Gardens: Their Hidden Life: Unnoticed Plants And Unseen Animals

Description

Gardens are most people's main opportunity to see an ecosystem at work. Even the smallest space contains a collection of both wild animals and plants. Yet we are often oblivious of the sheer richness of experience that our gardens can provide. Most of us do not expect to see anything they haven't built or planted. In small gardens, most visiting wildlife will be in the form of birds and butterflies; in more substantial gardens, residents may include larger mammals, but they are mainly nocturnal - and few gardeners look in their gardens after dark. This book explores the garden's hidden world of life amid the grass, behind the bushes, in the trees and under stones and fallen branches and will convert a stroll around your garden from a conversation with familiar friends (the plants chosen and planted) to a voyage of discovery that includes invertebrates and larger animals as well. Broad and inclusive in its approach, this book should appeal to naturalists and gardeners of all ages.

Reviews

Get a deeper understandng of the wildlife you might only fleetingly glimpse in your garden, with this fantastic pictorial guide. BBC Countryfile I am always grateful when any creature... decides my plot is home sweet home and loved finding out how to make life better for the 75 species of mammal, 600 birds, 60 butterflies, 2,500 moths and 4,000 beetles that might possibly take up residence in my garden. And with this informative book close to hand I'm feeling more confident I will be able to identify and cherish them all. Gardens Illustrated The author proves to be an engaging and informative writer, bringing particular "So that's why!" illumination to topics such as lawn and flower pollination BBC Wildlife Turns a stroll around your garden... into a voyage of discovery. Sunday Telegraph This is one for your bookshelf and one that I would like to give to people of all ages in the future. The author is to be congratulated. Highland News Group

Author description

Sir Colin Spedding CBE was Pro-VIce Chancellor, Professor of Agricultural Systems and Director of the Centre for Agricultural Strategy at Reading University.With his son, Geoffrey, he co-authored The Natural History of a Garden (Timber Press, 2003) about his own garden in Berkshire. Most recently, he published What's in Your Garden? A Book for Young Explorers (Brambley Press, 2010). He also wrote widely on agricultural topics and on the animal welfare debate. Sir Colin died in December 2012.