Our penchant for keeping house plants is an ancient practice dating back to the Pharaohs. House Plants explores the stories behind the plants we bring home and how they were transformed from wild plants into members of our households. A billion-dollar global industry, house plants provide an interaction with nature, and contribute to our health, happiness and wellbeing. They also support their own miniature ecosystems and are part of the home biome. Featuring many superb illustrations, House Plants explores both their botanical history and cultural impact, from song (Gracie Fields's Biggest Aspidistra in the World), literature (Orwell's Keep the Aspidistra Flying) and cinema (Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors) to fashion, technology, contemporary design, and painting.

This is an updated edition of the classic botanical guide to the Great Lakes region. Gleason's ""Plants of Michigan"" is a major revision and expansion of ""The Plants of Michigan"" by Henry A. Gleason - the 1918 classic field guide to the flowering plants and trees found in Michigan, neighboring Great Lakes States, and southern Ontario. Richard K. Rabeler has completely updated the family descriptions and added easy-to-use keys. Information on habitats and geographical distribution is now included as well as a comprehensive index of plant names, an illustrated section on terminology, a glossary, and an introduction to botany in Michigan. ""Gleason's Plants of Michigan"" will be useful to naturalists, environmental specialists, botanists, and everyone who loves the wildflowers and native flora of Michigan and the surrounding areas.

Purchasing vegetables and leafy greens can become rather pricy. Moreover store-bought greens often contain unhealthy pesticides and chemicals that can be harmful to your health. Foraging for wild plants is a cost effective and healthy alternative. Harvested wild plants are cheaper, and much healthier with a significantly higher nutritional value than what you typically purchase in grocery stores contain. On top of that, harvesting your own plants will force you to get out, exercise, and explore the great outdoors, which is an excellent way to stay fit and spend time with your family. Written with novice foragers in mind, Adventures in Edible Plant Foraging, serves as a simplified guide to edible plants that can be found throughout North America, and includes a glossary of botanical terms. This all encompassing guide will teach you how to prepare for your first foray into foraging what to bring and what to watch out for and show you how to identify various edible wild plants native to your own backyard, the forest, fields and the sandy shores along lakes and beaches. With over 90 full color photographs and 20 recipes for soups, salads, muffins, desserts, and more, this book is a must have for anyone looking to save money and begin their first expedition into foraging.

With more than 600 brilliant color photographs, detailed line drawings, informative and illuminating descriptions, and critical identification keys, NORTH AMERICAN MUSHROOMS is the definitive guide to the fungi of the United States and Canada. This comprehensive book for expert and amateur alike offers tips on how, where, and when to collect wild mushrooms; suggestions for culinary uses; a section on mushroom toxins; and pictorial keys and glossaries to aid the user in precise identification. This is a must-have reference book for anyone interested in wild mushrooms, their uses, and their habitats.
DR. ORSON K. MILLER JR. is one of the preeminent mycologists in the United States. His wife and research partner, HOPE H. MILLER is the author of a wild mushroom cookbook.

This field guide features detailed descriptions of 455 species of trees native to eastern North America, including the Midwest and the South. The 48 color plates, 11 black-and-white plates, and 26 text drawings show distinctive details needed for identification. Color photographs and 266 color range maps accompany the species descriptions.

Lives of Weeds explores the tangled history of weeds and their relationship to humans. Through eight interwoven stories, John Cardina offers a fresh perspective on how these tenacious plants came about, why they are both inevitable and essential, and how their ecological success is ensured by determined efforts to eradicate them. Linking botany, history, ecology, and evolutionary biology to the social dimensions of humanity's ancient struggle with feral flora, Cardina shows how weeds have shaped-and are shaped by-the way we live in the natural world. Weeds and attempts to control them drove nomads toward settled communities, encouraged social stratification, caused environmental disruptions, and have motivated the development of GMO crops. They have snared us in social inequality and economic instability, infested social norms of suburbia, caused rage in the American heartland, and played a part in perpetuating pesticide use worldwide. Lives of Weeds reveals how the technologies directed against weeds underlie ethical questions about agriculture and the environment, and leaves readers with a deeper understanding of how the weeds around us are entangled in our daily choices.

