Friendly Nature Writer Mabel Osgood Wright Founded Birdcraft: America’s First Private Bird Sanctuary

January 15, 1906

On this day, The Nashville Banner ran a story about revealing a prolific author and nature lover's true identity. It said:

The authorship of the popular book... The Garden of a Commuter's Wife... has been jealously guarded in this country.

It can be positively stated, however, that the book [was] written by Mable Osgood Wright.

Her authorship will be ...announced by the Macmillan Company on the publication of a new book in the series: The Garden, You and I.

Mabel published her best-selling book The Garden of a Commuter’s Wife (1901) and its sequels under the  pseudonym “Barbara.”

In Mabel's book The Garden of a Commuter’s Wife, the gardener was Mabel, and the Commuter was her husband, James. Mabel dedicated her book and her garden to him.

A New Yorker, Mabel Osgood Wright, was a leader of the Audobon movement, a conservationist, a native plant advocate, and an author who wrote about gardens, nature, and birds.

A talented photographer, Mabel took most of the photographs for her books.

Mabel started her writing career by submitting pieces to The New York Times and other newspapers. A decade later, she collected her articles and put them in a book called The Friendship of Nature.

After her first book, Mabel produced a brand title every year until 1911. Some of her more famous works include Birdcraft, which came out in 1895, and Flowers and Ferns in Their Haunts, released in 1901.

Mabel had a gift for writing about nature and natural sciences in a relatable way and struck a chord with her readers. Mabel opposed the massacre of birds to decorate women’s hats, and she used her friendly tone to convince her readers to share her love of the natural world.

In Connecticut, Mabel designed and created the first private bird sanctuary in the country. She named the six-acre property Birdcraft. Today, the Birdcraft Sanctuary is open year-round from dawn to dusk.

Mabel’s beautiful Connecticut country home and garden gave her plenty of material for her books. It was Mabel Osgood Wright who said:

Let everyone who makes garden plans frequently insert the letters C.P. after them as a reminder... for Climate Permitting.