Henry David Thoreau

1817- 1862

Henry David Thoreau (1817- 1862)

An American author, naturalist, transcendentalist, and philosopher

Best known for his book Walden, a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings

LifeBorn in a common family in New England

Graduated from Harvard, but only stayed at home

and helped family business

Began writing nature poetry in the 1840s with Ralph

Waldo Emerson

Began his stay at Walden Pond in 1845

Walden Pond

A reproduction of Thoreau's cabin with a statue of Thoreau

Walden PondThoreau spent two years in a small cabin near Walden

Pond, amidst woodland near Concord, Massachusetts.

Thoreau hoped to isolate himself from society in order

to gain a more objective understanding of it.

Simple living and self-sufficiency were Thoreau's other

goals.

His cabin was not in wilderness but at the edge of

town, not far from his family home.

Thoreau’s Data Thoreau spent much of his time observing nature, and his

surroundings

He made note of the life cycle events of many plants

(such as when flowers appeared) and when they occurred

The study of life cycle events of plants and animals is

called Phenology

PhenologyPhenology data has been collected for centuries,

and is often tied to proverbs such as “Spring is sooner recognized by plants than be men”

Today, scientists use this type of data to examine long-term trends in the life cycles of plants and animalsKeep tabs on ecosystem healthMake predictions about effects of climate change

The End