Nature and the Environment

Where it surfaces

• Prologue to South Ontario Sketches

  The poem highlights the natural features of South Ontario—lakes, rivers, streams, and maple boughs—as worthy of admiration and poetic treatment.

• Welcome to the Prince of Wales

  References to the maple tree, woods, hills, dales, and lakes highlight the natural landscape of Canada.

• Lament of the Maple Tree

  The entire poem is a personified lament of a maple tree, exploring its beauty, seasonal cycles, and its role in the Canadian landscape.

• Lines on Violets

  The poem highlights the surprising vitality of violets in winter, emphasizing nature's resilience and beauty.

• Fight of a Buffalo with Wolves

  The poem vividly depicts a brutal natural struggle between a buffalo and a wolf pack, emphasizing the raw and unforgiving aspects of wildlife.

• Fight with a Bear in the Northwest

  The harsh winter landscape and wildlife (trout, buffalo, bear) are central to the narrative.

• Canadian Sports and Games and Plays

  Winter landscapes and ice are central to many activities, from sleigh rides to curling and ice boating.

• Niagara's Charms and Death of Capt. Webb

  The poem vividly portrays Niagara Falls as a sublime natural wonder, with imagery of thundering water, rainbows, and the whirlpool, emphasizing nature's overwhelming power and beauty.

• Lines on Canadian Hunter

  Detailed descriptions of wild animals and the natural landscape underscore the hunter's relationship with the environment.

• Canadian Rivers and Lakes

  The poem focuses on the serene and majestic qualities of Canadian rivers and lakes, celebrating the natural landscape.

• Life in the Woods

  Wood is portrayed as a vital resource that provides shelter, warmth, and materials for building, contrasting with the open prairie.

• Port Stanley

  The poem contrasts the stormy, dreary winter of Lake Erie with its calm, cheerful summer beauty, emphasizing the natural setting.

• London Flood

  The poem vividly depicts the destructive power of nature through the flood's overwhelming force, which swept away homes, railroads, and fertile land.

• London West

  The chapter highlights the destructive power of the Thames River in London West, contrasting it with the pastoral Thames in Ingersoll, and discusses human interventions like dams and embankments.

• English Names on Canadian Thames

  Vivid imagery of the river's meandering course, sunbeams dancing on water, and cattle grazing under elms emphasizes the natural landscape.

• Lines on Thamesford

  The poem vividly describes the Thames River flowing over a pebble bed, sparkling like silver in the sun, and the pastoral landscape of pasture lands.

• Lines on a Fountain

  The poem exalts the natural fountain and its pristine setting in the wild woods and rocky dell, untouched by human presence.

• Poetry

  The poem draws extensively on natural imagery—stars, sunbeams, streams, birds, deer, flowers, and bees—to illustrate the essence of poetry.

• Adventure on a Raft

  The poem vividly depicts the power of nature through the storm, open sea, and the man's struggle for survival against the elements.

• Mrs. Moody

  The chapter mentions Mrs. Traill writing about wildflowers, reflecting a deep engagement with Canada's natural environment.

• Lines on Thorold

  The vivid descriptions of hills, lake views, gardens, and the haze of Niagara Falls emphasize the natural beauty of the area.

• Snake and Potato Bug

  The chapter focuses on a snake and a potato bug in a jar, highlighting a small, curious interaction in the natural world.

• Little Lake

  The poem celebrates the beauty and tranquility of northern lakes, using natural imagery to frame the incident.

• A Bird's Nest

  The poem centers on the protection of a bird nest and the natural growth of the young birds.

• A Concert—Impromptu

  Doctor Gardiner's story of overcoming snow drifts emphasizes the harsh winter environment and human resilience.

• Potato Bug Exterminators

  The poem advocates for working with nature (peafowl as pest control) rather than relying on chemical poisons like Paris green.

• Coleridge, Southey and Wordsworth

  The poets drew inspiration from England's lakes, hills, streams, and the distant Scottish mountains.

• Longfellow

  References to 'Hiawatha' and the planting of corn by the great spirit evoke themes of nature and the natural world.

• Millar

  Millar's role as Commissioner of Forest Land highlights a connection to nature and environmental stewardship.

• Holmes

  The poem evokes imagery of flowery fields, emphasizing a connection to the natural landscape.

• Electric Light

  Despite the wonder of electric light, the poet humbly acknowledges its inferiority to the natural beauty of the sun, moon, and stars.

• Dick and Edward

  The poem highlights the uncovering of nature's concealed secrets through scientific inquiry.

• Canada Before the Confederation of the Provinces

  The chapter vividly describes the natural landscape, including the Rocky Mountains, rivers, and fertile plains, emphasizing the environment's role in shaping settlement and agriculture.

• Canada's Future

  The poem emphasizes Canada's vast rivers, mighty lakes, and grand scale of nature.

• Province of Ontario

  Vivid descriptions of lakes, forests, islands, and wildlife showcase the natural environment as a source of pride and livelihood.

• Niagara Dry

  The poem focuses on a rare natural event caused by ice and wind, highlighting the power and unpredictability of nature.

• Land Clearing

  The description of fire spreading through dry woods and the awakening of snakes and bull frogs highlights the settler's interaction with the natural world.

• Lines Read at a Maple Sugar Social

  The poem celebrates the maple bush and the natural sweetness of maple sap, linking it to the arrival of spring and bird songs.

• Lines Sent to Thomas Conant of Oshawa, a Writer of Canadian Sketches

  The poem highlights Conant's sketches of birds, owls, and the natural beauty of Canadian woods and farms.

