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This book is for people interested in managing weeds in the landscape, either for the protection of our natural resources and biodiversity, or for the protection of agricultural production and productivity. A practical guide to help you design successful weed management programs.
True time capsules of life, seeds are significant items of hope and promise. They are the most complex organs plants ever produce, and come in an enormously diverse range of shapes, sizes, and colours; from the impressive coco de mer nut to the microscopic seeds of an orchid, to the extraordinary cobalt blue of the traveller’s palm pit. Seeds are often overshadowed by the adult plant’s size and show. Here, 600 seeds are spotlit, each given equal attention, each shown as glorious photographs, life size and in detail, alongside an engraving of the parent plant. Every profile includes a population distribution map, a table of essential information, and a commentary revealing notable characteristics, related species, and a diagnosis of the specimen’s importance in terms of taxonomy, rarity, dispersal method, and scientific significance. Arranged taxonomically, this essential reference reveals the variety and importance of seeds to an extent never seen before.
The alluring nature of carnivorous plants is on stunning display in this fine art-style collection of botanical photographs. Over 140 color images show in minute detail species, hybrids, and cultivars from around the world, many painstakingly cultivated by the author in his native New York. The images were taken in a studio setting as well as in their natural environment. Detailed captions and text contain horticultural information like genus, species, and common names, ranges, and conservation status. Additional sections offer a primer on equipment and conditions for growing the specimens; identify threats to the plants’ natural habitats and the conservation organizations that are working to protect them; and present a survey of Long Island’s native carnivorous plants, making this a valuable horticultural reference as well. The Sinister Beauty of Carnivorous Plants will appeal to both fine art photography aficionados and horticultural enthusiasts.
A unique mix of art and science, this fresh and visually stunning survey celebrates the extraordinary beauty and diversity of the world’s most controversial plant: Cannabis salvia. Cutting-edge scanning electron microscope images, combined with light micrographs and X-rays, bring this captivating plant vividly to life. Meticulously photographed over the course of three years, the 140 color images are arranged by germination, stem, leaf, male flower, female flower, and roots, accompanied by explanations of what the viewer is seeing. The cannabis plant has had a complicated relationship with humans through the ages, and each image was selected with this in mind, highlighting unique and frequently bizarre features. This unusual photographic collection reveals the microscopic features of the marijuana plant as never before seen in one volume.
AUTHOR: Ted Kinsman is an associate professor in the Photographic Sciences Department at Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York, where he teaches high-speed photography and scanning electron microscopy. He holds degrees in optics, physics, and science education.
A new edition of a contemporary natural history classic, with a new foreword by Peter Wohlleben, author of The Hidden Life of Trees.
Bamboos are among the most fascinating of plants. Their unusual life cycle, tremendous power of growth, and extraordinary diversity of size and form give them a special significance in gardens. And gardens of all sizes can accommodate these elegant plants, which are cold-resistant and surprisingly easy to grow. Yet even today, with bamboos enjoying a well-deserved return to popularity, their horticultural potential remains largely untapped. Some bamboos make impressive specimens for the border, others form a fast-growing hedge or screen, and short forms provide a leafy groundcover. David Crompton explains the characteristics that set bamboos apart, and everything that is needed to grow them successfully. The core of the book is a gardener’s guide to nearly two hundred ornamental bamboos to grow and enjoy, supplemented by lists of bamboos for specific purposes.
The Botanical Bible tells the story of plants and flowers, beginning with an overview of the plant kingdom and the basics of botany, then offering strategies for gardening with purpose. Later chapters introduce seasonal eating, the healing properties of plants and the world of botanical art.
This stunning gift book is part history, part science, part beauty book, part cookbook and part art book. It will appeal to anyone wanting to use plants and flowers in modern life, whether they are an accomplished gardener or are simply yearning for a more natural life. This comprehensive guide to plants, flowers and botanicals covers a host of practical uses, features vintage illustrations alongside the work of current artists, and is sure to be an inspiration to anyone interested in the natural world.
