Overview

A New Scientist Best Book of the Year From an acclaimed botanist and artist, a thrilling and beautifully illustrated expedition around the globe in search of the world's most extraordinary plants. After making a strange discovery on a childhood trip to Ikea--a stand of sap-sucking, leafless broomrapes, stealing nutrients from their neighbors' roots--Chris Thorogood dreamed of becoming a botanist and would stop at nothing to feed his growing addiction to plants. In his hair-raising adventures across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, Thorogood treads a death-defying path over cliffs, up erupting volcanoes, through typhoons, and out into the very heart of the world's vast, green wilderness. Along the way, he encounters pitcher plants, irises, and orchids more heart-piercingly beautiful than could ever be imagined. But with Thorogood as our guide in Chasing Plants, we not only imagine: we see. An internationally acclaimed botanical illustrator, Thorogood conjures his adventures spent seed-collecting and conserving plants around the world back to life in his electric paintings, which feature throughout the book. They bring plants out of the shadows, challenging us to see their intrigue and their character, and helping us to understand why plant species must be protected. To join Thorogood in his wild adventures is to be cast under his green spell: readers will never think of plants the same way again.

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Reviews

Thrilling. . . . Readers who enjoy travel narratives will like reading about incredible places that many will never see. . . . For plant nerds seeking adventure. -- Library Journal Botanist Thorogood (Perfectly Peculiar Plants) combines his two lifelong passions, painting and plants, in this marvelous account of his travels around the globe.... The realistic oil paintings that appear throughout are a testament to Thorogood's careful attention to the flora, and the vivid descriptions will make readers feel like they're on the hunt with him. This will be catnip for plant lovers. -- Publishers Weekly Calling himself a veritable 'plant nerd, ' Thorogood shares his adventurous journey to document some of the world's most unique botanical treasures. His explorations as a field botanist are full of pistils (not pistols), traps in nature (not warfare), and many extraordinary botanical wonders. A must-read for any field biologist or armchair nature lover! --Meg Lowman, National Geographic Explorer and author of The Arbornaut: A Life Discovering the Eighth Continent in the Trees above Us In the spirit of history's greatest plant hunters but equipped with the latest scientific knowledge, Thorogood takes us on an adventurous journey from the steep cliffs of Northern Ireland to the rainforests of Borneo, from the arid zones of the Middle East to the succulent karoo of South Africa. Through personal stories and exquisite illustrations, we learn about some of the world's weirdest and most fascinating plants. You'll never look at a parasitic plant in the same way again. --Alexandre Antonelli, director of science at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and author of The Hidden Universe: Adventures in Biodiversity Unusual, engaging, and delightfully informal, Chasing Plants combines exciting personal accounts of botanical travels and field studies with excellent factual knowledge. A talented scientist and artist, Thorogood illustrates his book with obvious joy, and his paintings and sketches are not just accurate, but vivid, bright, and evocative. His adventures will appeal to anyone fascinated by plants, from gardeners to amateur botanists and ecologists. --Sir Peter Crane, president of the Oak Spring Garden Foundation and author of Ginkgo: The Tree That Time Forgot

Calling himself a veritable 'plant nerd, ' Thorogood shares his adventurous journey to document some of the world's most unique botanical treasures. His explorations as a field botanist are full of pistils (not pistols), traps in nature (not warfare), and many extraordinary botanical wonders. A must-read for any field biologist or armchair nature lover! --Meg Lowman, author of The Arbornaut and National Geographic Explorer Unusual, engaging, and delightfully informal, Chasing Plants combines exciting personal accounts of botanical travels and field studies with excellent factual knowledge. A talented scientist and artist, Thorogood illustrates his book with obvious joy, and his paintings and sketches are not just accurate, but vivid, bright, and evocative. His adventures will appeal to anyone fascinated by plants, from gardeners to amateur botanists and ecologists. --Sir Peter Crane, president of the Oak Spring Garden Foundation

Author Information

Chris Thorogood is deputy director and head of science of the University of Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum. His research focuses on the evolution, conservation, and biomimetic applications of plants. Thorogood is a wildlife artist, botanical illustrator, and an international best-selling author of specialist field guides and popular titles including Weird Plants and Field Guide to the Wild Flowers of the Western Mediterranean.

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