Natural History (general)

Ever since the first human settlements 10,000 years ago, hedgerows have been a feature of our landscape and our history. The Romans were keen hedge builders, the Anglo-Saxons gave us the word "hege" and in the nineteenth century villagers rioted against the building of hedged enclosures. Many of these ancient hedgerows still survive, and today they line our motorways, fringe our gardens and criss-cross the countryside. In The Natural History of the Hedgerow: and Ditches, Dykes and Dry Stone Walls, John Wright tells the story of hedgerows past and present, encompassing their long significance in the life of the countryside, their origins and natural history, the ancient crafts involved in their creation, and the huge variety in their ages, sizes, shape, composition and functions. Full of beautiful line drawings and colourful photographs, the book transforms these stalwarts of nature into rich sources of cultural, historical and scientific material. You'll never look at shrubs in the same way again.

Hadrian's Wildlife will encourage visitors to the area to enjoy and appreciate the wide selection of these habitats on a year-round basis. This invaluable guide to the many and varied attractions of the area will take the reader on a voyage of discovery and will be an essential companion for visitors.

This book is a celebration of the wildlife and landscapes of Britain's most vital wildlife habitats – those that make up our coastline.

Grand-scale colour photos bring the wild coast and its inhabitants to life, while the text tells you what you'll see and where, from Land's End to John O'Groats via the scenic route. Beautifully illustrated with colour photographs and authoritative text, this book is a celebration of the wilder aspects of the UK's coasts.

As a young child, Sarah Woods imagined going on epic voyages to exotic, illusory lands filled with bizarre creatures, intoxicating rhythms, vibrant colours and other-worldly forests. As soon as she was old enough she packed a bag and set off to see the world for real, leaving friends and family behind to fulfil her childhood dreams. Sarah's intrepid travels on the trail of iconic wildlife took her through some of the toughest terrain imaginable, and led to encounters with extraordinary indigenous people of the forest, with whom she experienced kindnesses and cultures beyond her wildest dreams.This book tells the incredible story of one woman's adventure into the heart of the rainforest.

France boasts an amazing diversity of habitats and wildlife and this title celebrates the landscapes and natural history of this suprisingly diverse country.

This comprehensive guide covers most of the birds, many of the other vertebrate species and a large number of typical invertebrates and flora to be found in New Zealand.

A complete survey of the Earth's natural history. Each geological and biological grouping is introduced and explained in an engaging and highly informative way. From granites to grape vines, from microbes to mammals, this is a true visual dictionary of every kingdom of life. Colour photographs, 648pp. 2010

This title offers essential information, from biology to behaviour of Australia's unique species in one handy, readable guide. The author guides visitors though dense rainforest and across parched deserts to discover how bizarre creatures evolved in isolation. Find out why some fish change sex and how thorny devils drink.

Covers the best areas to search for particular wildlife specialities, with tips on how to find, identify and enjoy them.

Trilobites are extinct arthropods that dominated the early oceans of the world. They occupied every available ecological niche and were highly successful organisms that evolved into a bewildering array of different forms. They died out at the end of the Permian, some 250 million years ago. Fossil trilobite remains are found on every continent. This title shows some of the best preserved, complete examples from many different countries and includes specimens collected from many 'classic' old localities. Will appeal to anybody interested in trilobites, from academics to fossil enthusiasts and collectors. Illustration type: Colour photographs, 416pp. 2014

The first book on Darwin and Darwinism that concentrates wholly on his time spent in Scotland. Provides introductory notes to both academic and non-academic topics and delves deeper into subject areas without becoming inaccessible to the lay reader. B/w photographs, 186pp. 2010

This book busts the myths that wildlife gardens have to be wild, or that you can only garden for wildlife in a 'wildlife garden'. It shows how easy it is to incorporate wildlife gardening alongside everything else you want from your garden.

Documents the range of dangerous and threatening aspects of nature. Animals that can wound, venomous creatures, those that are poisonous to eat and diseases caused by animals. The focus is on understanding, identifying, avoiding and surviving these potential hazards of the African wilds.

Covers the region's mammals, birds, reptiles, frogs and trees that are most likely to be seen. Concise account for each species.

Consisting of three main sections, the first section offers a general overview of Gozo's natural habitat covering different fields of study and highlights the charm and beauty of Gozo's environment and heritage. The second section of the book provides details of 160 floral species that can be found on Gozo and the final section provides details of 130 species of fauna.

