BBC Wildlife - UK (2020-09)

88 BBC Wildlife September 2020

Inthisbook,whichis the

eighthvolumetobeadded

toBloomsbury’sBritish

WildlifeCollection,botanist

DrKeithKirbyintroducesa

vastarrayoftopicsrelating

towoodlandsandtheforestfloorplants

foundwithinthem– flowers,ferns,

sedgesandgrassareallincluded.

There’seveninformationabouttheir

managementandhistory,bothofwhich

areallintrinsicallylinkedandhave

affectedthewoodlandflorathroughout

theyears.Kirby’sextensiveknowledge

is presentedina volumethatis both

accessibleanddetailed,ina formatthat

willappealtoboththeecologistand

anyonewhosimplyappreciatesand

wantstolearnmoreaboutwoodlands

anditsflora.

JessicaHamiltonBotanist

ScientistsBenPorterand

WillHawkesfirstmetwhile

studyinginCornwalland

nowthey’vegottogetherto

makea podcast.Eachshortepisode

brimswithinfectiousenthusiasmasthe

friendsbringtolight‘thosespecieswe

oftenoverlookordon’tevennotice’.They

takeit inturnstofocusona subjectof

personalfascination,allofwhichare

describedinlyricaldetail,delvingintoa

mixofscientificobservationsand

folklore.I enjoyedthewildlifechit-chat

andsharingofstoriesthatbookendsthe

episodes.Thisis nota superslick

productionbutit’spleasinglyauthentic,

andyoucan’thelpbutwarmtothisvery

likeablepairofyoungnaturalists.CS

WoodlandFlowers

BOOK

BYKEITHKIRBY.BLOOMSBURY,£35

WILDSTREAM

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bearsanctuaryinLaos.

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WillandBenthe

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PODCAST

AVAILABLEONSOUNDCLOUD,SPOTIFYANDAPPLEPODCASTS

OUR WILD WORLD

O NEW TO PODCASTS?
Osprey: Andy Rouse/naturepl.com Read our guide: bit.ly/wildlifepodcasts

Wales is home to a

wonderful array of

wildlife, including

a small number

of ospreys.

Inthisnewfour-partseriesforBBC

OneWales,naturalistandTVpresenter

IoloWilliamsexplorestheCambrian

Mountains,whichhedescribesas

“theheartandspineofWales”.He

meetsupwithlocalconservationists

Iolo:TheLast

WildernessofWales

TV

CATCH UP ON IPLAYER

and birdwatchers to witness the wide

variety of wildlife in this central area of

Wales. From elusive pine martens and

an escaped female golden eagle that’s

made her home in the local valleys, to

watching the amazing migration of Atlantic

salmon, and the striking but rarely seen

Welsh clearwing moths, there’s plenty of

species for Iolo to find and admire. Sadly,

he points out that though the area looks

wild, many species found there are in

serious decline. Megan Shersby