United States
£ GBP
It's often imagined that rarity is special. We seek out uncommon plants or birds to tick them off our lists, but most of us overlook the extraordinary splendour of the species we encounter daily in the natural world. It's these species – the most successful plants – that are truly interesting.
In this new book, Ken Thompson sets out to chart Britain's fifty-two most common wild plants and to explain the secrets of their success. What are their key characteristics? How do they thrive in different habitats? Where did they come from? What do their popular names – speedwell, buttercup, dog rose – mean?
Common or Garden – stunningly illustrated by the artist Sarah Abbot – will open our eyes afresh to the everyday natural world.
Dr Ken Thompson was for twenty years a lecturer in the Department of Animal and Plant Sciences at the University of Sheffield. He writes regularly on gardening for the Daily Telegraph. His previous book was Do We Need Pandas? The Uncomfortable Truth About Biodiversity.
"[...] The text is written in an enjoyably flowing and engaging style, with no little humour, is meticulously researched, and on the occasions when it is necessary to explain a rather complex subject matter, for example apomixis, it is accomplished with a clarity that can be achieved only by someone with an authoritative knowledge of their subject matter. [...] This book provides a fresh and insightful account of the flora that lives within walking distance of all our homes, and is a welcome antidote to the all-too-common tales of decline and loss that so often permeate the narrative about our wild flora."
– Pete Stroh, British Wildlife 35(5), April 2024
