I’ve been reading Diary of a Citizen Scientist: Chasing tiger beetles and other new ways to engage the world by Sharman Apt Russell. Tucked inside her beetle notes, she writes:

“Pattern recognition. Four creamy dots. Something in the world and something in my brain snap into place like a Tinker Toy. Tiger beetle and butterfly enthusiasts share this satisfaction – matching up beauty with order. Chevrons, bands, circles, dots…. I confess to that Paleolithic nostalgia. We are hardwired for walking through the woods, along the river, feeling at home, matching patterns, knowing what we see and what to do next.”

Great Spangled Fritillary (Robert Smith).

New Tree School embraces, teaches, celebrates, and cultivates wild nostalgia and primal pleasures – Paleolithic or new, ordered or brilliantly chaotic. Or at least we try. We will take you out into the bush and show you vibrant chevrons, stripes, dots, squiggles, endless circles, bursts of color, shimmering sunlight and murky shadows – and give you some ideas about how it all fits together.  Finding inner wildness is up to you.

Click offerings 2015 for our upcoming workshops and wild pursuits.

Jack Phillips