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

Dunn, Jon

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1408880946 ISBN 13: 9781408880944

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2019

Synopsis

'Remarkable ... Evoking the intensity with which orchid hunters pursue their quarry ... Vivid and expressive' Sunday Times

Orchid Summer is a heady celebration of the beauty and history of the wild orchid species of the British Isles, embraced in one dazzling summer-long hunt by naturalist Jon Dunn.

The flowers that are the focus of this treasure hunt are exquisite and diverse. Some tower above the surrounding vegetation; others are vanishingly small and discrete. Some are sweetly scented; others smell of ripe billy goats. Some are abundant; others more elusive - none more so than the last to flower, the ghost orchid.

Capturing the intoxicating beauty of these rare flowers, Orchid Summer explores 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.

About this title

Review:

Dunn's descriptions of his "orchidaceous treasures" are wonderfully vivid and his account of his travels is full of amusing anecdotes . This is a beautifully written celebration of these mysterious and endangered plants that will delight orchidophiles and nature lovers alike (PD Smith Guardian)

Remarkable . Evoking the intensity with which orchid hunters pursue their quarry . [Dunn] is 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'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)

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)

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)

Book Description:

'Remarkable ... Evoking the intensity with which orchid hunters pursue their quarry ... Vivid and expressive' Sunday Times

About this edition

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 1408880946
• ISBN 13: 9781408880944
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 384