Wildflowers

Broadcaster, teacher, and writer Raven’s (Sarah Raven’s Food for Friends and Family) beautiful guide to 500 of Britain’s wildflowers is arranged by habitats such as “Lane,” “Wall and Hedge,” “Meadow,” “Water & Wetlands,” and “Heath, Moor and Mountain.” Each entry contains a personal story from the author about the species as well as botanical information. The indexes make finding flowers by petal color or common, Latin, or family name quick and easy. The glossary of botanical terms includes two pages of line drawings. Buckley, winner of the Garden Writers’ Guild’s 2004 “Features Photographer of the Year” award, offers lush color photographs on almost every page. Range maps would have been a helpful addition, but this is a beautiful and informative presentation nonetheless. The size of this book lends it to leisurely and delightful browsing after a walk rather than use as a field guide.