From the magnificent coastal flower displays of The Lizard in March, to the spectacle of seeing peregrine falcons in the unlikely urban setting of Canary Wharf in June, you'll experience first hand the huge array of flora, fauna and habitat to be found within our shores. Find details on hundreds of locations, maps, contacts, access and facilities, opening times and charges, plus great ideas for a whole host of options, giving you the choice in what you want to do and when.

This is an exhibition of Tony Chater's work spanning three decades. The images, covering all of the islands, have been arranged in the form of a natural history. Many feature the omnipresent ocean upon which all our lives depend, no matter how far from it we live.

The wild animals in our gardens are both intimately known and hardly known at all.

Many of the animals we see, from grey squirrels to earthworms, hide secrets that most people know nothing about. These secrets are sometimes shocking, sometimes inspiring and often simply strange.

This title tells the inside story of the garden's wildlife through the twelve months of the year.

Each month of the year the author brings aspects of rural England to life with a fascinating insight into a mammals, a wild flower, a rural worker, a countryside festival, a seasonal landscape, a native bird and a traditional monthly farming practice.

Features all the mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and arthropods that one is likely to see on a trip to Costa Rica's varied environments. Provides details for identifying mammals along with interesting facts about their natural history.

Weaves together the story of Simon's life via the animals and the natural encounters that have shaped it. With humour and poetry, every page is fizzing with the author's infectious enthusiasm.

The glorious variety of Shropshire's wildlife is revealed in these beautiful images, covering the county's landscape, birds, animals and plants.The photographs are accompanied by brief descriptions of the different habitats within Shropshire and the changes they have undergone over the last 50 years. Colour photographs, 177pp. 2012

This title discusses the Himalayas, its foothills, and the adjoining Terai and Duar grassland-forests. Focuses on the mammals of the Himalayan region but also includes details on the birds, flora and landscapes.

Islands have an irresistible attraction and an enduring appeal. Naturalist Roger Lovegrove has visited many. In this book he takes the reader to twenty that fascinate him the most. The range is diverse and spectacular; and whether distant, offshore, inhabited, uninhabited, tropical or polar, each is a unique self-contained habitat with a delicately-balanced ecosystem, and each has its own mystique and ineffable magnetism. Central to each story is also the impact of human settlers.

This book follows, season by season, Tim's observations, discoveries, excitements and speculations. From gardens in England to gorillas in Rwanda and whales in the Sea of Cortez, his enthusiasm for the natural world shines forth. This is the ideal bedside book, ready to be consumed in fifty bite-sized chapters. There are also 52 wildlife-themed puzzles and quizzes - one for every week of the year. Illustration type: Colour photographs, 160pp. 2014

A colourful and amusing narrative charts the peaks and troughs as the author, his wife and two young children take up the challenge to scour the length and breadth of the British Isles in search of everything from Weasels and Stoats to Edible Dormice, Killer Whales and Wallabies. Colour and b/w illustrations and photographs, 272pp. 2009

Explores the flora and fauna, customs and traditions that give the English countryside its unique charm and special identity. From the standing stones and carvings of our ancestors to the modern farming methods and woodland management of today, discover hundreds of fascinating facts about rural England.

From the crisp coldness of January, through the excitement of spring and the warmth of summer, and back into the dampness of the autumn and the chilly winds of winter, we accompany the forest ranger as he goes about his work. An invigorating look at nature through a forest ranger's eyes and an enthralling journey deep in the woods.

From birds, mammals and fish to trees, flowers and insects, the richness of the British natural world is explored through a stunning collection of the very best in wildlife poetry.

This field guide will enable the identification of a range of invasive plants and animals now found in Britain. Though these species are of particular concern to conservationists there has previously been no unified guide devoted to their recognition. Illustration type: Colour photographs, Maps, 288pp. 2015

 

 

Published in March 2015. With contributions from Jason Anderson and Claver Ntoyinkima. A guide to wildlife travel in this central/eastern African country.

Documents the expansive polar regions of the earth. Dutch photographer Jan Vermeer, with a great deal of patience and a stong feeling for contrast, has captured the macro and micro facets of nature to make the public conscious of natures beauty and the fact that we need to treat it with care. Colour photographs, 192pp. 2010

In a single twelve-month cycle of daily writings Mark Cocker explores his relationship to the East Anglian landscape, to nature and to all the living things around him. The separate entries are characterised by close observation, depth of experience, and a profound awareness of seasonal change, both within in each distinct year and, more alarmingly, over the longer period, as a result of the changing climate

Increasingly, wildlife is finding a home in our built up, concrete and noisy cities. Canals, disused railway embanments, reservoirs and inner city gardens are becoming more popular abodes for a huge number of species. This title reveals Britain's best urban sites and describes the different habitats that exist within them.

