Rosemary Parslow

I have enjoyed working my way through this book about the natural history of the Isles of Scilly during my holiday and for a couple of days after leaving. I think the audience for this book is somewhere between the general reader and the natural historian. As the former myself, I enjoyed the general descriptions and nuggets of information about my favourite islands, but also skimmed through much of the details about the habitats of specific species of plants and animals. Being so isolated and with its own very mild climate compared to the rest of the UK, it hosts many species of plants in particular that cannot grow, either at all, or not so well, elsewhere in Britain, a factor behind its prominent role in the flower and bulb industry from the late 19th century into fairly recently (tourism is now some 85% of the local economy). There are very few land mammals and no predators such as foxes or stoats. I am fascinated by the history of the islands, including just when and how they ceased to be one island, divided into three sub-islands, and then gained their current formation at a later time. This final separation has seemingly been dated any time between the Bronze Age and the 15th century, though it seems to be settled that the island of St Nicholas split into Bryher and Tresco in the 16th century and it is still possible to walk between them at low tide (though, having done it on a previous visit, I would not recommend it for most people). The islands played an important role in the English Civil War and both world wars. More recently, and given that much of the islands are low lying, concern around rising sea levels has caused the building of more defences, particularly in the capital Hugh Town, which is largely built on a sandbar connecting the Garrison peninsula to the bulk of St Mary's, the largest island in the group. A fascinating book, albeit more detailed than for my personal needs.… (altro)