Astonished by Beauty

The Enduring and Elemental Importance of Natural History

An Author Talk withThomas Lowe Fleischner, Ph.D. of the Natural History Institute, Prescott, Arizona

What happens when we truly pay attention to the natural world? Through a series of brief, intimate stories from the Alaskan Arctic to the Amazon, Thomas Lowe Fleischner reveals how both easy and meaningful it is to deepen our connection with the Earth and its creatures. Readers are invited to learn how to look closely, see clearly, and feel deeply the living world around them, while recognizing the vital link between our well-being and the health of the planet. Offering simple, grounded steps to nurture this bond, the book is part reflection, part field guide, a call to a life lived with care, presence, and respect for the wild beauty that surrounds us.

In this presentation, lushly illustrated with photos from his wide-ranging field explorations, Fleischner will share excerpts from his new book.

More about Thomas:

Thomas L. Fleischner, a naturalist and conservation biologist, is a leading voice advocating for the importance and rejuvenation of natural history. He was the founding director of the Natural History Institute in Prescott, Arizona, and continues to serve as the Institute’s Senior Advisor & Director Emeritus.  He is Faculty Emeritus at Prescott College, where he taught interdisciplinary Environmental Studies for 29 years.  He is the author of numerous articles and professional papers, and author or editor of five books, including this year’s Astonished By Beauty: A Field Guide to the Practice of Paying Attention.  He has led and coordinated efforts to recognize the high biodiversity values of the Mogollon Highlands Ecoregion of the American Southwest.  An elected Fellow of the Linnean Society of London, he has served as Chair of the Natural History Section of the Ecological Society of America, on the Board of Governors of the Society for Conservation Biology, and as President of its Colorado Plateau Chapter.

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