Contains a short biography of `Yorkshire's Gilbert White' as Bolton is sometimes described together with 41 b/w illustrations of his work & notes on the places he studied & the people with whom he worked. 74pp. 1995

An extremely welcome collection of sites which are suitable for use by interested people with some form of disability. The directory is grouped into regions and there are location details for each site, with a description, access and facility information. There is also a site contact name, address and telephone number.

The migration of animals has always been a fascinating aspect of the natural world, the study of which being usually confined to specific groups such as birds, insects or marine animals. This book takes an integrated ecological perspective, comparing the migration behaviour of different taxa and studies the relation of migration to other movements.

A comprehensive and accessible ecological study describing how plants and animals cope in winter.

Each year more than one million people die from malaria and over 100 million contract the disease. This important book sets out in clear, simple terms, the dangers of malaria, the precautions you can take to avoid catching it and what to do if you think you have contracted it. The book is essential for anyone travelling to, or living in Africa.

Recounts true stories of animals rescued by Sea Life Centres and includes dolphins, whales, sharks and other less well-known creatures such as sunfish and cuckoo wrasse.

Richard Jeffries was a 'poet naturalist' with an ecological vision, he was both mystic and realist, and his writings show the beauty of 'wild England' but also the harsh conditions of labouring life in the Victorian countryside.

Contains identification guides for trees, winter twigs, seeds and fruits, spring flowers, birds, animals, fungi and lichens and tracks and signs. Also an instruction guide, colouring poster and dry wipe pen.

Features over 100 articles, mainly taken from columns for the Guardian and Guardian Weekly, which illustrate some of the author's most enduring themes over the last 20 years. This hugely varied selection also demonstrates a concern to champion the despised and neglected, as much as it explores some of the world's most charismatic creatures.

This guide celebrates the diversity of British Wildlife. Nick, in his energetic style, explains what is happening in nature in each month of the year, and provides helpful, practical advice on finding a wide variety of wildlife - often in the most unexpected places.

 A special place, a place of your own, a secret garden where life is somehow more alive than it is outside. The place is wilder and yet kinder, the creatures that live here are less tame but somehow more confiding. It's both magical and holy. Call it Eden, Narnia, the secret garden: the need for such a place is part of the human condition. I've sought it all my life, as Alice sought the locked-up garden after she had fallen down the rabbit-hole. The Enchanted Valley is where we understand the species we share the planet with, and where we also begin to understand the species we happen to be.The Sacred Combe represents natural history writing at its very best.

 This unique book offers a window into the lives of little-known and studied creatures and their remarkable behaviour and adaptations in order to optimise their ability to go about their business in the hours of darkness.

Today we live in snug, well-furnished houses surrounded by the trappings of a civilised life. But we are not alone – we suffer a constant stream of unwanted visitors. This book represents a 21st century version of the classic Mediaeval bestiary. It poses questions such as where these animals came from, can we live with them, can we get rid of them, and should we?

A practical title which will inspire people to study their local wildlife on a regular basis. Many birders watch a local patch and find it to be an extremely addictive, popular and enjoyable pastime. The chapters will enthuse readers about the incredible variety of wildlife experiences and species to be found close to home and help them to tune in to the nature around them and how it behaves at certain times of year and what can be found when. A practical title which will inspire people to study their local wildlife on a regular basis.

This beautifully illustrated book on camouflaged animals will include some nature's greatest designs and in one of the most remarkable compilations of pictures on the subject ever published. Some of the images have to be seen to be believed in terms of the subjects' remarkable imitations of their natural backgrounds, which often aid them in their roles as hunting predator of prey attempting to avoid capture.

Latin names – frequently unpronounceable, all too often wrong and always a tiny puzzle to unravel – have been annoying the layman since they first became formalised as scientific terms in the eighteenth century. Why on earth has the entirely land-loving Eastern Mole been named Scalopus aquaticus, or the Oxford Ragwort been called Senecio squalidus – 'dirty old man'? What were naturalists thinking when they called a beetle Agra katewinsletae, a genus of fish Batman, and a Trilobite Han solo? The Naming of the Shrew will unveil these mysteries, exploring the history, celebrating their poetic nature and revealing how naturalists sometimes get things so terribly wrong.