A Buzz in the Meadow: The Natural History of a French Farm by Dave Goulson, Hardcover

03/23/2015
In 2003, British biologist Goulson (A Sting in the Tale) bought Chez Nauche, “a derelict farm deep in the heart of rural France,” with the intention of establishing a wildlife sanctuary: “a place where butterflies, dragonflies, voles and newts could thrive, free from the pressures of modern agriculture.” Discussion in this nostalgic and earnest volume revolves around the plants and animals that live on Goulson’s “little corner of the French countryside,” and he reflects on his professional past while looking to the future. Ever the scientist, Goulson details the ways in which “creatures in the meadow” are connected to one another as well as to their surroundings. He champions their delicate ecosystem, urging readers to “cherish life on Earth in all its forms,” and he explains many of the roles that insects play. “They can be predators, parasites, herbivores or detritivores.” Some live in large colonies. Others spend years alone in the darkness. Chapters on the “extraordinarily varied and often bizarre” mating habits of insects prove especially intriguing. Whether he’s describing the quotidian existence of insects on his farm or sounding cautionary notes about the natural environment, Goulson appreciates the smallest things in the world and hopes others can do the same. (May)

Publishers Weekly

★ 04/15/2015
Goulson (biological sciences, Univ. of Stirling; A Sting in the Tale) woos readers with a personable tale of his well-intentioned (and sometimes bumbling) mission to create a natural environment for wildlife on a derelict plot of French land. The memoir introduces concepts of genetics, entomology, botany, and environmental science as the author's true goal becomes clear—he seeks to provide a warning eerily like that in Rachel Carson's pioneering Silent Spring. Goulson recounts his research on the effects of modern-day pesticides on bees and the political muddling that followed, and charges his readers to consider what our future will hold if we choose not to take action similar to that of Carson's readers more than 50 years ago. Speaking for an untold number of organisms, whose role in our environment remains unknown, Goulson adds a compelling voice to the long list of scientists he cites. Environmentalists will champion the author's message, students and professors of the natural sciences will want to read this work, and anyone who eats food will need to. VERDICT A strong voice in the canon of environmental writings, a call to action, and a relatable narrative combine in this highly recommended text.—Jaime Corris Hammond, Naugatuck Valley Community Coll. Lib., Waterbury, CT

Library Journal

2015-01-21
When we speak of endangered species, our focus is usually on the plight of mammals. However, writes Goulson (Biological and Environmental Sciences/Univ. of Sterling; A Sting in the Tale: My Adventures with Bumblebees, 2014, etc.), they are only a small section of the "perhaps ten-million different species," many yet to be named, that inhabit our planet and play a critical role in maintaining its ecosystems.In 2003, the author, founder of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, purchased a derelict farmhouse and 33-acre meadow in the French countryside. His aim was to transform the run-down property into a wildlife sanctuary to shelter and preserve the habitats of "the smaller, everyday creatures that live around us." The author's professional specialty, the study of bees, prompted his involvement in efforts to determine the cause of the disastrous, worldwide decline in the honeybee population, which plays a crucial role in pollination. An early hypothesis blamed the introduction of a nicotine-based pesticide applied to seeds before planting, as a substitute for aerial spraying. Goulson and his collaborators confirmed that this wasn't the case, but they found that the reproductive rates of queen bees, which ate the nectar brought back by the worker bees, were sharply reduced. Furthermore, the worker bees exhibited cognitive problems. Equally alarming, recent evidence indicates a buildup of the pesticide in soils and waterways. The pesticide has been temporarily banned in Europe but is still in use in America. On a lighter note, the author explains how the tapping of beetles in search of a mate was once fancifully compared to the devil tapping his fingers. Their residence of choice is old timber, including that of his farmhouse, which is also home to dormice and other creatures. Though he celebrates the majority of species living on his land, disease-bearing flies, he says, are less welcome. "Go outside," he urges readers, "look and listen." A charming but serious warning of the need to protect our natural ecosystems from heedless, irreversible destruction.

Kirkus Review

“An artful blend of E.O. Wilson and Barry Lopez, with a continental flair. Backyard naturalists, regardless of their locale, will delight in the amiable company of this witty and thoughtful guide.” —Booklist

“A charming but serious warning of the need to protect our natural ecosystems from heedless, irreversible destruction.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Warm and delightful: I frequently found myself wanting to put it down to go bird and bee watching, to find for myself the species [Goulson] discusses.” —NPR on A Sting in the Tale

“A Sting in the Tale is both a whodunit as well as a revealing study of a bug on whom we depend a great deal.” —The Seattle Times on A Sting in the Tale

“Goulson transforms what could be dry material with stinging wit.” —New York Post on A Sting in the Tale

“Much more than a series of romantic wildlife walks. [Goulson] is adept at weaving profound biological concepts in with accounts of nearly being shot off the root by a zealous French huntswoman or decoding the head-banging knocks of deathwatch beatles....A trove of elegant and fascinating ecological tales” —BBC Wildlife

“A wonderfully entertaining one-man campaign to persuade the world to love his favourite animals—insects....A Buzz in the Meadowfeels like a cross between Peter Mayle's stories of homemaking in Provence and Gerald Durrell's works of domestic mayhem among Greek wildlife. Goulson has a similar comic gift to both, but although he may choose to play it for laughs, he is the cleverest fool you could imagine....A blend of scientific evidence and amusing travelogue that engages the reader as much with the eloquence of its argument as with the charm of its good humour.” —The Mail on Sunday (London)

“You can't help but be charmed by the intriguing stories of paper moths, spotted butterflies and mating praying mantises.” —The Big Issue (London)

“Goulson writes with infectious enthusiasm....His passionate interest in and defence of the planet's smallest inhabitants makes the book a lively and important read.” —The Sunday Times (London)

“Goulson's sheer enthusiasm for wild things, from the lizards, mice and spiders that share his home to minute tardigrades or 'water ears' that wriggle in damp moss cushions, is that of a young Gerald Durrell on Corfu....He engages his readers in clear, lively language, avoids jargon and presents his thesis with a smile, not doom and gloom.” —The Spectator (London)

“What begins as a scientfici rural idyll becomes a journey into the imperilled territory of Rachel Caron's Silent Spring.” —Nature

“[Dave Goulson] is among the brightest things in the recent flowering of composite works of nature writing, natural history and memoir.” —The Observer (London)

From the Publisher