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Books > Sport & Leisure > Natural history, country life & pets > Plant life: general > General
Forests are restless. When a tree dies or a new one sprouts, the forest that includes it shifts. When new trees sprout in the same direction, the whole forest begins to migrate, sometimes at astonishing rates. Today, however, an array of obstacles-humans felling trees by the billions, invasive pests transported through global trade-threaten to overwhelm these vital movements. Worst of all, the climate is changing faster than ever before and forests are struggling to keep up. A deft blend of science reporting and travel writing, The Journeys of Trees explores the evolving movements of forests by focusing on five trees: giant sequoia, ash, black spruce, Florida torreya and Monterey pine. Zach St George visits these trees in forests across continents, finding sequoias losing their needles in California, fossil records showing the paths of ancient forests in Alaska, domesticated pines in New Zealand and new sprouts of blight-resistant American chestnuts in New Hampshire. Everywhere he goes, St George meets lively people on conservation's front lines, from an ecologist studying droughts to an evolutionary evangelist with plans to save a dying species. He treks through the woods with activists, biologists and foresters, each with their own role to play in the fight for the uncertain future of our environment. An eye-opening investigation into forest migration past and present, The Journeys of Trees examines how we can all help our trees, and our planet, survive and thrive.
Learn to identify animals, plants, and fungi wherever you go with this
step-by-step guide for spotting and recording key traits and
characteristics.
This book (hardcover) is part of the TREDITION CLASSICS. It contains classical literature works from over two thousand years. Most of these titles have been out of print and off the bookstore shelves for decades. The book series is intended to preserve the cultural legacy and to promote the timeless works of classical literature. Readers of a TREDITION CLASSICS book support the mission to save many of the amazing works of world literature from oblivion. With this series, tredition intends to make thousands of international literature classics available in printed format again - worldwide.
Wherever there is greenery, photosynthesis is working to make oxygen, release energy, and create living matter from the raw material of sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide. Without photosynthesis, there would be an empty world, an empty sky, and a sun that does nothing more than warm the rocks and reflect off the sea. Eating the Sun is the story of a world in crisis; an appreciation of the importance of plants; a history of the earth and the feuds and fantasies of warring scientists; a celebration of how the smallest things, enzymes and pigments, influence the largest things, the oceans, the rainforests, and the fossil fuel economy. Oliver Morton offers a fascinating, lively, profound look at nature's greatest miracle and sounds a much-needed call to arms--illuminating a potential crisis of climatic chaos and explaining how we can change our situation, for better or for worse.
Making a haven for wildlife doesn’t require acres of land in the countryside. If you get the habitat and planting right, then even the tiniest of urban gardens can host a variety of creatures from birds and bees to hedgehogs. Covering everything from going organic to making a pond and turning your green space into a wildlife haven – this book is for gardeners who want to apply a more holistic approach to gardening and create their own urban sanctuary. Through a collection of simple projects that can be easily adapted for a variety of gardens and planting guides, this book will help you to re-connect with natural world on your own doorstep. Jane Moore will draw on her 16 years of experience of creating an urban sanctuary in the heart of the city as she lays out the simple ways in which you can approach making even the smallest patch of land a haven for wildlife, great or small.
'A superb naturalist and writer.' CHRIS PACKHAM 'From Stone Age remains to modern day skyscrapers, Stephen Moss takes us on an exhilarating journey through place and time, providing a fascinating insight into nature's relationship with environments created by man.' DR MYA-ROSE CRAIG (BIRDGIRL) Welcome to The Accidental Countryside. This is the fascinating and remarkably empowering story of our influence upon the landscape and wildlife of these crowded islands, and of how wildlife has co-opted its most unlikely corners - even when we least expected it. From the seabirds sheltering in the prehistoric stone structures of Shetland to the peat diggings in Somerset teeming with life, and from the rare insects hidden in Belfast's docklands to the falcons that make London's Shard their home, Stephen Moss reveals the unexpected oases which foster the crucial links in the chain that bind the natural world together.
