Description

This beautifully illustrated overview of the wildlife of the British Isles showcases the diversity of our plant and animal life
Wild Isles is a celebration of the wildlife found on a relatively modest collection of islands positioned at a latitude so northerly to be unattractive to many animals and plants Despite these unpromising foundations the islands of Britain and Ireland together with more than 6000 lesser islets that make up our archipelago contain some of the most diverse beautiful and wildliferich landscapes and seas on our planetThis book will explore the fascinating relationships within and between species who make their home on our beautiful isles
Each chapter focuses on a particular kind of wild space Britain and Ireland are dominated by a wide variety of grasslands from lowland water meadows to upland moors and we will see how these humanshaped seminatural landscapes thrum with insect bird and mammal life Life requires water to flourish and streams and rivers carry freshwater through our landscape creating unique ecosystems and interrelations within and beside these waters which are revealed in a third section While Britain and Irelands woodlands are comparatively thin on the ground compared with most of continental Europe we will see some of the forests and trees that remain are unusually ancient and great repositories of life Finally of course we are surrounded by sea and our position on the continental shelf before it plunges into the depths of the Atlantic Ocean gives rise to an often overlooked plenty of marine life A glorious richness divided into five breathtaking sections