Patrick Whitefield presents twenty years worth of notes on different types of landscapes. It explains everything from animal signs and tree shapes to how whole landscapes fit together and function. It includes extracts and photographs from his notebooks illustrating actual examples of the landscapes described. Patrick Whitefield has spent a lifetime living and working in the countryside and twenty years of that taking notes of what he sees, everywhere from the Isle of Wight to the Scottish Highlands. How to Read the Landscape is the fruit of those years of experience. In How to Read the Landscape Patrick explains everything from the details, such as the signs which wild animals leave as their signatures and the meaning behind the shapes of different trees, to how whole landscapes, including woodland, grassland and moorland, fit together and function as a whole. Rivers and lakes, roads and paths, hedgerows and field walls are also explained, as are the influence of different rocks, the soil and the ever-changing climate.
Patrick Whitefield is a bestselling author and one of Europe's foremost authors, teachers and practitioners of temperate permaculture. Patrick's previous books include: Permaculture In A Nutshell, The Earth Care Manual, How To Make A Forest Garden, and Tipi Living. He has appeared in several BBC TV programmes, makes popular YouTube videos and he is a consulting editor of Permaculture Magazine: Practical Solutions For Self-Reliance.
"The book is well organised thematically and, while it deserves reading from cover to cover, and re-reading, it is a book easily dipped into if you just want to brush up on one aspect, such as hedges, heathland or how to recognise the signs of wild animals. If you're really in a hurry, turn to the end of each section for a summary of the important points."
– Stuart Anderson, Permaculture magazine
"This introduces the reader to secrets of the outdoors: the clues left by wildlife, and the ecology of the landscape. Find out how elements harmoniously combine and gradually evolve."
– Discover Britain Magazine