Spring at the Creek and Summer Summary

Spring: Rawlings is frightened by time and likes to become lost in time and space, forgetting about the season she is in. She is comforted to know the seasons will go on, but it is she who is mortal. The test of true beauty is the ability to survive close knowledge. Although Florida's season changes are not obvious to outsiders, they are to those who live there. She describes the blossoming and flowering of various native plants and trees, the nesting of birds and sounds of birds, including the chuck-will's-widow that sings, "Chip hell out of the red oak." Game birds seem to know when hunting season is over.

She describes the birds who live in her yard, their mating, breeding and seasonal habits. She is sure mallards actually enjoy their lives, and...