A must-read for anyone with an adventurous spirit, a yen to whittle and chop, and a desire to get out into nature and play with sticks! These 50 achievable ideas for making and playing with sticks - all with beautiful step-by-step illustrations - make a great gift. The next title in Pavilion's best-selling outdoor adventure series, 50 Things to Do with a Stick will introduce you to the joy of making something out of almost nothing. With a few gathered twigs and sticks, start with simple ideas such as making plant markers or tent pegs and work up to constructing a lantern or woven basket. Working with wood is common to nearly every culture - it's nature's most adaptable raw material, malleable yet strong, and biodegradable. Until the 1960s woodworking was taught widely in schools, but since then has been in decline, robbing generations of the satisfaction of making useful things by hand. Richard Skrein begins by guiding you in choosing sticks and tools. Four chapters with evocative illustrations take you step by step through projects to use at home; to make music and decorative objects with; to play with; and to use out and about - the perfect accompaniments to a camping trip (2020 and 2021 saw unprecedented campsite bookings in the UK, and this trend is set to continue). This is the perfect book for anyone wishing to be more self-sufficient. Find your inner explorer with these battery-free, no-emission ideas! Chapters include: Home Sticks: cutlery, coat hooks, brooms, candlesticks Stick Craft: jewellery, weaving, mobiles, picture frames Stick Play: catapults, musical sticks, magic wands, story sticks Camp Sticks: lanterns, ladders, stools, stick bread! Word count: 15,000 words

The floristic diversity in southern Africa is not only one of the region's greatest natural assets, but also one of the botanical wonders of the world. Here, South of the Cunene-Zambezi rivers, more than 10% of all vascular plants (over 30,000 species), including more than 46% of all succulents, are found on about 2.5% of the world's land surface area. Moreover, at least 60% of these species are strictly confined (endemic) to the region.;It is remarkable that most of southern Africa's endemic plants are concentrated in only a few relatively small and well demarcated areas known as Regions or Centres of Endemism. Although the existence of these centres has been known to field botanists for a long time, most of them remain comparatively unknown outside scientific circles. Over many years, the authors of this work have carefully documented the diversity of endemic plants and here they present the results of their efforts to recognize and define areas that warrant status as "centres of endemism".;Contrary to what would be expected from a botanically rich region, large parts of southern Africa are subjected to regular and almost predictive droughts, prolonged periods of below-average rainfall and a marked seasonality in precipitation. One consequence of the general aridity of the region has been the development of succulence as a survival strategy in many plants, including a significant proportion of endemics. In addition, many of these fat-bodied plants have acquired distinct defence mechanisms that enable them to survive in this harsh and often inhospitable climate. The resultant peculiar forms and behaviour patterns of these plants have fascinated botanists, plant explorers and the general public for years.;Whereas the classification and mapping of southern Africa's vegetation types have been the subject of numerous publications, the classification and mapping of the distribution patterns of the region's plant species have been neglected. This study brings together all the relevant information on most of the principal Regions and local Centres of Plant Endemism in southern Africa.

Lichens are a unique form of plant life, the product of a symbiotic association between an alga and a fungus. The beauty and importance of lichens have long been overlooked, despite their abundance and diversity in most parts of North America and elsewhere in the world. This stunning book-the first accessible and authoritative guidebook to lichens of the North American continent-fills the gap, presenting superb color photographs, descriptions, distribution maps, and keys for identifying the most common, conspicuous, or ecologically significant species. The book focuses on 805 foliose, fruticose, and crustose lichens (the latter rarely included in popular guidebooks) and presents information on another 700 species in the keys or notes; special attention is given to species endemic to North America. A comprehensive introduction discusses the biology, structure, uses, and ecological significance of lichens and is illustrated with 90 additional color photos and many line drawings. English names are provided for most species, and the book also includes a glossary that explains technical terms. This visually rich and informative book will open the eyes of nature lovers everywhere to the fascinating world of lichens. Published in collaboration with the Canadian Museum of Nature

From urban plots to windowsill pots, grow a city kitchen garden! You don’t need a big garden to reconnect with nature. Grow and eat fresh, organic food using nature’s own principles as your guide: Learn about Korean Natural Farming techniques, including how to make simple treatments that will nourish your soil far better than any chemical. Understand how microorganisms do all the work of feeding your plants and keeping pests and diseases away. Learn how to encourage the natural networks that make a growing space thrive. Never create food waste again by creating compost in an odourless composting system that can be kept inside. Recycle and reuse everything! Turn a plastic bottle into a vertical hanging garden, a self-watering pot, a mini greenhouse or a DIY irrigation system. Eat seasonally with delicious fruit, vegetables, edible flowers and herbs. Discover how to preserve anything leftover with delicious pickles and fermentations. Whether you’ve got a rooftop, fire escape, balcony, canal boat, shared communal space or just one windowsill, bring the cycle of the planet back into your life and make your little part of earth green again!

Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things. Tree explores the forms, uses, and alliances of this living object's entanglement with humanity, from antiquity to the present. Trees tower over us and yet fade into background. Their lifespan outstrips ours, and yet their wisdom remains inscrutable, treasured up in the heartwood. They serve us in many ways-as keel, lodgepole, and execution site-and yet to become human, we had to come down from their limbs. In this book Matthew Battles follows the tree's branches across art, poetry, and landscape, marking the edges of imagination with wildness and shadow. Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic.

