Study of the life cycle of a colony of eastern tent caterpillars. This book traces this insect's special life history within the total context of nature, discussing both the larger and smaller worlds these creatures encounter during their life span.

"Vincent Dethier shows us how to listen for sound in fields, edges, and woods and to become aware of the movements that accompany sound...We learn from his sounds what kind of person, capable of this kind of interest and care, is attending to our minds. His own sound becomes part of the community of sound common to most, if not nearly all, life, so we are doubly trained to hear, and we become doubly committed to understanding and caring for all forms of life." --A. R. Ammons, from the foreword