Nature stories

Essayist Anne Fadiman reads from and talks with Steve Paulson about her essay "Collecting Nature." It comes from her latest collection, "At Large and at Small" and talks about the delight she and her brother took as children with collecting (and killing) butterflies.

David Gessner is a nature writer who’s sick of nature and most nature writing. In his essay "My Green Manifesto" and in this conversation with Steve Paulson, Gessner makes the case for wilder, messier, more eccentric writing. Gesner’s books include "Sick of Nature" and "Soaring with Fidel." He’s the editor of Ecotone, an environmental literary magazine.

Christopher Benfey is the author of "A Summer of Hummingbirds." He tells Anne Strainchamps why there was a hummingbird craze in 19th century Massachsetts, how artists and poets used them as symbols, and why they seem like winged jewels. Benfey teaches English at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts.

"To the Best of Our Knowledge" is an audio magazine of ideas – two hours of smart, entertaining radio for people with curious minds. More "To the Best of Our Knowledge"