Written specifically for use in the field, Tidal Marsh Plants is an indispensable guide to the vascular plants found in the salt marshes along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States. This comprehensive and easy-to-use guidebook is the definitive guide for researchers who wish to make quick and accurate identifications of plant species while in the field. Tidal Marsh Plants is the product of years of extensive and detailed study of the coastal wetlands. Included are sections on plant taxonomy, phenology, identification of monocotyledons and dicotyledons, comparisons of grasses (Poaceae), sedges (Cyperaceae), and rushes (Juncaceae), and detailed descriptions and illustrations of over 200 plants. To assist the user in plant recognition, both the Latin and common names of all plants are included, along with a convenient glossary of terms. The beautiful plants of the tidal marsh zones come to life in full-color photographs of selected species. This informative book will be of interest to scientists and teachers, as well as students, hunters, fishermen, trappers, and ecologists. For those whose jobs or hobbies take them into the estuaries, bays, bayous, or sounds of the Atlantic or Gulf coasts, this guidebook will allow for clear and easy identification of area plants.

Where mountains meet ocean in Alaska's Alexander Archipelago, white skeletons of dead yellow cedar trees stand prominently amidst a verdant landscape of old-growth forests. Researchers spent nearly three decades deciphering the cause of the majestic species' death and uncovering climate change as the culprit. Lauren E. Oakes, a young scientist at Stanford University, was one of them. But even as she set to record the demise of a species, she soon found herself immersed in an even bigger, and totally unexpected, story: how the people of Alaska were adapting to the tree's disappearance, and how the tree itself, seemingly doomed, was adapting to a changing world. In Search of the Canary Tree is the story of six years that Oakes and her team spent in the Alaskan wilds, studying thousands of trees and saplings along the archipelago of southeast Alaska. Far from losing faith in the survival of our woodlands, she discovered the resiliency of forgotten forests, flourishing again after years of destruction and decomposition. And, through deep encounters with loggers, naturalists, Native weavers, and enthusiasts of the yellow cedar, Oakes discovered how the people of Alaska were determined to develop new relationships with the emerging environment. Where many scientists and commentators have found in climate change an unmitigated disaster, Oakes found beacons of hope even in the disorienting death of a species. Above all else, Oakes shows us that, although we can respond to climate change with either fear or denial, we can also find in it a new world, and one that doesn't necessarily have to be for the worst. Eloquent, insightful, and deeply heartening, In Search of the Canary Tree shows how human and natural resilience can help preserve ourselves, even in our rapidly changing world.

In this field guide to foraging wild edible plants, Sergei Boutenko (son of raw-food guru Victoria Boutenko) explores the health benefits of wild-harvested food, explains how to safely identify trailside weeds, herbs, fruits, and greens that grow worldwide, and shares his delicious, nutrient-dense recipes. Sergei Boutenko has been gathering wild plants since he was 13, when, early on in a 6-month hike from Mexico to Canada, he and his raw-food family ran out of provisions and turned to foraging for survival in the wild. Back in civilization, Boutenko was dismayed by the inferior quality of store-bought food and industrial agriculture, and began to regularly collect wild plants near his home and on his travels. Now, in Wild Edibles, he shares knowledge gleaned from years of live-food wildcrafting and thriving in harmony with nature. This practical guide to plant foraging gives hikers, backpackers, raw foodists, gardeners, chefs, foodies, DIYers, survivalists, and off-the-grid enthusiasts the tools to identify, harvest, and prepare wild edible plants. The book outlines basic rules for safe wild-food foraging and discusses poisonous plants, plant identification protocol, gathering etiquette, and conservation. Boutenko explores in detail the many rewards of eating wild flora: environmental protection, sustainability, saving money, economic self-sufficiency, and healthy living. He draws on thoroughly researched nutrition science to make a compelling case for the health benefits of a diverse, local-food diet that includes wild greens. The majority of the 60 edible plants described in this field guide can be found worldwide, including common-growing trees. Over 300 color photos make plant identification easy and safe. A chapter containing 67 high-nutrient vegan recipes-including green smoothies, salads and salad dressings, spreads and crackers, main courses, juices, and sweets-provides inspiration to join Sergei on the trail to radiant healt

Why do we spend so much time indoors, which is not our natural habitat? Why have trends such as forest-bathing become so popular? The answer to the last question lies in the proven benefits we obtain from our connection with nature - from increased productivity to feelings of happiness and an enhanced sense of wellbeing. For millions of years, humans developed in natural environments, in close contact with sunlight, vegetation and fresh air. But most of us spend 80-90% of our time indoors far from the environments for which we are naturally suited and in which we evolved. Skogluft's mission is to bring a natural living environment back into your home and workplace. Based on years of research data on the impact between nature and people, gathered together by a Norwegian mechanical engineer, Jorn Viumdal, Skogluft reveals how installing a wall of easily available plants in your home environment can dramatically improve health, strengthen the immune system and increase productivity. The plants are easily available, cheap to buy and simple to look after. Here is a low-tech solution to a problem created by our increasing dependence on a world dominated by high technology. Learn the simple techniques to beautify your world and create air you can live with all year around and experience the health and wellness effects for yourself.

