The Forest Unseen A Year's Watch In Nature Summary

The book, The Forest Unseen, A Year’s Watch in Nature by David George Haskell is his experiences in his year-long journey in a mandala within the Tennessee forests. He describes many different types of wildlife he observes during his time in the forest. The purpose of the author writing this novel is to show how the life in the mandala relies on each other for survival. All the wildlife in the mandala depend on each other to survive.
The first example of relationships in the forest is on page 2, where fungi in rivers spreads out the strands of their bodies which bacterium and alga can cling to while they produce food. The book describes this relationship as a marriage, showing the intensity of this dependency on each other. These organisms are called lichens when together, and are a vital part of the ecosystem in the mandala. The fungus gives the bacterium shelter, while the bacterium produce food for itself and the fungus. Although many relationships between the organisms are beneficial for both sides, some of them are very bad for one side. On page 6, the author writes about how horsehair worms crawl into crickets’ bodies, where they feed off the cricket until they are …show more content…
Carolina Chickadees travel with other larger birds, so they have protection against predators. While chickadees get protection, the larger birds get more ideal feeding spots and more food overall. This can sometimes be bad for the chickadees because they will become hungry, but protection is more important. More examples of relationships with chickadees is on page 20, where chickadees stay huddled up at night, using each other as warmth against the cold of winter. Much like penguins, the chickadees huddle together at night during the winter to keep from being cold. Although many birds still die during the harsh winters, this tactic to fight the cold definitely helps against even more