Peter Marren

Midlife affects all sort of people differently, some buy a motorbike or a swish two-seater sports car. Other have more adventurous plans, travel to exotic or remote places, or decide to throw themselves out of a perfectly serviceable aeroplane and skydive. Peter Marren wanted to do something to mark his 50th, but considerable less onerous and dangerous. He did enjoy spending time rooting about in ditches and hedges, walking through woodlands, and occasional falling over in the search for all the plants of the UK.

So far he had found 1,400 of them, but there were still an elusive 50 that he was yet to clap eyes on, including the almost mythical Ghost Orchid, a plant so rare that it hadn’t been seen in the wild since 2010. This journey would take him backwards and forwards across the British Isles from Sussex to Cornwall, Norfolk to the Inner Hebrides, searching for ultra-rare plants that are wonderfully named, such as the Slender Naiad, Creeping Spearwort, Leafless Hawk’s Beard and the Few-Flowered Fumitory. On a lot of his trips, he is joined by friends and experts to assist in the search or to provide that detailed knowledge of the exact location where these plants are.

His enthusiasm for his small green subjects is compelling. He does mention a couple of personal matters in the book, as seems to be the habit these days. However, this is a very well written book one man’s search for some of our rarest plants, but more importantly, it is also a reminder that all of our natural world is under threat, not just the headline species. Thought it was interesting that the Plantlife, who is the organisation who carries out similar work to the RSPB but for plants, have a fraction of the membership of that organisation. Seems like they need our support as much as the others. It is a timely reminder to look all around you when out and about, not just at the thing that you went to see. If you like this then I’d recommend The Orchid Hunter by Leif Bersweden and Orchid Summer by Jon Dunn.… (altro)

There is something about butterflies that captivates some people. They fulfil no ecological purpose, as they are not pollinators, they are not a source of food for a most animals as they are frequently full of poisons and unpalatable substances, they just seem to exist because nature can make it so. Regardless of their purpose, these brightly coloured little insects have enthralled people for years. From the time he first caught one at the age of five, Peter Marren was one of those captivated by these beguiling insects. So began a hobby that has lasted a lifetime, first hunting them for his collection, then rearing them when he realised that what he was doing was not sustainable.

However, this is not another guidebook about butterflies, rather a guidebook about butterfly lovers. Marren’s deep passion about his subject is evident as he brings us the stories and potted biographies and histories of those that have had a similar passion to him. We learn about the Rothschild family members who were equally besotted, what John Fowles and Vladimir Nabokov liked to collect and how butterflies have inspired countless artists and writers. He guides us through the extinctions of some and the reintroduction of the Large Blue and takes us through the life cycle right from the egg to the next generation.

His writing is authoritative without being tiresome and it flits along at a fair old pace. It is also a warning; we have been persecuting all sorts of wildlife in this country, and the relentless push to greater efficiency and cost savings has put butterflies and many of their habitats in peril. I liked the mix of solid science and research with a series of personal stories and it is a really good general book in the study of his favourite insect.… (altro)

A wonderful book (in the strict sense of the word!)

I saw a review in Cotswold Life and decided to give it a try, via Worcestershire Libraries--delighted to read it, therefore in a hardback which is satisfying in feel and appearance. I have always been interested in wild flowers, but only in the sense of needing to identify everything I encounter when I am out and about. I have never wanted to seek out or collect to seek out wild flowers. I am, however, a serial collector, and understand the OCD need for completion. In this regard I achieved a collection of every ha’penny from Edward VII to decimalisation. When I moved on to pennies, however, I soon became aware that the extreme rarity of some specimens made a complete collection impossible. So, I understood the underlying sense, highlighted by the book's title and opening chapter, that this would be a valiant best effort, with the distinct possibility of failure.

Lacking a deep technical interest, the process of selecting the fifty, and the precise description of some of the plants passed me by. The quest, however, was gripping. Marren's descriptive writing, whether of journeys, landscapes, companions, or the objects of the quest, is brilliant. I felt, so often, as if I was there with him—an armchair viewer, immersed in the experience, without the intense physical effort which went into achieving it.

This was in no way a moralizing book, but it raises serious questions about the impact of humanity upon the natural world. Yet, to my surprise this was not the only reason that some of these plants were pushed to the margins. Sometimes it was natural disaster which eliminated habitat, sometimes genetics made the plant to fussy, sometimes the well-intentioned efforts of conservationists actually had a negative effect. Some plants one just had to feel sorry for because of their own choices. This is focused in his sadness at tiny populations which are effectively gardened and no longer truly wild.

Despite the breadth and majesty of far flung landscapes, and, within them, esoteric and often unimpressive botanical specimens, this is an intensely human book. Along the journey Marren comes to terms with mortality, through both his own illness, and his Mother’s death. With this background he draws the reader into a deep appreciation of the ‘little things’--a close and wondering attention to what is here and now.

My personal favourite episode is the Sorbus minima sought and found in the Brecon Beacons (Chapter 40, pp.90-97). How I would love to be a hieraciologist!

A final note: I am so glad that no attempt was made to illustrate this book with photographs. The simple line drawings which introduce each plant are perfect.… (altro)