience. Haizlett, with her beautiful illustrations and descriptions of its tiny inhabitants, places the reader in the middle of this biodiversity superhighway. Highlighting the often unseen and overlooked, she teaches us why the Appalachians are worth saving--for future generations of everyone and everything calling these mountains home.
— Charlie Brady, Blue Ridge Conservancy, Executive Director
Rosalie Haizlett’s Tiny Worlds of the Appalachian Mountains takes you on a pictorial journey to nature’s minutiae, the tiny but no less important plants and animals that exist along the Appalachian Trail. Exquisite artwork, to be sure; but if a picture is worth a thousand words, this personal and ecological journey north could easily serve as a natural historian’s reference book and bible. You will love it!
— Douglas Tallamy, author of Nature’s Best Hope
Rosalie Haizlett's lovely book is an important contribution to books on the natural study of our wild landscapes. Impressive is the distance and diversity of habitats she not only draws and writes about, but includes beautifully designed maps, from Alabama to Newfoundland.
— Clare Walker Leslie, author of Keeping A Nature Journal and Nature Drawing
Tiny Worlds of the Appalachian Mountains is an exquisite gem! Artist Rosalie Haizlett takes us on a journey no reader will ever forget, and along the way we learn to see the infinite in the small.
— Sy Montgomery, author of The Soul of an Octopus and Of Time