Introduction: The Pink House (April 23, 2004) • PART I: SPRING - Spring Dawn: An Awakening (May 4, 2003) • Return of the Bobolinks (May 4, 2003) • Smith Island (June 9, 2003) • PART II: SUMMER - Crane's Beach (July 1, 2003) • The Paine House (July 27, 2003) • The Matriarch: A Time of Rapid Change (August 27, 2003) • In Suspect Terrane: A Billion Years, in One Short Paddle (August 27, 2003) • Hog Island (September 17, 2003) • PART III: AUTUMN - Crane's Beach (July 1, 2003) • Autumn Migrations (October 15, 2003) • Man and Coyotes (October 30, 2003) • Ipswich Clams (November 19, 2003) • The Deer Hunt (December 5, 2003) • PART IV: WINTER - Why the New England Patriots Beat the Miami Dolphins: A Tale of Snow, Cold, and Mitochondria (December 8, 2003) • Coping with Winter (January 19, 2004) • The Magnolias of Ravenswood Park (February 18, 2004) • A New View of Nature, A New View for Ipswich: The New England Biolabs Campus (February 23, 2004) • PART V: CONCLUSIONS - The Big Night (March 31, 2004) • Local Heroes (April 11, 2004) • Index