For the first time, this extraordinary compilation showcases weird, mysterious and bizarre plants from around the world. Plants trick, kill, steal and kidnap, and this unique book explores a fascinating world in which plants have turned the tables on animals. Author Chris Thorogood showcases these plant behaviours, the interrelationships among plants, the interdependencies between plants and animals, and the intrigue of plant evolution. All types of weird and sinister are featured in this book, from carnivorous plants that drug, drown and consume unsuspecting insect prey; giant pitcher plants that have evolved toilets for tree shrews; flowers that mimic rotting flesh to attract pollinating flies, and orchids that duplicitously look, feel and even smell like a female insect to bamboozle sex-crazed male bees.

Trees and woods offer great potential for rebuilding our wider relationship with nature, reinforcing local identity and sustaining wildlife. We need more trees and woods in our lives, to lock up carbon, to mitigate flooding, to help shade our towns and cities and bring shelter, wildlife and beauty to places. Living with Trees is a cornucopia of practical information, good examples and new ideas that will inspire, guide and encourage people to reconnect with the trees and woods in their community, so we can all discover how to value, celebrate and protect our arboreal neighbours.

A photographic identification guide to 150 species of mushrooms most commonly found in Britain and Northern Europe. A user-friendly introduction includes an overview of distribution, the anatomy of a mushroom, nomenclature and useful information on hunting for and cooking with mushrooms. The identification section then divides into three categories: edible mushrooms, inedible (but not poisonous) mushrooms, and poisonous species. There is useful information on where and when mushrooms can be found, characteristic features and if edible, how best to cook the species.

Kentucky's rich soil and wonderfully diverse landscapes have for centuries made the state a welcoming habitat for a dazzling variety of wildflowers. From the delicate Kentucky glade cress to the fiery royal catchfly, flowers, grasses, and sedges nestle on rocky hillsides, bask in open woodlands and prairies, and even manage to thrive in busy rights of way and roadsides. As demand for natural resources and land for development and housing in the Commonwealth grows, land use and habitats are quickly changing. Unfortunately, this translates into disappearing or degraded habitats for a host of remarkable wildflowers. Currently 255 plant species in Kentucky are considered endangered or threatened, and there are more than 50 potential additions to the list. Rare Wildflowers of Kentucky provides an introduction to Kentucky's signature rare plants with 220 gorgeous full-color photographs by Thomas G. Barnes, a naturalist and award-winning photographer. These rare wildflowers and their descriptions are organized by habitat, and the book draws attention to the enduring beauty of Kentucky's old-growth forests, prairies, wetlands, and other habitats. In addition to serving as a stunning photographic record of Kentucky's rare plants, the book examines ecological communities and the ways in which they are threatened. The authors also explain how various plants have become endangered over the decades and suggest concrete steps for conservation and preservation at both the government and private level. The book also includes references, a list of scientific and common species names, and a list of each plant's endangered status that is especially useful to gardeners, botanists, and horticultural professionals. Rare Wildflowers of Kentucky is both a celebration and a call to action to save the plants that are a vital part of Kentucky's natural heritage.