Our backyards form an important habitat for wildlife, providing food, shelter and a place to live and breed for countless species of birds, mammals, insects, reptiles and amphibians. This useful guide has many identification spreads on key species and families of wildlife likely to be encountered. It also looks at ways of improving and enhancing your garden so that it can offer the most opportunities for wildlife and therefore the greatest amount of enjoyment to its owners. All in all it is an essential read for anyone hoping to create a haven for nature on their doorstep.
Typical backyard ponds are a complicated mess of pipes, pumps, filters, and nasty chemicals designed to adjust pH and keep algae at bay. Hardly the bucolic, natural ecosystem beloved by dragonflies, frogs, and songbirds. The antidote is a natural pond, free of hassle, cost, and complexity and designed as a fully functional ecosystem, ideal for biodiversity, swimming, irrigation, and quiet contemplation.
Building Natural Ponds is the first step-by-step guide to designing and building natural ponds that use no pumps, filters, chemicals, or electricity and mimic native ponds in both aesthetics and functionality. Highly illustrated with how-to drawings and photographs, coverage includes:
• Understanding pond ecosystems and natural algae control
• Planning, design, siting, and pond aesthetics
• Step-by-step guidance for construction, plants and fish, and maintenance and trouble shooting
• Scaling up to large ponds, pools, bogs, and rain gardens.
Whether you’re a backyard gardener looking to add a small serene natural water feature or a homesteader with visions of a large pond for fish, swimming, and irrigation, Building Natural Ponds is the complete guide to building ponds in tune with nature, where plants, insects, and amphibians thrive in blissful serenity.
It’s the pesticide on our dinner plates, a chemical so pervasive it’s in the air we breathe, our water, our soil, and even found increasingly in our own bodies. Known as Monsanto’s Roundup by consumers, and as glyphosate by scientists, the world’s most popular weed killer is used everywhere from backyard gardens to golf courses to millions of acres of farmland. For decades it’s been touted as safe enough to drink, but a growing body of evidence indicates just the opposite, with research tying the chemical to cancers and a host of other health threats.
In Whitewash, veteran journalist Carey Gillam uncovers one of the most controversial stories in the history of food and agriculture, exposing new evidence of corporate influence. Gillam introduces readers to farm families devastated by cancers which they believe are caused by the chemical, and to scientists whose reputations have been smeared for publishing research that contradicted business interests. Readers learn about the arm-twisting of regulators who signed off on the chemical, echoing company assurances of safety even as they permitted higher residues of the pesticide in food and skipped compliance tests. And, in startling detail, Gillam reveals secret industry communications that pull back the curtain on corporate efforts to manipulate public perception.
“Whitewash reads like a mystery novel, as Gillam skilfully uncovers Monsanto’s secretive strategies to convince countries around the world that its Roundup products are safe. The book unravels a tapestry of pesticide industry tricks to manipulate the scientific truths about their products while placing profits above human health and the environment. As someone who has experienced similar actions by corporations firsthand in my work far too often, I am hopeful that Carey’s book will be a wake-up call for more transparency about the dangers surrounding many chemicals in the marketplace.” ~ Erin Brockovich
When you know where to look, each season Nature provides a generous spread of tasty treats ripe for the picking. Foraging can be an adventure for the entire family, and Food You Can Forage is packed with photos, illustrations and useful information to help you identify and find food in the wild, as well as delicious recipes to try with your finds.
In this book, Tiffany Francis explores a range of habitats, revealing why plants grow where they do and which other living things live there too. Tiffany offers tips to help make the most of time spent outdoors wherever you are, and her delightful text also explains everything from the birds to look out for along the coast to which bumblebees you’re most likely to spot on your local heathland.
Whether you prefer to avoid eating overly processed foods or just enjoy spending time outdoors with your family, knowing how to ethically source food for free in the wild is a valuable and fun skill that anyone can learn.
This great diversity is showcased and brought to life through fascinating examples, beautiful illustrations and clear, explanatory diagrams.
Anyone with an interest in plants, or with more ecological or pharmacological inclinations, will be fascinated and engaged by this book.