Wonderful weeds - Madeline Harley

In Wonderful Weeds, botanist Madeline Harley pairs clear, informative descriptions with exquisite photographs to provide unsurpassed coverage of almost 200 British weed species. Now, for the first time, enthusiasts and non-specialists alike will be able to confidently identify these underappreciated plants - from tiny flowers smaller than a pinhead to the riotous Corn Marigold or Rosebay Willow-herb - and understand their important role in the ecosystem. Weedy wild flowers have been around for centuries, but have probably never been viewed so unsympathetically as now, when we rarely have a use for them beyond compost or green manure. Old farming practices and post-War agricultural policies have driven some of our wild flowers almost to extinction, including the symbolic red poppy, which would have been obliterated by agro-chemicals long ago were it not for the enormous longevity of the poppy seed. Today, it is especially important that we remain conscious of the impacts of insensitive land management on natural ecosystems, and take steps to prevent further damage. Wonderful Weeds is the clearest and most comprehensive record of widespread British weeds since the early 20th Century.