Orchid Summer: In Search of the Wildest Flowers of the British Isles - Hardcover

Dunn, Jon

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1408880881 ISBN 13: 9781408880883

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2018

Synopsis

A heady celebration of the beauty and history of the wild orchid species of the British Isles, embraced in one glorious and kaleidoscopic summer-long hunt by naturalist Jon Dunn

From the chalk downs of the south coast of England to the heathery moorland of the Shetland Isles, and from the holy island of Lindisfarne in the east to the Atlantic frontier of western Ireland, Orchid Summer is a journey into Britain and Ireland's most beautiful corners. The flowers that are the focus of this treasure hunt are exquisite and diverse. Some resemble insects and develop scents that mimic the smell of a virgin female wasp in order to lure male wasps to sample their unsatisfying charms. Some tower above the surrounding vegetation; others are vanishingly small and discrete. Some are sweetly scented; others smell of ripe billy goats. Some can be readily found but some will prove more elusive - none more so than the last to flower, the rarest of them all, the ghost orchid.

Capturing the intoxicating beauty of these rare and charismatic flowers, Orchid Summer is also an exploration of their history, their champions, their place in our landscape and the threats they face. Combining infectious enthusiasm and a painterly eye with a deep knowledge that comes from a lifetime's passionate devotion to their study, Dunn sweeps us up on his adventure, one from which it is impossible not to emerge enchanted and enriched.

About this title

Product Description:

(Hardback)

One spring, my laziness in failing to mow the back lawn turned out to be a blessing: dozens of bee orchids bearing their gorgeous, garish flowers were for once allowed to grow up uncut, to the point we knew we couldn’t do other than leave them and the lawn in peace for many weeks until the show was over. That experience predisposed me to want to follow Jon Dunn’s account of his journey round Britain in search of these strange, diverse and beautiful flowers. The book is part travelogue, part history, part celebration of these often elusive plants. The author is a genuine enthusiast for his subject as well as being deeply knowledgable. I defy you not to want to follow in his footsteps.

Bloomsbury
9781408880883

Review:

Remarkable . Dunn is very good at evoking the intensity with which orchid hunters pursue their quarry . He is also skilled in describing the beauty of the flowers themselves. Orchid Summer contains no photographs and few illustrations but scarcely needs them, so vivid and expressive is Dunn's prose (Sunday Times)

A painterly book detailing a naturalist's summer-long search for the wildest flowers of the British Isles; a hymn to the homegrown exotic (National Geographic Traveller)

Dunn is relentless in his quest to unearth the stories around the orchids that so enrapture him - and finds a few tales of floral skulduggery along the way! The history of these flowers, and the threats they face, combine to make this a great read for any plant enthusiast (Garden News)

From Muckle Flugga to the Isles of Scilly, this is a journey through Britain as you've never quite seen it before - a riveting orchidaceous journey to find our most elaborate, elusive and desired flowers. Jon Dunn is a marvellous guide - a wide-ranging polymath, learning lightly worn, he paints evocative pictures and delivers delicious tales (Patrick Barkham, author of 'The Butterfly Isles')

[Jon Dunn's] enthusiasm, knowledge and curiosity are evident in everything he does . Part travelogue, part memoir and part natural history poem, Orchid Summer is a dazzling, evocative account of Jon's adventures . A love letter to these most magical of plants (Eden Magazine)

Dunn's writing is assured and reflective. He has a painterly eye for colour terms and seems especially fond of them . The considered descriptions slow the reader's pace and engage the imagination . To be guided by Jon Dunn in such a pursuit is a pleasure (Times Literary Supplement)

In this intoxicating blend of nature quest, cultural history and science, Jon Dunn takes us through the landscape of the orchid . We travel with him to discover the orchidaceous secrets we might one day be lucky enough to encounter, if only we knew what to look for. And with this wonderful manual we now have a much better chance (Miriam Darlington BBC Wildlife)

A book rich with orchids and their subjects ... A wonderful book (Robert Macfarlane)

A very thorough quest. Not only did [Dunn] knock off the species but he also found many of the colour varieties and hybrids. He has considerable knowledge and expertise (Peter Marren British Wildlife)

Dunn . takes us on a summer journey across some of Britain and Ireland's loveliest countryside . Celebrating the beauty, history and charisma of wild orchids, Jon Dunn . writes engagingly of these delicate and elusive flowers (Choice)

About this edition

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1408880881
• ISBN 13: 9781408880883
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 384