"The Man Who Planted Trees" is the inspiring story of David Milarch's quest to clone the biggest trees on the planet in order to save our forests and ecosystem--as well as a hopeful lesson about how each of us has the ability to make a difference.
""When is the best time to plant a tree? Twenty years ago. The second best time? Today."--Chinese proverb"
Twenty years ago, David Milarch, a northern Michigan nurseryman with a penchant for hard living, had a vision: angels came to tell him that the earth was in trouble. Its trees were dying, and without them, human life was in jeopardy. The solution, they told him, was to clone the champion trees of the world--the largest, the hardiest, the ones that had survived millennia and were most resilient to climate change--and create a kind of Noah's ark of tree genetics. Without knowing if the message had any basis in science, or why he'd been chosen for this task, Milarch began his mission of cloning the world's great trees. Many scientists and tree experts told him it couldn't be done, but, twenty years later, his team has successfully cloned some of the world's oldest trees--among them giant redwoods and sequoias. They have also grown seedlings from the oldest tree in the world, the bristlecone pine Methuselah.
When "New York Times" journalist Jim Robbins came upon Milarch's story, he was fascinated but had his doubts. Yet over several years, listening to Milarch and talking to scientists, he came to realize that there is so much we do not yet know about trees: how they die, how they communicate, the myriad crucial ways they filter water and air and otherwise support life on Earth. It became clear that as the planet changes, trees and forest are essential to assuring its survival.
Praise for "The Man Who Planted Trees"
"Absorbing, eloquent and loving . . . While Robbins's tone is urgent, it doesn't compromise his crystal-clear science. . . . Even the smallest details here are fascinating."--"The New York Times Book Review"
"This is a story of miracles and obsession and love and survival. Told with Jim Robbins's signature clarity and eye for telling detail, "The Man Who Planted Trees" is also the most hopeful book I've read in years. I kept thinking of the end of Saint Francis's wonderful prayer, 'And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in the world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.' "--Alexandra Fuller, author of "Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight"
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"Scientists can be confined by their own thinking--they know what they know. It's amazing for one layman to come up with the idea of saving champion trees as a meaningful way to address the issues of biodiversity and climate change. This could be a grassroots solution to a global problem. A few million people selecting and planting the right trees for the right places could really make a difference."--Ramakrishna Nemani, earth scientist
"This provocative and stimulating look at an emerging aspect of environmental study should serve as a clarion call to those concerned with the fate of the world's forests as well as of the stately shade trees in their own backyards."--"Booklist"
This book was printed in the United States of America on Rolland Enviro(TM) 100 Book, which is manufactured using FSC-certified 100% postconsumer fiber and meets permanent paper standards.

"From the Hardcover edition."

Field Guide to the Wild Flowers of the Algarve is the most comprehensive identification guide to the rich Mediterranean flora of the Algarve region of southern Portugal, including the Cape St. Vincent Peninsula National Park, an area of immense botanical importance with numerous endemic and rare species. Detailed easy-to-use entries make this guide an essential companion for botanists, students and wildlife tourists. This second edition has been fully updated to the latest in plant phylogenetic relationships, with information provided on where to see plants, and descriptions of habitat and vegetation types. In addition rare and unusual plants of the region are highlighted, including orchids and parasitic plants. With over 1,000 species descriptions, the book is abundantly illustrated throughout with more than 650 stunning colour photographs and 780 line drawings.

This complete guide to the crisp, precise finish of botanical painting marries traditional technique with contemporary style and includes sections on colour, drawing, continuous tone, composition and dissection. Michael Lakin makes botanical art approachable with simple exercises and a variety of step-by-step instructional approaches, making this a fantastic guide for aspirational beginners.

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

Nineteenth-century English nature was a place of experimentation, exoticism, and transgression, as site and emblem of the global exchanges of the British Empire. Popular attitudes toward the transplantation of exotic species-botanical and human-to Victorian greenhouses and cities found anxious expression in a number of fanciful genre texts, including mysteries, science fiction, and horror stories. Situated in a mid-Victorian moment of frenetic plant collecting from the far reaches of the British empire, Novel Cultivations recognizes plants as vital and sentient subjects that serve-often more so than people-as actors and narrative engines in the nineteenth-century novel. Conceptions of native and natural were decoupled by the revelation that nature was globally sourced, a disruption displayed in the plots of gardens as in those of novels. Elizabeth Chang examines here the agency asserted by plants with shrewd readings of a range of fictional works, from monstrous rhododendrons in Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca and Mexican prickly pears in Olive Schreiner's Story of an African Farm, to Algernon Blackwood's hair-raising ""The Man Whom the Trees Loved"" and other obscure ecogothic tales. This provocative contribution to ecocriticism shows plants as buttonholes between fiction and reality, registering changes of form and content in both realms.