The first published record of Florida Seminole herbal medicine and ancient healing practices, Healing Plants is a colorfully illustrated compendium of knowledge and practices passed down orally to Alice Snow from generations of her Native American ancestors. The authors' overview of Seminole history, native medicine, and the life of Snow, a Seminole herbalist (illustrated with personal photographs) places the healing practices in their cultural context and describes actual treatments. Charts with plant names in Creek, Mikasuki, and English and lists of plant properties with their common and botanical names offer easy reference. Color photographs provide clear illustrations of many of the plants. Herbal treatments include those intended for babies, for people who have had a hysterectomy, a stroke, blackouts or shortness of breath, ""monkey sickness,"" alligator bites, or a speeding heart, people who have pain or have been ill for a long time, who like to sleep all the time or can't sleep because of worry or bad dreams, who are pregnant or ""on the wagon"" or have lost wives or husbands. Alice Snow is both a traditional Seminole and a cultural innovator who combines old and new methods of preserving and teaching ""Indian medicine."" Her record of medicinal plants and remedies is her contribution toward helping the Seminoles to hold onto their past while living in the present and moving toward the future. Though the book does not reveal the tribal doctors' secret healing songs, believed to empower the plants, it provides Seminoles with a reference handbook of plants; it also offers medical professionals, herbalists, and the general public an understanding of the world of Seminole medicine.
In The Flower Hunter, Lucy Hunter takes us on an inspirational journey through a year in her garden and artist's studio set among the mountains of North Wales. Lucy's evocative, gently humorous words accompany her glorious photographs and exquisite floral arrangements, as she encourages the reader to marvel at the intricate cycles of the natural world, develop their own innate creativity and to look for beauty in the everyday. Her garden provides the raw materials for Lucy's floral artistry - breathtaking naturalistic arrangements with the painterly beauty and flourish of a Dutch still life. Simple projects accompany Lucy's text, from drying garden flowers for an autumnal wreath to making your own journals and natural dyes to assembling lavish arrangements that showcase the voluptuous beauty of garden roses. Lucy believes that we all have a creative voice buried deep within. The Flower Hunter will encourage you to find your own creativity and help it to blossom.
"Beautiful, useful, inspirational" BBC Wildlife Book of the Month "A delight on every page" Evening Standard In 1664, the horticulturist and diarist John Evelyn wrote Sylva, the first comprehensive study of British trees. It was also the world's earliest forestry book, and the first book ever published by the Royal Society. Evelyn's elegant prose has a lot to tell us today, but the world has changed dramatically since his day. Now authors Gabriel Hemery and Sarah Simblet, taking inspiration from the original work, have masterfully created a contemporary version - The New Sylva. The result is a fabulous resource that describes all of the most important species of tree that populate our landscape. Silvologist Gabriel Hemery explains what trees really mean to us culturally, environmentally and economically in the first part of the book. These chapters are followed by forty-four detailed tree portrait sections that describe the history and the features of trees such as oak, elm, beech, hornbeam, willow, fir, pine, juniper, plane, apple and pear. The pages of The New Sylva are brought to life with truly breathtaking artwork from artist and co-author Sarah Simblet, who captures the delicacy, strength and beauty of the trees through the seasons in 200 exquisite drawings. With an interplay of black and red type on creamy paper, The New Sylva recalls all the charm of traditional bookmaking. And at a moment when it is vitally important for us to rediscover how to treasure our trees, the time for this visionary, beautiful book is now. This edition comes with illustrated endpapers and a ribbon marker.
The Garden Interior shows the inner workings of the heart and mind of a gardener and how gardens raise up the gardener as much as the gardener tends and raises up the garden. This memoir details one family's story and is filled with beautiful observational writing, humor, and nostalgia about growing up in the 1960s and '70s, plus delicious and unusual recipes you will be longing to try. Gardens make us more than we make them, and you'll come away from The Garden Interior a better and more engaged gardener by understanding the rich interior life of this beautiful discipline and craft.
