“Gardeners may create order briefly out of chaos, but nature always gets the last word, and what it says is usually untidy by human standards. But I find all states of nature beautiful, and because I want to delight in my garden, not rule it, I just accept my yen to tame the chaos on one day and let the Japanese beetles run riot on the next.”

American poet, essayist, and naturalist

Diane Ackerman is an American poet, essayist, and naturalist known for her books and films. Her writing often moves between the literary and the scientific, reflecting a wide-ranging interest in the natural world. She has also worked in film, and her work is associated with careful observation, vivid language, and an interest in how people experience nature and the senses.