**FEATURED ON COMEDY CENTRAL'S "TALES FROM THE TRIP" YOUTUBE SERIES** The Wild Kindness: A Psilocybin Odyssey is the lyrical, unforgettable memoir of Bett Williams's relationship with psilocybin mushrooms, otherwise known as magic mushrooms. In pursuit of self-healing, she begins experimenting with mushrooms in solitary ceremonies by the fire. Word soon gets out about her New Mexican desert mushroom farm, though, and people arrive in droves. Not long after, the police read her her Miranda Rights, her relationships fall out of whack, and her dog Rosie just might be CIA. On a quest to find help through the psychedelic community, Bett is led to Cleveland to meet Kai Wingo, an African American leader within a high-dose psilocybin community, and to Huautla de Jimenez, home of well-known, well-respected curandera Maria Sabina. Back home, Bett begins a solid ritual practice with the help of her partner and friends, bearing in mind the medicine's indigenous roots and power to transform one's life. Amidst the mainstream flood of New Age practices and products, The Wild Kindness: A Psilocybin Odyssey is a dreamlike reminder that psilocybin mushrooms are a medicine of the people, not to be neatly packaged, marketed, or appropriated. Bett Williams brings to the table one of the best overviews of contemporary psychedelic culture in a long time. -THE EROWID REVIEW In general, this is a balm. It is the polar opposite of that Michael Pollan book. -GOSSAMER Like any good memoirist, Williams performs surgery on herself and holds up each organ for inspection...This is a book that requires you to "go with the flow," but the flow is awfully inviting. -MOLLY YOUNG, Vulture

In 2006, the award-winning Eagle's Complete Trees and Shrubs of New Zealand was published to widespread acclaim and quickly became a modern classic for New Zealand botanists, gardeners and art-lovers. By popular demand, this accessible, affordable new edition presents a beautiful selection of 163 full-colour, full-page reproductions of Audrey Eagle's botanical paintings for new readers to discover and existing fans to savour. Every plant is depicted in full colour, including Eagle's many detailed enlargements which show the flowers, leaves and seeds of each plant in technically superb detail, while an appendix containing comprehensive notes, drafted in consultation with expert botanists, gives information on every plant. A fresh introduction gives new insights into Audrey Eagle and her life's work, and sets her place in the prestigious history of the botanical illustration of New Zealand's unique native flora.

An introduction to 20 plants of the Ancient Hawaiians. Includes illustrations, uses, proverbs, and poems.

Get back to nature with this easy to use guide to Britain's greenery. From the experts at Westonbirt Arboretum in the depths of the Cotswolds, with one of the most beautiful gardens in the world, comes this beautiful pocket guide covering 100 popular wild plants and flowers. Categorised by type of plant, the simple layout ensures that this text is easy to use 'on the go'. Meadow Saffron, Sweet Woodruff and Solomon's Seal are just a few examples of the vibrant entries - each accompanied by two beautiful images and a short description. Illustrated with enchanting colour artwork, depicting each plant and their individual bloom or sprig, this covetable book will educate and entertain with text by two leading experts from the Arboretum and the Forestry Commission.

French flower painter Pierre-Joseph Redoute (1759-1840) devoted himself exclusively to capturing the diversity of flowering plants in watercolor paintings which were then published as copper engravings, with careful botanical descriptions. The darling of wealthy Parisian patrons including Napoleon's wife Josephine, he was dubbed "the Raphael of flowers," and is regarded to this day as a master of botanical illustration. This elegant catalogue brings together all engravings from Redoute's illustrations of Roses and Choix des plus belles fleurs (Selection of the Most Beautiful Flowers) and the most astounding images from The Lilies. Offering a vibrant overview of Redoute's admixture of accuracy and beauty, it is also a privileged glimpse into the magnificent gardens and greenhouses of a bygone Paris.

Live life in full bloom. This beautiful book features your favourite flowers grouped by their purpose - for love, for joy, for luck, for calm, to console, and to celebrate. Discover their traditional meanings, holistic benefits, and when flowers are in season so that they can be sourced locally with a minimal carbon footprint. By creating thoughtful personal bouquets or choosing a flower for its meaning, its natural energy, or holistic property, you can bring the benefits of the natural world back into your home, your workplace, and into the lives of loved ones. Find out why you should give Foxgloves to celebrate a new job, Lilacs for joy, or Chrysanthemums for luck, and become fluent in the secret language of flowers.