In The Weather Detective Peter Wohlleben uses his long experience and deep love of nature, to help us decipher the weather in a completely new and compelling way. At what temperature do bees stay at home? Why do southerly winds in winter often bring storms? If you cut open a hailstorm, what does that tell you? Why are pine cones useless as pocket weather stations? How do birdsong or flower scents help you tell the time?
Full of the very latest discoveries, combined with ancient now-forgotten lore, The Weather Detective helps you read nature's secret signs and discover a whole new layer of meaning in the world around you.
Peter Wohlleben spent over twenty years working for the forestry commission in Germany before leaving to put his ideas of ecology into practice. He now runs an environmentally-friendly woodland in Germany, where he is working towards the return of primeval forests, as well as caring for both wild and domestic animals. Wohlleben has been celebrated for his distinctive approach to writing about nature; he brings to life groundbreaking scientific research through his observations of nature and the animals he lives amongst. He is also the author of the international bestseller The Hidden Life of Trees.
"The best weather detectives are the birds, plants and animals we share this fragile world with. But how many of us nowadays can interpret the clues they offer? Peter Wohlleben delves deep into the mysteries of animal and bird behaviour, soil management, plant adaptation, and ways of mitigating the effects of climate change on our gardens and our planet."
– Christopher Somerville, walking correspondent for The Times. Author of The January Man
"Wohlleben's insightful observations of nature, combined with his signature blend of science and imagination, invite us into deeper relationship with the ecology of our homes"
– David George Haskell, Pulitzer finalist and author of The Forest Unseen and The Songs of Trees
"For a society increasingly distanced from nature, Wohlleben renews our appreciation of the wonderful and varied ties between the living and nonliving worlds, including those that bind our favorite plants and animals with that most familiar of all physical entities, the weather"
– Bill Streever, nationally bestselling author of Cold
"[A] fascinating book"
– Daily Mail
"A treasure trove of fascinating information about the environment. A primer for the curious gardener [...] a book to browse and then think to yourself, 'Oh, so that's why.'"
– Town and Country magazine