Imprint
- Hodder Paperbacks
United Kingdom, Great Britain, Conservation of the environment, Trees, wildflowers & plants
**Longlisted for the Wainwright Prize**
**Shortlisted for the Richard Jeffries Award**
'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.
More books by Leif Bersweden
Praise for Where the Wildflowers Grow: Longlisted for the Wainwright Prize
-
What a joy! A heart-warming, fascination-inducing read from start to finish. Leif's face-down, bum-up botanical passion just radiates from every page. You can't help but catch yourself smiling at his infectious enthusiasm and unabashed love for the wildflowers he encounters, as well as the wonderful array of folks celebrating them alongside him. I felt as though I was getting to know the personalities and spirits of the flowers Leif finds; you find yourself forming an emotional connection to plants as you turn the pages!
-
If a book gets you squinting quizzically at tiny, green things growing in pavement cracks, you know it's had an effect on you. Where the Wildflowers Grow made me want to meet more wildflowers; to get to know these underrated creatures better. I now can't wait for the wildflower season ahead. - 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
-
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... While not every reader will be led to feel similarly overwhelmed by encountering wildflowers, many may be encouraged to abandon their screens for a hand lens, get out of doors and explore once more the extraordinary beauty and variety of the native plants with which they share this land. - 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
Leif Bersweden
Leif Bersweden graduated with a degree in Biology from Oxford and is currently a PhD student at Kew Gardens. He has loved orchids longer than he can remember. He is also the author of Winter Trees: A Photographic Guide to Common Trees and Shrubs, published by the Field Studies Council in 2013
Find a book you’ll love, get our Word Up newsletter
.png?auto=compress&w=150&h=60&fit=crop&fm=jpg)
.png?auto=compress&w=150&h=60&fit=crop&fm=jpg)
Hachette Australia acknowledges and pays our respects to the past, present and future Traditional Owners and Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuation of cultural, spiritual and educational practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Our head office is located on the lands of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation.
