Discovering British Wild Flowers is an excellent plant guide for children aged 7+ and describes over 100 common British wild flowers. The book information is compatible with the guidelines of the primary school curricula in the UK, with extra chapters on parts of a plant and a flower, pollination, fertilisation, seed dispersal and plant families. The plants are arranged primarily by habitat, basically woods with hedgerows to seaside, gardens, parks and countryside, and the description of each species is divided into three sections: general information, flower/fruit and leaves/stem. In addition, the plants are arranged by colour in the Flower Colour Index, providing an extra tool to assist identification. The layout is colourful and engaging, using snappy symbols for height, type of pollination, Caution! sign, and the main flowering season to aid identification even further. The book is pocket sized to easily take it out and about, such as walks, school trips and holiday.
Contents
- Introduction 6
- Symbols 6
- Parts of a Plant 7
- Parts of a Flower 8
- Pollination and Fertilisation 9
- Seed Dispersal 10
- Leaf Shapes 11
- Flower Families 14
- Scientific Names 17
- Woodlands 19
- Heaths and Moors 37
- Walls 49
- Dunes and Seashores 57
- Marshes, Lakes and Rivers 65
- Gardens and Parks 77
- Hedgerows and Roadsides 87
- Fields 123
- Meadows and Grasslands 135
- General and Plant Index 151
- Flower Colour Index 154
- Useful Websites 159
Many of us passionately believe that there is an urgent need to encourage future generations of botanists. This new book is designed to do just that. Its target audience are primary school children between the ages of 6 and 12. But it could also be a helpful introductory flora for adults dipping their toes into the sometimes chilly waters of plant identification. - John Warren, BSBI; Overall Impression: Really good, easy to read, covers the main sorts of wild flower you would usually see and be able to identify. - Dr Peter Llewellyn; The book is looking fantastic. Although primarily for children, it could very much reach a wider audience of parents, interested adults, and primary school teachers. I would say it would be a lovely 'family book', for use at home and when out and about. The photos in the book are superb and give a real feeling what the flower or leaf actually looks like (close ups fantastic). I very much like the information about the leaf shapes...so often that is the way to identify flowers especially from a botanical point of view. I think teachers, from all over the UK, particularly, will find the book useful. The information is presented in a slightly more informal way so is pleasant to read but informative...good tone! The flower reproduction is also particularly well explained! As a teacher, I used drama, diagrams and a little buzzy bee to demonstrate this but actually it is quite hard for children (and a lot of adults) to totally understand! Looking at your book for the first time would make me or indeed anyone with a bit of interest be straight out there looking for wild flowers!! - Margaret Alston, Primary School Teacher
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.