This is a monumental work by any standards, representing the combined knowledge and experience of renowned experts from across Europe. No matter your level of familiarity and expertise, whether tentative novice or veteran plant scientist, you will learn a great deal from this magnum opus.
Even though I have been exposed to aquatic environments all my life, and hardly a week goes by that I am not alongside a lake or stream, it is only in the past two or three years that I have begun to take serious notice of aquatic plants, and have made the effort to learn more about them. I suspect that I am not very different from many others who have spent their lives involved with nature, all the while ignoring some of its component parts. Terrestrial plants are loved and cherished, even being transplanted to gardens; their aquatic cousins ignored! As I seek with ever increasing frequency, and with greater devotion, to explore the inter-connectedness of all facets of the natural world, aquatic plants impose themselves more than ever before on my conscious thoughts, both as integral organisms in a healthy ecosystem and as habitat, food and shelter for myriad other organisms.
The opening sections of the book provide a full explanation of the biology of aquatic plants, their range across the regions covered, their history, taxonomy, their current status in the face of pollution, climate change and urban expansion, and a detailed examination of their habitats. For those not residing in Northern Europe, these essential characteristics are transferable to other regions. Some species, in fact, are native to regions outside the areas covered by the book; others have been introduced by ballast water and bad intentions.
The highly invasive Phragmites australis, a species that has occupied a great deal of my attention of late, is a case in point.
A comprehensive catalogue of species, with beautiful full colour illustrations, sketches, diagrams and maps, is nothing short of breathtaking in its coverage. It really does leave the reader a little mesmerized.
An excellent glossary and an expansive review of relevant literature round out the book.
The days of October are getting shorter and the early morning chill makes the Earth seem new again. Soon the long winter nights will be upon us, with snow all around. I can see myself on many a cloistered evening reaching for this book to make the acquaintance of another species or two, or to get to know them better.
It's that kind of book!
Aquatic Plants of Northern and Central Europe including Britain and Ireland - Princeton University Press - WildGuides
Jens Christian Schou, Bjarne Moeslund, Klaus van de Weyer, Gerhard Wiegleb, Richard V. Lansdown, Peter Holm, Lars Baastrup-Spohr, Kaj Sand-Jensen
US$115 - £95 - ISBN: 9780691251011
752 pages - 8.25 x 11.75 inches (20.625 x 29.375 cm) - 1,300 colour and 358 black-and-white illustrations
Publication date: USA - 05 December, 2023
UK - 03 October, 2023
The interconnectedness (and if that is not a word it should be) of all species fascinates me. And yes, it is more than worthy of exploration.
ReplyDeleteI am pretty sure that interconnectedness is a word. It is in my world!
DeleteAlthough it's seldom that I'm tempted to buy the learned tomes that you review, it nevertheless serves to remind me of what vast areas of learning exist and of which I have scarce an inkling. One of my earliest walking companions was a freshwater biologist and I remember him often stopping by some insignificant mountain beck and finding things of interest under almost every pebble. I recall him telling me that there's a tiny stream in the English Lake District where more new species have been found than anywhere else in the country. This is because the Freshwater Biological Association happen to have their headquarters nearby and it's a simply a case of the more you look, the more you find.
ReplyDeleteYour last sentence sums it up, John.
DeleteHi David - love John's comment ... there's so much for us to learn ... do we go forward or do we look back? I'm in the look back arena ... but love what's out and seeing what's happening - we have the Turner Prize for contemporary arts on at our Towner Gallery - and boy is that a bit beyond me! Still curiosity never does any harm and we learn as we go - cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteI like to think I am forward looking, Hilary, but my feet are firmly rooted in the established wisdom of the past, and I have a special admiration for the great naturalists who have gone before me.
Deletethis is truly one subject i have never pondered on, or even thought about in a fleeting moment. other than a few aquatic plants seen in aquaiums I am now trying to decide if I have seen any or just missed them because I was not looking. If i ever get close to the preserves again, I will look for the plants. I pick up a book every evening when I go to bed to shut down my mind, it is not about plants ha ha
ReplyDeleteI am quite sure that you are not alone in ignoring aquatic plants. Other than for a few very well known species, e.g. cattails, water lilies, I was quite ignorant of them too.
DeleteI haven't seen many aquatic plants, only water lilies and lotus..they are very beautiful.
ReplyDeleteDavid, I first became acquainted with aquatic plants when an aquarium with fish appeared in the house. The fish needed green plants and I went to the market to buy them. In those years, many aquarists bought and sold everything they needed for an aquarium. I planted the purchased plants in small boxes, while others simply floated on the surface of the water. Now I don’t remember the names of the plants. Later, I planted nymphs in the garden pond, which are still growing in the pond.
ReplyDeleteI think that this book will be useful to many people involved in growing aquatic plants.
Otro libro interesante. Besos.
ReplyDeleteI can see that being easily overlooked.
ReplyDelete