Urban Plants

(Hardback)

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Description

An illuminating account of urban botany in the British Isles its ecology, history and cultural significance.

The walls, pavements, lawns, parks, playing fields, verges and waste ground that make up the built environment of Britain and Ireland are home to an extraordinary array of plant species. Native and non-native species together find ways to endure in often harsh and uncompromising habitats. In Urban Plants, leading botanist Trevor Dines tells the stories of our urban flowers, ferns and conifers: how they arrived, how they survive, and how a select few seize the opportunity to become masters of the streets, thriving in the face of constant upheaval and change.

We learn how our villages, towns and cities have changed over time from Roman Britain to reconstruction after World War II and the resulting geographical variation that exists in our flora today, such as London Rocket at the Tower of London or the newly evolved York Groundsel recently discovered in a railway station carpark. Trevor also looks to the future and the potential impacts of invasive species, herbicides and climate change, as well as the concept of urban rewilding.

Illustrated with around 350 colour photographs, maps and diagrams, as well as text boxes exploring key species and habitats, this is a fascinating deep dive into the biology, ecology and cultural impact of the plants that set up home alongside us.

Reviews

Dr Trevor Dines is a veritable botanical encyclopaedia, the kind of person you wish you could carry in your pocket on every walk. This excellent book provides a fascinating exploration of the science and ecology of urban plants and is a fitting tribute to their resilience and adaptability. Another superb addition to Bloomsburys British Wildlife Collection, I would urge all naturalists to buy it and use it. -- Iolo Williams, naturalist and broadcaster

Author Bio

Trevor Dines is a consultant botanist and author with more than 30 years experience of investigating, conserving and championing our wild flora. His career began with a project to publish the ground-breaking New Atlas of the British and Irish Flora, which involved mapping every native and naturalised plant in these islands. Campaigning for better management of road verges and the creation of wildflower meadows, he was Plantlifes botanical specialist for 20 years and created #NoMowMay to encourage wilder lawns. A regular contributor to the Radio 4 Today programme, BBC Breakfast and Countryfile, Trevor also presented Channel 4s Wild Things and wrote the accompanying book The Wild Things Guide to the Changing Plant Life of the British Isles.