The fynbos region is one of the most spectacularly diverse places on Earth. This is not an idle statement. When one considers the diversity of insects, freshwater and marine species also associated with the Cape, this hotspot is arguably the hottest of all. It is also confusingly heterogeneous, with a diversity of fine-scale habitats, from wetlands in the lowlands to seeps in the mountains, unique soil, nutrient, aspect and rainfall conditions, all of which combine to sustain and drive this diversity. Fynbos is a fire-adapted vegetation and needs fire to sustain itself: without fire the vegetation would thicken and senesce, permit trees to enter and dominate the system, and eventually exclude the precious nutrients liberated by fire and which the system depends upon for rejuvenation. This book is a guide that will help people who visit, live, manage or own land in the Fynbos Biome to appreciate and manage its extraordinary natural richness.
Originally published in 1919, this delightful little book is a comprehensive guide to the wild flowers of the British Isles. Well-illustrated throughout, it is still of great practical usage to the enthusiast. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Hesperides Press are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork. Contents Include: White Flowers - Yellow Flowers - Rose Flowers - Red Flowers - Pale Purple Flowers - Purple Flowers - Blue Flowers - Brown Flowers - Green Flowers - Flowers Rarely Found or Very Inconspicuous - Index of Latin Names - Index of English Names
The origin of roses is shrouded in mystery. Fossilised species of roses have been found across the northern hemisphere and are estimated to date back some 35-40 million years. The remarkable beauty, fragrance and usefulness of the rose have guaranteed its spread right across the globe. Throughout the years, its potent power has come to symbolise many things, but above all, the rose is a plant to be enjoyed and wondered at. Roses focuses on the classic, ageless and enduring flower that straddles garden-friendly modernity whilst also celebrating the style and grace of the old. Ranging from overblown, multi-petalled or deliciously simple and delicate, Roses rightly extols these beautiful blooms, and includes hands-on know-how and history of the world's favourite flower. With 45 species of Rose included, explore the flowers with the best visual appearance, most fragrant perfume, the easiest to grow and those ideal for cutting beautiful flowers from.
Explore the colourful world of alpine flowers. This practical book will help you make a quick, reliable identification of each plant, with concise descriptions and illustrations for individual plants to enable differentiation from similar species. Flowers can be identified quickly from colour and shape. The notable characters of each plant are clearly highlighted. Covering 500 species, each with colour photographs, this compact guide is designed for walkers and botanists. For each plant the common name, scientific name, flowering time, plant height, protected status, and distribution (habitat and altitude) are described.
A beautifully illustrated guide to the marvellous and varied world of trees, and a fascinating introduction to the hidden secrets of 52 British species. Botanist and ecologist Ros Bennett has spent a lifetime helping people understand and identify plants and always hoped her daughter Nell would grow up to share her love of the natural world. During Nell's childhood years they spent much time exploring the local woods together. Here, Nell discovered the visual and tactile beauty of trees. In Tree-spotting, Ros and Nell have combined their backgrounds and talents to show you - through Ros's extensive experience and Nell's exquisite illustrations - how to identify 52 British trees simply and confidently. A beautiful and captivating insight into the wonderful world of trees, Tree-spotting burrows down into the history and hidden secrets of each species. It explores how our relationship with trees can be very personal, and will bring you closer to the natural world around you.
The Lake District is one of our busiest national parks. Many people believe that wildness is long gone from the fells, lakes, tarns and becks, yet, within its boundaries, Jim Crumley sets out to prove them wrong - to find "a new way of seeing and writing about this most seen and written about of landscapes". With a naturalist's eye and a poet's instinct he is drawn to Lakeland's turned-aside places where nature still thrives, from low-lying shores to a high mountain oakwood that's not even on the map. Through backwaters and backwoods, Crumley traces this captivating land's place in the evolution of global conservation and pleads the case for a far-reaching reappraisal of all of Lakeland's wildness.
