You’ve heard about it. You’ve seen other people doing it. Most likely you’ve experienced it yourself. In the years of COVID, we’re told, people walked more, appreciated nature more, smelled the roses, got pollen allergies and took up birdwatching for the first time. Home and garden materials are galloping out of the stores as people get around to things they somehow never had time to get around to before. Bags of dirt – bags of good dirt! – are hard to find. “Dirtbag” is no longer an insult – yell it and people say “Where?” And just try locating any well-composted animal excrement. Do not say “sack of shit” – say “desirable nutrient-packed soil enhancer!”

If this describes you, you’re not alone. Psst, got any dirtbags? Do you deliver? I too have spoken these words.

Will we go back to our wicked ways once this is over? Will we sink into an airplane seat with sighs of relief and gulp down a few gin and tonics while murmuring, “Brown Thrasher, what was that? It was all a horrible dream”?

Maybe. Charitable giving to nature organizations is still very low compared with, say, hearts and kidneys. Humans prioritize humans, and most do not yet realize that without the worldwide web of animal-plant-fungal interactions, we ourselves would not exist. Should you wish to increase the funding percentage, you might try Nature Canada, Ontario Nature, FLAP, The Nature Conservancy, The Pelee Island Bird Observatory or the Toronto Wildlife Centre.

But maybe we won’t backslide. Once you’ve seen, for instance, a Baltimore Oriole, they’re hard to forget.

Here, to help you nurture, top-dress and root-feed your newfound passion for the Living World, are a few booky nuggets.

⇒ Read more book reviews by Margaret Atwood