For Everything There Is a Season: The Sequence of Natural Events in the Grand Teton-Yellowstone Area

As one who was first shown the Northern Lights, alerted to a bull elk's bugle, and introduced to Blue Flax (Linum lewisii) by Frank Craighead, and one favored with the chance to rent a cabin from him facing the Tetons and to enjoy many hours of conversation and dinners with him and his family, I feel qualified to say that this rare book, FOR EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON, is a portrait of the man as well as the biologist. With an almost poetic passion (but minus sentimentality), Frank shares with us the intricate details of biotic life in the Grand Teton-Yellowstone ecosystems---what "events" occur coinstantaneously and may signal the occurence of what OTHER events, within each given season and "subseason". His knowledge of these interrelationships is transfixing to the amateur naturalist (like myself!), and inspiring. The flow of Life itself brims from this book. And while he could easily hoard such choice hints as where and when to find morel mushrooms or certain rare flowers, he doesn't: He is generous in trusting his readers to not harm the biota they discover via his book. A better homage and resource book for this region could not be found.

As one who was first shown the Northern Lights, alerted to a bull elk's bugle and introduced to Blue Flax (Linum lewisii) by Frank Craighead, one who was favored with the chance to rent a cabin from him facing the Tetons and enjoy many hours of conversation and dinners with him and his family, I feel qualified to say that this rare book, FOR EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON, is a portrait of the man as well as the biologist---there is nothing detached or dry in Frank's telling, but a thinly veiled almost poetic passion for the natural world he so intimately knows---and wants others to know as he does. For if you can love nature, you will want to save it; And I see that as one of Frank's primary goals. Yet he is generous, not hoarding, in his knowledge of secret sites where exciting biota interact: He could easily withold where and at what exact time of year one finds morel mushrooms or certain unusual flowers, but he doesn't. He trusts the reader enough to not harm what he discovers through Frank's book. A valuable, valuable read and resource. There could not be any better for that region.

For anyone who's in love with the land of the Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons, Craighead's book is required reading. What a joy to follow the changes of the seasons and the cycle of birth and migration of the area's animals with this knowledgeable man as a guide! Craighead focuses on weekly changes in climate and life, and each week is brimming with details of flora and fauna. I am constantly learning about my home, but this book isn't just for Jackson Hole dwellers - there are vivid photos on every page and extensive appendices for birders and amateur ecologists, as well as mammoth additional reading lists and a detailed index. Thanks, Frank.