Set off on a spellbinding expedition into the deep, dark woods... Page after page of this book is packed with vintage drawings that portray the enchanting beauty of a wild, ancient wood. Journey down snaking pathways, beneath towering trees, and amongst glorious plants and wildlife to uncover the odd magical surprise. Get creative! Adorn your personal items with more than 1,000 images of forest life, including intriguing toadstools, elegant trees, and even fantastical elves and more. Create gorgeous artwork and stationery, or simply enjoy this book as an exquisite keepsake.
Discover the incredible uses of 40 home-grown and foraged ingredients for making a variety of original brew-it-yourself recipes. You will learn how to grow, find, harvest, dry, and store ingredients including berries, roots, seeds, leaves, and flowers--plus the profile of each: history, health benefits, parts of the plant to use, and how to brew singly. The 30 recipes are for complex blends and specialty drinks such as detox teas, class night-time brews, Moroccan mint, Korean barley tea, bubble tea, and even dandelion coffee. Step-by-step detailed instructions are given for each recipe. There is also a "best of the rest" section with more unique ingredients that can be added to your brews, such as ginger, cinnamon, pomegranate, and orange. Enjoy the satisfaction and health benefits of brewing your own natural teas!
Imagine a garden that is as beautiful as it is productive, that gives you fresh, wholesome, chemical-free food with flavours that go way beyond anything the shops can offer. In Eat What You Grow, Alys shows you how to create a rich, biodiverse garden that feeds not only you, but supports a wide range of pollinators, bees and butterflies, as well as other wildlife. From perennial vegetables that come back year after year, to easy-to-grow delights, she has selected plants that hold their own in both the garden and on the plate. And tells you how to raise these plants, guiding you through the process of feeding your soil, saving seed and taking cuttings to increase your supplies. She also teaches you simple and effective design tools that will ensure your garden looks striking and wild, brings joy to your world and feeds you day after day.
"A paradigm-smashing chronicle of joyous entanglement that will make you acknowledge your own entanglement in the ancient and ever-new web of being."--Charles Foster, author of Being a Beast Are trees social beings? In this international bestseller, forester and author Peter Wohlleben convincingly makes the case that, yes, the forest is a social network. He draws on groundbreaking scientific discoveries to describe how trees are like human families: tree parents live together with their children, communicate with them, support them as they grow, share nutrients with those who are sick or struggling, and even warn each other of impending dangers. Wohlleben also shares his deep love of woods and forests, explaining the amazing processes of life, death, and regeneration he has observed in his woodland. After learning about the complex life of trees, a walk in the woods will never be the same again. Includes a Note From a Forest Scientist, by Dr.Suzanne Simard
Examine your world to find fresh and tasty wild foods! Stumbling upon plump wild berries on a hike or discovering succulent fresh mushrooms on the forest floor can be a welcome surprise. Turn up these happy accidents to a whole new level with the only guide on foraging you'll ever need! Chock full of tips on finding and identifying fruits, flowers, roots, shoots, nuts, foliage, and more, this helpful guide shows you how to safely and successfully find and enjoy wild edibles. In this Outdoor Adventure Guide, you'll find: -Detailed descriptions of over 70 plants and wild foods you can safely pick and eat. -Color photos of safe-to-eat plants at various stages of development. -30 tasty recipes to transform your harvests into delicious dishes in the field. -Tips of foraging safely, spotting possible pollutants, and protecting yourself from insects and wild animals. -A handy calendar of when plants are available by season and region. Welcome to a new frontier of delicious and nutritious free finds!
Georgia roadsides have embraced the wildflower philosophy and show off spectacular wildflower meadows along the highways and byways. As you travel the Peach State take along Georgia Trees and Wildflowers, the perfect pocket-sized, folding nature guide. This beautifully illustrated guide highlights over 140 familiar species of familiar trees, shrubs and wildflowers. A map featuring prominent state-wide botanical sanctuaries has been conveniently included. Laminated for durability, this handy guide will be appreciated by visitors to Georgia as well as residents. |
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