Flowers of the Forest – Plants and People in the New Forest National Park

There are many books about the New Forest, most of the more recent ones fairly shallow works with glossy photos of Ponies and tourist hot-spots and little else to offer. This book is different, I knew I was in for a treat when I read the opening quotation taken from Gerards Herbal'I do not intend here to trouble you with an accurate distinction and enumeration of rushes for if I should, it would be tedious to you, and laborious to me, and beneficial to neither'That's the way the book is, plenty of detail but all of it guaranteed to draw the reader in, none of it tedious or laborious. Chatters has picked out the key species that anyone interested in the plants of the 'Forest' will want to know about and enhanced their stories with fascinating history and anecdotes. Each species becomes memorable not just for its rarity or beauty but for its place in the history and ecology of its home ground.I especially like Chatters comments on the management of the 'Forest' and his take on the relevance of of different habitat types, eg. he explains the importance and value of Scrub as an asset rather than a problem. He gives a well observed view on on Bracken showing the joys a good stand can offer if studied through the seasons rather than just at its apparent world dominating peak in high Summer. The trend of increasing tidiness around the Forest is exposed by the author as not always a positive thing, many planty jewels are shown to enjoy, even need ground that has been churned up a bit.If you want this as a coffee table book it will be for the words more so than the pictures. The illustrations are appropriate and informative but not visually stunning, there are other books that tick that box.As you would expect from an author of this calibre and background the book is well supplied with appendices of invaluable references.

Wonderful photographs and detailed information.