• Holland River and Its Tributaries

  The chapter focuses on the natural course of the Holland River and its tributaries, celebrating the landscape and waterways of Southern Ontario.

• The Vale of Thames

  The poem vividly describes the natural landscape of the Vale of Thames, with cattle grazing on sweet green pastures, emphasizing the harmony and beauty of rural life.

• Thanksgiving Ode

  The changing seasons—frost, rain, and warmth—are described as shaping the landscape and the fortunes of the community.

• Eagle and Salmon

  The poem depicts a dramatic natural event—an eagle hunting a salmon—and the fatal outcome of their struggle.

• Captain's Adventure

  The harsh blizzard and the owl's role as a guide highlight the power and mystery of the natural world.

• Origin of the Toboggan

  The setting in the interior north of Lake Superior and the depiction of bears in their natural habitat.

• Bear and Falls

  The chapter vividly describes the Niagara River and the perilous falls, emphasizing the raw power of nature and the risks it poses to both humans and animals.

• Bear Hunt

  The poem depicts a direct and violent encounter with wildlife, highlighting the untamed natural environment of the region.

• Coon Hunting

  The discovery of coons in a hollow tree highlights the close interaction between settlers and the natural world.

• Sailor's Yarn

  The poem depicts the harsh and unpredictable nature of the northern seas, with icebergs, seals, bears, and a whale that masquerades as an island.

• Wild Goose Shot at Midnight

  The poem depicts the migration of wild geese and the hunter's interaction with the natural world, highlighting both the beauty and the harsh realities of rural life.

• Bear and Whale

  Uses animal allegory of bear and whale to represent geopolitical conflict, emphasizing natural elements like sea, shore, and wildlife.

• Caledonia Springs, New York

  The poem celebrates the natural spring, its geological features, and the fish hatcheries, emphasizing the wonder and utility of the environment.

• The Useful Weed

  The poem reconsiders the value of weeds, suggesting they may serve future human needs for food, medicine, dye, clothing, or paper.

• Fighting for Home

  The poem depicts a natural struggle between a hawk and a mink in a rural setting.

• Lines on a Lawn Party

  The poem focuses on the rare night-blooming cereus and the oleander, emphasizing the beauty and wonder of natural phenomena.

• Lay of the Spring

  The poem celebrates the seasonal shift from winter to spring, highlighting sunshine, showers, green grass, buds, and leafy bowers.

• Seal Fishing and Hunting

  Detailed depiction of seals in their natural habitat and the hunting practices of Indigenous peoples.

• Snake and Its Young

  The poem focuses on a close observation of wildlife, specifically a snake and its young, highlighting the natural behavior of the animal.

• Whale and Its Foes

  The poem vividly depicts a natural struggle between marine creatures, emphasizing the raw and violent aspects of the natural world.

• Tiger and Elephant

  The poem depicts a vivid scene of wildlife in the jungle, focusing on the behaviors of tigers and elephants in their natural habitat.

• Little Hero

  The harsh Nevada wilderness, with its mountains, rain, and wolves, plays a central role in the children's ordeal and rescue.

• Riding an Avalanche

  The avalanche and snowy mountain landscape are central to the narrative, highlighting the power and unpredictability of nature.

• The Glorious Land of Maple Leaf

  Imagery of woods, lakes, streams, and beavers highlights the natural landscape as a source of national identity.

• Peculiarities of Oxford County

  The description of windmills in picturesque settings and the emphasis on pure water and rich grass underscore the connection between the natural environment and rural life.

• The Apiary

  The chapter vividly depicts bees interacting with flowers, gardens, and fields, emphasizing the natural environment and the bees' role within it.

• Tile Drains

  The poem discusses the interaction between human intervention (drainage) and natural processes, including the impact of deforestation on water systems.

• Great Fire in Michigan

  The fire is depicted as a destructive natural force that clears the bush, with both devastating and regenerative effects on the landscape.

• A Pleasing Illusion

  The poem vividly depicts the natural beauty of spring, including the sun, water, snow, and flowers, emphasizing the joy of seasonal change.

• MacGregor's Gathering

  Imagery of forests, rivers, and natural elements underscores the clan's connection to the land.

• Big Stag

  The stag and its family are depicted in a natural, idyllic setting, emphasizing the beauty and vulnerability of wildlife.

• Eagle and Stag

  The poem vividly describes the Highland wilderness and the raw struggle between eagle and stag, emphasizing the beauty and brutality of the natural world.

• Fight in a Cave

  The cave, storm, and wild bear highlight the untamed natural environment that settlers had to navigate.

• Tom Norton

  The island's lush setting with palm trees, caves, and lake provides a backdrop for survival and romance, highlighting nature's beauty and danger.

• Child and Horse

  The storm, cold, and woods are central to the peril and eventual rescue, highlighting the harshness of the natural environment.

• Mule and Bear Fight

  The wilderness setting and the bear as a natural threat highlight the untamed environment settlers faced.

• Bear and Buzzsaw

  The bear symbolizes wild nature confronting human industry.

• Alligator Rider

  The poem highlights the wild Florida landscape and the alligator as a formidable natural creature.

• The Flood on the Creek

  The flood is a powerful natural force that destroys the bard's property, illustrating the unpredictable and destructive power of nature.

• Big Crops of 1891

  The favorable weather—blessed showers of rain and cool air—is credited for the large, full ears of grain, highlighting the dependence on natural conditions.