Where the Wildflowers Grow: Shortlisted for the Richard Jefferies Award

Description

'A meditative, descriptive, easy-to-read book that's perfect for plant lovers.' - Irish Examiner 'A delightful, soothing book, packed with enlightening information about the natural world and the threats it faces.' - Mail on Sunday 'This bicycle Odyssey of Britain and Ireland's wild flora is joyous, inspirational and beautifully observed.' - Peter Marren, author of After They've Gone 'The Wildflowers of Britain have a new champion.' - Lee Schofield, author of Wild Fell 'A heart-warming, fascination-inducing read from start to finish.' - Lucy Lapwing 'An extraordinary book... captivating in its joy for the natural world.' - Isabel Hardman 'When was the last time you stopped and noticed a wild plant?' An intriguing and timely exploration of the importance of Britain and Ireland's plant life. Leif Bersweden has always been fascinated by wild plants. From a young age, his afternoons were spent hunting for and cataloguing the plants in his local area. But it is a landscape that is fast disappearing. Climate change, habitat destruction and declining pollinator populations mean that the future for plant life looks bleaker than ever before. Many of us are also unable to identify, or even notice, the plants that grow around us. Now a botanist, Leif decides to go on a mission, to explore the plants that Britain and Ireland have to offer and to meet those who spend time searching for them. Over the course of a year, Leif goes on a journey around the UK and Ireland, highlighting the unique plants that grow there, their history and the threats that face them. His journey takes him from the Cornish coast to the pine forests of Scotland - even to the streets of London, proving that nature can be found in the most unexpected places. Along the way, Leif highlights the joy and positivity that can be found through understanding nature and why it is so desperately important to protect our wildflowers.

Leif Bersweden is a writer, botanist and science communicator with a face-down, bottom-up approach to watching nature. He grew up in rural Wiltshire where he taught himself to identify the local wildlife, focusing on plants from a young age. More recently, Leif completed a genetics PhD at Kew Gardens and his first book, The Orchid Hunter, was published in 2017.

A heart-warming, fascination-inducing read from start to finish. * Lucy Lapwing * This is an extraordinary book. How many authors are able to make you feel childishly excited not just about the simple beauty of wild flowers but also about serious science and conservation? It is captivating in its joy for the natural world. Even if you don't care a jot for wild flowers, you should read it to find out how much you're missing out on - before it is too late. * Isabel Hardman * "The Wildflowers of Britain have a new champion. Read Leif's lyrical and passionate tribute to them and be cured of your plant blindness." * Lee Schofield * This bicycle Odyssey of Britain and Ireland's wild flora is joyous, inspirational and beautifully observed. In Leif Bersweden our wild flowers have found both their rhapsodist and their champion. * Peter Marren * "A meditative, descriptive, easy-to-read book that's perfect for plant lovers." * Irish Examiner * 'He provides fascinating information about the history, folklore and ecology of the plants he encounters... [Leif] infectiously communicates his excitement about the plants he finds...' * Spectator * 'The book is bursting with thought-provoking snippets, such as how plants got their names and how we have used them... Where the Wildflowers Grow takes us to interesting places and like-minded people. Bersweden's prose is descriptive, and in parts, romantic.' * Country Life Magazine * 'Tales of seeking, and often finding, notable plants are intertwined with fascinating detail and history of the places they are found. With unassuming enthusiasm, Leif succeeds in making wildflowers accessible and relevant. It's an inspiring and captivating read.' * Plantlife * 'A delightful, soothing book, packed with enlightening information about the natural world and the threats it faces.' * Mail on Sunday *