Connecting to nature through poetry and prose
We have entered the micro-season of “The Pheasant First Calls”. This is the third micro-season of the mini-season Minor Cold. To celebrate this season, we will learn about pheasants and read haiku by Basho, Issa, and Buson.
We have entered the micro-season of “The Tachibana First Turns Yellow”. This is the third micro-season of the mini-season Minor Snow. To celebrate this season, we will learn about Citrus tachibana and then read citrus-themed poems by Basho, Issa, Fay Aoyagi, and Emperor Genshō.
We have entered the micro-season of “Hibernating Creatures Close Their Doors”. This is the second micro-season of the mini-season of Autumn Equinox. As a way to celebrate this season, we will look at the strategies animals use to survive the winter and then read some haiku by Shiki, Basho, and Issa.
We have entered the micro-season of “The Swallows Leave”. This is the third micro-season of the mini-season of White Dew. As a way to celebrate this season, we will investigate the swallow and its migration patterns. Then we will read haiku by Buson and Issa. This season, we also invite you to write your own migration-inspired haiku and share it with the community.
We have entered the micro-season of “White Dew on Grass”. As a way to celebrate this season, we will explore how dew is formed and look into dew harvesting. Then, we will read some seasonal haiku by Issa, Basho, Saigyo, and Buson.
We have entered the micro-season of “The Rice Ripens”. This is the third micro-season of the mini-season of Limit of Heat. As a way to celebrate this season, we will look at the taxonomy of the rice plant and how it is grown. Then we will read a variety of seasonal rice-themed haiku by Issa and Basho.
The micro-season of “The Cotton Lint Opens” runs from Aug 23 - Aug 27. As a way to honor this season, we will explore the taxonomy of the cotton plant and its processing process. Then we will read haiku by Basho, Gewi, Gorgone, and Wright.
We have entered the micro-season of “Thick Fog Blankets the Sky”. This is the third micro-season of the mini-season of First Autumn. As a way to celebrate this season, we will investigate what causes fog and how to classify the different types of fog. Then we will read poetry from Masaoka Shiki, Kobayashi Issa, Matsuo Bashō, Yosa Buson, and Carl Sandburg.
We have entered the micro-season of “The Evening Cicada Sings”. This is the first micro-season of the mini-season of First Autumn. As a way to celebrate this season, we will learn about the taxonomy of the cicada and listen to some cicada songs. After that, we will read some seasonal haiku by Basho, Issa, and readers of The Washington Post.
Naturalist Weekly 