Showing titles in Botany & Plants

Over seven billion people depend on plants for healthy, productive, secure lives, but few of us stop to consider the origin of the plant kingdom that turned the world green and made our lives possible. And as the human population continues to escalate, our survival depends on how we treat the plant kingdom and the soils that sustain it. Understanding the evolutionary history of our land floras, the story of how plant life emerged from water and conquered the continents to dominate the planet, is fundamental to our own existence.

In a book destined to become a classic, biologist and acclaimed nature writer Bernd Heinrich takes listeners on an eye-opening journey through the hidden life of a forest. A lifetime observer of the natural world shares his vast knowledge and reflections on the trees of the Northeast woodlands and the rhythms of their seasons, from the DNA contained in an apple seed to the great branches beyond reach.

The story of grass is bigger than grass itself; it is the story of us and our place in the natural world. From creeping turf and towering bamboo, to rolling meadows, vast savannas and fields of wheat, grass is all around us. Yet despite its ubiquity, hardly any of us pay it much mind as we...

Botany For Dummies gives you a thorough overview of the fundamentals of botany, but in simple terms that anyone can understand. Great for supplementing your botany coursework or brushing up before an exam, this book covers plant evolution, the structure and function of plant cells, and plant identification. Plus, you'll learn about how plants of different types are changing and adapting in response to changing climates. This new edition goes into more detail on fungi—not technically plants, but no one is holding that against them.

As a material, wood has no equal in strength, resilience, adaptability and availability. It has been our partner in the cultural evolution from woodland foragers to engineers of our own destiny. Tracing that partnership through tools, devices, construction and artistic expression, Max Adams explores the role that wood has played in our own history as an imaginative, curious and resourceful species.

‘What is it like to be a bat?’, the philosopher Thomas Nagel famously asked concerning consciousness. For biologist Martin Stevens, the question forms the starting point of an exploration of animal senses. In this enthralling account, we learn not only of the wonder of animal senses, but how they work and how scientists go about investigating them. And, throughout, we consider how these senses came to be.

Have you ever wondered why the leaves of the Swiss cheese plant have holes? How aloe vera came to be harnessed as a medicinal powerhouse? Or why—despite your best efforts—you can’t keep your Venus flytrap alive? You are not alone: houseplant expert Jane Perrone has asked herself those very questions, and in Legends of the Leaf she digs deep beneath the surface to reveal the answers.

In this modern age, there are few things as important as managing our health in the most healing and beneficial way possible. The problem arises when we flush chemical, manmade antibiotics into our bodies to try to get rid of infections and other problematic issues our bodies face.

Embark on an unparalleled journey into the heart of nature with "The Magic of Mycology: An Enthusiasts Guide to Cultivating and Understanding Psilocybin Mushrooms" by Chris J. Conlan. This meticulously crafted book serves as a comprehensive guide to the enchanting world of psilocybin mushrooms, blending historical insights, scientific research, and practical cultivation advice to offer a rich and multifaceted exploration of these mystical fungi.

When Christmas comes for the four March girls, there is no money for expensive presents and they give away their Christmas breakfast to a poor family. But there are no happier girls in America than Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. They miss their father, of course, who is away at the Civil War, but they try hard to be good so that he will be proud of his ’little women’ when he comes home.

Don’t miss your opportunity to become happier and healthier as you learn from nature, connect with other people, get back to your roots, become more self-sufficient, and stop worrying about running out of food. Once you set out on this path, you will never look back.

‘Packed with beautiful images, recipes, remedies, meditations, fascinating ideas’. The Telegraph A beautiful, illustrated modern guide to nature for a new generation (including city-dwellers) and how it can impact our mental and physical wellbeing. Reconnect with nature and learn everything...

Today there is no place on Earth that does not harbor invasive exotic species. Invasive plants and animals can be found on every continent, including Antarctica, and within all waterbodies, including all oceans. This Very Short Introduction provides a clear definition of an invasive species, and considers the myriad ways they are moved around the globe, and the ecological, social, and economic impacts they often impose.

In Monarchs and Milkweed, Anurag Agrawal presents a vivid investigation into how the monarch butterfly has evolved closely alongside the milkweed - a toxic plant named for the sticky white substance emitted when its leaves are damaged - and how this inextricable and intimate relationship has been like an arms race over the millennia, a battle of exploitation and defense between two fascinating species.

Forest celebrates the diverse ways in which trees and forests are as magnificent, economically relevant and profoundly enchanting today as they ever have been. Journeying across the continents, Matt Collins and Roo Lewis tie together both the historical context and modern-day applications of...

Collections of preserved plant specimens, known as herbaria, have existed for nearly five centuries. These pressed and labeled plants have been essential resources for scientists, allowing them to describe and differentiate species and to document and research plant changes and biodiversity over time—including changes related to climate. Maura C. Flannery tells the history of herbaria, from the earliest collections belonging to such advocates of the technique as sixteenth-century botanist Luca Ghini, to the collections of poets, politicians, and painters, and to the digitization today.

Come le piante navigano intorno al mondo, come portano la vita su isole sterili, come sono state in grado di crescere in luoghi inaccessibili e inospitali, come riescono a viaggiare attraverso il tempo, come convincono gli animali a farsi trasportare ovunque. Sono solo alcune delle incredibili storie raccontate da Stefano Mancuso.

Ancient trees stand as sentinels against all odds while Earth and its people have changed around them. Award-winning author Anthony D. Fredericks examines their awe-inspiring longevity and evolutionary intelligence, drawing on expert interviews, scientific research, and a remarkable reverence for the environment. Fredericks focuses on ten of the oldest trees in the United States and marvels at the complexity of roots, the determination of growth, and the wisdom of forests.

Nos últimos anos a ciência tem comprovado que as árvores e o homem têm muito mais em comum do que poderíamos imaginar. Assim como nós, elas se comunicam, mantêm relacionamentos, formam famílias, cuidam dos doentes e dos filhos, têm memória, defendem-se de agressores e competem ferozmente com outras espécies. Em A vida secreta das árvores, o engenheiro florestal alemão Peter Wohlleben alia seus 20 anos de experiência às últimas descobertas científicas para examinar o dia a dia desses seres fantásticos.

Florapedia is an eclectic A-Z compendium of botanical lore. With more than 100 enticing entries - on topics ranging from achlorophyllous plants that use a fungus as an intermediary to obtain nutrients from other plants to zygomorphic flowers that admit only the most select pollinators - this collection is a captivating journey into the realm of botany. Writing in her incomparably engaging style, Carol Gracie discusses remarkable plants from around the globe, botanical art and artists, early botanical explorers, ethnobotanical uses of plants, botanical classification, and more.