The Northwoods of Wisconsin and Michigan contain gorgeous lakes and forests--a country whose splendors are often hidden, subtle, and seasonal. The seductive gifts of the north country reveal themselves gradually, and only to dedicated observers who live among them year in and year out, watching closely through the cycle of many seasons.

Photographer Jeff Richter is such an observer, a witness who sees through the lens of his camera and brings both immense technical skills and an abiding love of the north woods to his work. Seasons of the North is an all-encompassing nature journal in pictures and essays. Richter's photographs reveal the audacious declarations of wild cherry blossoms in late spring, the brooding aftermath of a summer storm, autumn bouquets of foliage, and the austere decorations of snow and ice in winter.

Jeff has captured amazing nature and wildlife photos: picture an albino deer standing with brown deer under mature white pine forest, a fox yawning, ducks ducking in unison, twin fawns nuzzling; kissing black bears, and more candid wildlife photos, including wolf, coyote, badger, fisher, mallards, trumpeter swans, songbirds, otters and bald eagles. And here are once-in-a-lifetime Northwoods scenes such as the setting sun shooting fiery blazes through the trees, a salmon-colored dawn by kayak, ominous light of an approaching storm, northern lights, red icicles in an ice cave on Lake Superior, and blooming wildflowers.

This deluxe collection of photographs, taken mostly in Wisconsin and Michigan, is a testament to Jeff Richter's patience, appreciation, and reverence--and his ability to convey the beauty of each season to those who share his appreciation. Richter shoots entirely on film and does not use image editing software, so what you see is true to life.

Essays by author and naturalist John Bates (spring--"If Fish Could Sing"), author and farmer Justin Isherwood (summer--"A Canoe-shaped Soul"), trail guide author Chad McGrath (fall--"The Siren's Song"), and artist and former national park ranger Terry Daulton (winter--"Just Beyond the Doorstep") add literary dimension to this exploration.

Beautifully printed, published in hardcover with dust jacket, the book is an excellent gift for anyone who lives in or has visited the Northwoods of Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.