"What vegetables can I plant as winter crops? How can I avoid bitter bolting lettuce? When is the best time to cut back rhodos? How do I overwinter my geraniums and fuchsias? What fastgrowing evergreen hedge will work for my narrow urban yard? How late can I plant spring-flowering bulbs? What should I do about the chafer infestation that is destroying my lawn? Why aren't my berries bigger? What fruits and vegetables grow best in patio pots?"
These are just a few of the burning questions that renowned gardening expert Wim Vander Zalm answers again and again as owner of two Art Knapp Plantland garden centres and a long-time regular on CKNW's "The Bill Good Show."
"Just Ask Wim " covers horticultural concerns about all kinds of plants: vegetables, fruits and berries, herbs, annuals and perennials, shrubs, trees, hedges and vines, plus how to grow a healthy lawn organically . . . or replace the troublesome turf with one of many other groundcover options. Wim also shares organic pest and weed management ideas, common-sense pruning tips, fertilization and soil-building advice, plus his often-requested mulch recipe.
Friendly, funny and always down to earth, Wim is the guy to ask whenever there is a need to know about how to make the most of any garden--urban or otherwise. In addition, his comprehensive "Get It Done " checklist takes the reader right through the year, month by month, pinpointing just what to do and when for a stress-free, successful gardening experience.

The relationship between palms and humans has been very close since the beginning of ancient civilisations and this relationship shows no signs of diminishing. Palms are as relevant today as they were for the ancient Aztecs, since they have always provided food, shelter, materials and medicines. The Culiacan Botanical Garden recognises the importance of palms for humans and has worked on obtaining and protecting various species. This collection is one of the largest in Mexico. Each entry includes the common name of the species, other names by which the palm is known, its scientific name, conservation status and geographical distribution. It also mentions the habitat, its main characteristics, the relationship it has with others species and how it arrived at the Botanical Garden. This volume offers a selection of images with details of the leaves, the fruit, the trunk and the flower. There are also illustrations by the artist Sofía Táboas about the species in the nursery.

North American Wildland Plants contains descriptions of the salient characteristics of the most important wildland plants of North America. This comprehensive reference assists individuals with limited botanical knowledge as well as natural resource professionals in identifying wildland plants. The two hundred species of wildland plants in this book were selected because of their abundance, desirability, or poisonous properties. Each illustration has been enhanced with labels pointing to key characteristics to facilitate the identification of unknown plants. Each plant description includes plant characteristics, an illustration of the plant with enlarged parts, and a general distribution map for North America. Each species description includes nomenclature; life span; origin; season of growth; inflorescence, flower or spikelet, or other reproductive parts; vegetative parts; and growth characteristics. Brief notes are included on habitat; livestock losses; and historic, food, and medicinal uses. This third edition contains additional refinements in the nomenclature, distribution, illustrations, and descriptions of plants.

The narratives in My Forests are a pleasure to read; like strolling down a meandering track through the trees, you never quite know what you'll discover around that next bend.Travel the ancient Incense Road with the Biblical Magi. Enjoy the dancing Olive groves of Tuscany and read of 'sleeping' Silver Birches. Witness the spectacular tree houses of the Korowai of West Papua. Visit tree sitter Miranda Gibson, whose 449-day protest against clearfelling in Tasmania's Tyenna Valley led to a World Heritage listing.In this enlightening and entertaining book, Janine Burke invites you to accompany her through forests, art and writing, cities and parks, deserts and gardens, rainforests and wetlands, exploring the connections between trees and civilisations, past and present. My Forests: Travels with Trees presents the role of trees in contemporary life in a world where most people don't live in the wild, and their acquaintance with nature comes from many sources.

Plants of the Victorian High Country allows walkers with little botanical knowledge to identify plants they are likely to encounter along the popular tracks of Victoria's High Country. This Second Edition has been revised and expanded to describe 133 plants from the montane, sub-alpine and alpine zones, categorising them into five easily distinguished groups: herbs, daisy herbs, low woody shrubs, tall shrubs and trees, and eucalypts. The guide features a glossary of botanical terms, straightforward identification keys, clear photos of the leaves, flowers and stems of the plant, and includes notes on Aboriginal plant usage.If you are a nature lover, planning to walk in the Victorian High Country, this book is an essential addition to your backpack.

From elegant floral boutiques and lively flower markets to glorious blooming trees and expansive public gardens, flowers are an essential ingredient in the rich sensory bouquet that is Parisian life. This notebook is part of a stationery collection that captures the blossoming essence of the famous city through Georgianna Lane's dreamy photographs of gorgeous florals paired with images of the abundant botanical motifs found in Parisian architecture. With it's embossed and foil-stamped cover and lined pages throughout, the PARIS IN BLOOM notebook brings a little bit of Parisian romance to everyday note-taking. Also Available: Paris in Bloom 2019 Wall Calendar (ISBN: 978-1-4197-3004-7)