Hunting Plants: The story of those who discovered the flowering plants & ferns of North Lancashire

We owe our current knowledge of the flowering plants and ferns of North Lancashire to a dedicated band of amateur botanists going back to the 17th century. Some of these were well known, some were not, but Eric Greenwood’s lifetime of research into the flora of the area (Flora of North Lancashire, 2012) unearthed early botanical documents that reveal just who these individuals were.

Most were ordinary people who had a passion for botany and whose hard work and interest need to be remembered. Hunting Plants therefore combines a chronological narrative telling the story of how the plants were discovered, with a comprehensive biographical index of those who recorded it. The lives and particular contributions made by each of these botanists over 400 years makes interesting reading, adding an important human dimension to the story and, as stated by David E. Allen in his review, rectifies the lack of such human detail in his 2012 Flora of North Lancashire.

It is Eric’s investigation of the botanists themselves that also led him to discover a rather unexpected connection with the Religious Society of Friends in Britain (Quakers). They have had – and indeed continue to have – a significant influence on the study of the region’s flowering plants and ferns, because many local botanists were Members and their work benefited hugely from the Society’s philosophy of enquiry (seeking the truth), education and meticulous record keeping.

This excellent book is fully illustrated with photographs of plants, places and people and is certain to appeal anyone with an interest in the area.