Bøger af Sandra Knapp

An illustrated hourly guide that spotlights twenty-four flowers as they attract pollinators, resist predators, and survive our changing planet. Is it 4 am or chicory o'clock? In this short book, botanist and award-winning author Sandra Knapp walks us through a day in a global garden. Each chapter of Flower Day introduces a single flower during a single hour, highlighting twenty-four different species from around the world. Beginning at midnight in the Americas, we spot the long-tubular flowers of the moonflower, Ipomoea alba; they attract a frenzy of hawkmoths before the dawn arrives, and the flowers wither and collapse. As day breaks, dandelions and chicory open their heads-actually made up of many individual flowers tightly packed together-and flies and bees visit to get the energy they need to lay eggs and raise their young. Later, at eight o'clock in the morning, the sun rises over the watery Amazon basin, and we meet the giant waterlily, slowly turning from white to pink and purple. Trapped inside are the beetles who feasted on the flowers during the night. That evening, at seven o'clock, we travel to the Caribbean to smell night-blooming jessamine's powerful, some say nauseating, sweet scent. But this member of the nightshade family isn't just a thing of beauty-it has a reputation as both a poison and invasive species, crowding out endangered native trees.  For each hour in our flower day, celebrated artist Katie Scott has depicted these scenes with gorgeous pen and ink illustrations. Working closely together to narrate and illustrate these unique moments in time, Knapp and Scott have created an engaging read that is a perfect way to spend an hour or two-and a true gift for amateur botanists, gardeners, and anyone who wants to stop and appreciate the flowers.

Shakespeare famously asserted that "a rose by any other name would smell as sweet," and that's as true for common garden roses as it is for Megacorax, a genus of evening primroses. Though it may not sound like it, Megacorax was actually christened in honor of famed American botanist Peter Raven, its name a play on the Latin words for "great raven." In this lush and lively book, celebrated botanist Sandra Knapp explores the people whose names have been immortalized in plant genera, presenting little-known stories about both the featured plants and their eponyms alongside photographs and botanical drawings from the collections of London's Natural History Museum. Readers will see familiar plants in a new light after learning the tales of heroism, inspiration, and notoriety that led to their naming. Take, for example, nineteenth-century American botanist Alice Eastwood, after whom the yellow aster--Eastwoodia elegans--is named. Eastwood was a pioneering plant collector who also singlehandedly saved irreplaceable specimens from the California Academy of Sciences during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Or more recently, the fern genus Gaga, named for the pop star and actress Lady Gaga, whose verdant heart-shaped ensemble at the 2010 Grammy Awards bore a striking resemblance to a giant fern gametophyte. Knapp's subjects range from Charles Darwin's grandfather, Erasmus Darwin (Darwinia), and legendary French botanist Pierre Magnol--who lends his name to the magnolia tree--to US founding figures like George Washington (Washingtonia) and Benjamin Franklin (Franklinia). Including granular details on the taxonomy and habitats of thirty plants alongside its vibrant illustrations, this book is sure to entertain and enlighten any plant fan.

"First published in 2021 by the Natural History Museum, ... London."--Title page verso.

The weird and wonderful lifestyle of orchids, the most diverse and widespread of plant families, featuring stunning artwork by the Bauers, Sydney Parkinson, Arthur Church and more.

A beautiful box which examines the fascinating history of plants and flowers through exquisite botanical paintings and insightful essays. Accompanied by 36 prints.

In 1848 British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace set off for Brazil where he was to spend four years exploring the wildest parts of the Amazon. This is an enthralling account of his adventures. It describes the triumphs and disasters and the discoveries that were to lead him to one of the biggest and most controversial ideas of the 19th century.