Discovering British Wild Flowers

Deirdre Shirreffs has always loved wild flowers, her mother teaching her the names of the plants as a small child. This eventually led her to take up botany at Aberdeen University, followed by a PhD in botany and later teaching the subject at schools and universities. Having two daughters of her own, she appreciates the need of children being outdoors and also discovering the value of flowers, especially wild flowers.

• ContentsIntroduction 6Symbols 6Parts of a Plant 7Parts of a Flower 8Pollination and Fertilisation 9Seed Dispersal 10Leaf Shapes 11Flower Families 14Scientific Names 17Woodlands 19Heaths and Moors 37Walls 49Dunes and Seashores 57Marshes, Lakes and Rivers 65Gardens and Parks 77Hedgerows and Roadsides 87Fields 123Meadows and Grasslands 135General and Plant Index 151Flower Colour Index 154Useful Websites 159

Many of us passionately believe that there is an urgent need to encourage future generations of botanists. This new book is designed to do just that. Its target audience are primary school children between the ages of 6 and 12. But it could also be a helpful introductory flora for adults dipping their toes into the sometimes chilly waters of plant identification. - John Warren, BSBI; Overall Impression: Really good, easy to read, covers the main sorts of wild flower you would usually see and be able to identify. - Dr Peter Llewellyn; The book is looking fantastic. Although primarily for children, it could very much reach a wider audience of parents, interested adults, and primary school teachers. I would say it would be a lovely 'family book', for use at home and when out and about. The photos in the book are superb and give a real feeling what the flower or leaf actually looks like (close ups fantastic). I very much like the information about the leaf shapes...so often that is the way to identify flowers especially from a botanical point of view. I think teachers, from all over the UK, particularly, will find the book useful. The information is presented in a slightly more informal way so is pleasant to read but informative...good tone! The flower reproduction is also particularly well explained! As a teacher, I used drama, diagrams and a little buzzy bee to demonstrate this but actually it is quite hard for children (and a lot of adults) to totally understand! Looking at your book for the first time would make me or indeed anyone with a bit of interest be straight out there looking for wild flowers!! - Margaret Alston, Primary School Teacher