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Grades 4-6

A Time of Change

Nellie Gonzalez Cutler

A new book and TV series capture the drama of nature's most amazing spectacles. Photographers recorded six seasonal events that transform ecosystems. Their work underscores the unpredictability of our fast-changing planet.

From the rains that fall on Africa's grassy plains to the melting ice that spring brings to the Arctic, the changing seasons set in motion life-altering events. The warming and cooling of the planet transform the environment and signal animals when to mate and when to migrate. Filmmakers followed the seasons for Nature's Great Events, a new book, and Nature's Most Amazing Events, a Discovery Channel series. "We wanted to show six amazing wildlife spectacles that happen because of seasonal change," series producer Karen Bass told TFK.

Crews traveled to remote regions, spending months in the field. They came to appreciate their subjects. They were moved by a mother bear's devotion to her cubs and the sad sight of starving lions. The aim was to film "both the epic and the intimate," Bass says.

The filmmakers found that the world is changing rapidly. Every year, from mid-March to mid-April, herrings lay eggs along Alaska's coast. But in 2007 and 2008, that event occurred later than it had in 25 years. In May, dolphins join sharks and other big fish in the waters off South Africa to feast on sardines. But in 2007, the migration never happened. "We are witnessing the unpredictable," says Bass. "We are taking the pulse of the planet." Here are some of nature's most amazing sights.

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