It may seem that with so many of our surroundings dominated by man-made structures there are few places left where wild things can grow. However, wild plants can be found everywhere – and in the varied and attractive landscape of Somerset as much as anywhere.
Somerset Wild Flowers is for those who have a general interest in plants, want to know a bit more about them and want to be able to name them. As children we learned what daisies, dandelions, bluebells and foxgloves all looked like because we had seen them or illustrations of them, and learnt their names from teachers or parents. What Somerset Wild Flowers aims to do is to return to the simple, basic way of iden- tifying plants by seeing what they look like. The photographs – what you see – are the key guides: the expert text is there to tell the reader exactly what to look for in the photographs without getting involved in botanical terminology. Many people when walking or gardening will come across plants that arouse their curiosity. Somerset Wild Flowers will help them name those plants.
With more than 2000 photographs, virtually every wild plant that can be found growing in Somerset is illustrated and described. This comprehensive and profusely illustrated book will be an essential companion to anyone with an interest in wild lowers, in the British countryside and in the county of Somerset in particular.
After wartime service with the Indian Army, Bernard Storer went up to Cambridge where he read natural Sciences. From there he went into teaching and spent much of his career as a biology teacher at Bridgwater Grammar School. When, later, the school became a comprehensive one, he was appointed as a Deputy Head. During his time teaching, and even more so in retirement, he became deeply involved in wildlife conservation. He is the author of The Natural History of the Somerset Levels, as well as numerous articles and work on TV programmes. He was also Vice-Chairman of the Somerset Wildlife Trust. In this book he has been able to put together his skill as a teacher and his expert knowledge of wildlife.
David Reid has an ecological background, whilst his wife Felicity Reid is an expert gardener and plantswoman. They have worked with Bernard Storer to help find and photograph the plants. They have also been extremely active in preparing this material for publication in a modern format.