A complete natural history and the first large-scale survey of this unique part of the country.The borderland between England and Wales has long been a region of contention. Its distinctive geography, wedged roughly between Welsh mountains and English river beds has not only isolated this rural, sparsely-populated slice of land, but created a unique identity.Stretching along the bordering counties with England – Cheshire, Shropshire and Herefordshire – the Welsh Marches are...

A blend of history, science, philosophy, and environmentalism, The Tree is an engaging and elegant look at the life of the tree and what modern research tells us about their future.There are redwoods in California that were ancient by the time Columbus first landed, and pines still alive that germinated around the time humans invented writing. There are Douglas firs as tall as skyscrapers, and a banyan tree in Calcutta as big as a football field.Fr...

This ebook edition does not include illustrations.An awe-inspiring journey through the eons and across the globe, in search of visible traces of evolution in the living creatures which have survived from earlier times and whose stories speak to us of seminal events in the history of life.The history of life on Earth is far older – and far odder – than many of us realise. In ‘Survivors’, acclaimed author Richard Fortey traces this history not through fossil records, but in t...

Africa does not give up its secrets easily. Buried there lie answers about the origins of humankind. And yet, though vital clues still remain hidden, scientists have over the last century transformed our understanding about the beginnings of human life. In Born in Africa, Martin Meredith follows scientists' trail of discoveries about human origins, recounting their intense rivalry, personal feuds, and fierce controversies as well as their feats of skill and endurance. And he limns...

This book is a geological history of Britain from over 2,000 million years ago to the present day and describes the enormous variety of rocks, minerals and fossils that form this fascinating island. An introductory chapter covers the fundamental principles of geology. Further chapters describe the rocks, minerals and fossils of the recognised periods of geological time, and the areas where they are found today. This book is written for the lay person interested in the great variety of Brit...

Written by well-known naturalists and photographers, this guide will enable the easy identification of around 1,000 of the more common insects found in the region. The carefully chosen selection represents all insect groups, with a bias towards the more prominent species, so that all the butterflies, grasshoppers, crickets, damselflies and dragonflies occurring in Britain have been included. Over 700 colour photographs show the species in their natural habitats, and around 100 line-drawing...

This book accompanies the landmark television series Kingdom of Plants 3D: With David Attenborough.In the last 500 million years, plants have undertaken an epic journey that has not only spanned the ages but has altered the very make-up of the planet. It was a journey that began in a dark and barren world, and has culminated in a planet that is draped in rich colours, and overflowing with a diversity of mystifying orchids, exploding seed pods and snapping carnivorous plants.

‘Trees are wildlife just as deer or primroses are wildlife. Each species has its own agenda and its own interactions with human activities …’Written by one of Britain’s best-known naturalists, Woodlands offers a fascinating new insight into the trees of the British landscape that have filled us with awe and inspiration throughout the centuries.Looking at such diverse evidence as the woods used in buildings and ships, and how woodland has been portrayed in pictures and photo...

About 30 miles south-west of Land’s End is the low group of rocks and islands that form the Isles of Scilly. Mysterious, romantic and beautiful, they have long exercised the imagination of story tellers and historians.Rosemary Parslow has spent many years working on the islands, each of which has its own unique character and special plants and animals. In this New Naturalist volume she examines the many aspects that make the islands and their flora and fauna so unique: their geogra...

An invaluable guide to selecting from among a vast array of fly patterns and sizes - the standard work for the ardent trout-fisher and fly-tier.

Here you will find a wealth of information on the fauna, flora, and natural wonders of the Kawarthas.The Kawarthas sit astride the Canadian Shield and fertile lands to the south. This is cottage country a place where people are closer to nature and where children and adults remark on the sightings of animals, birds, and butterflies from windows and lakeside chairs and ask questions about what they see. This book is a valuable asset and will answer many of these que...

New Naturalist Dartmoor explores the complex and fascinating history of one of southern England's greatest National Parks, an area of enormous interest to naturalists and tourists alike.Dartmoor is said to be the loneliest wilderness in England. This has been said more often of Dartmoor than any other part of our country. Traditionally in the world of fiction as well as that of fact, Dartmoor has been renowned as a vast and empty moorland area, the property of nature rather than of...