Mountain Flowers

Book excerpt: 'Mountain flowers are the most romantic in our flora, exquisite, enigmatic and, often, remote from human habitation. Michael Scott has not only seen them all but has roamed every part of the hill scenery of Britain and brings to his subject passion, learning and hands-on experience. This is field botany at its best, engrossing, exciting and full of wonder.' - Peter Marren Britain's mountains and exposed sub-arctic regions of the far north are home to a remarkable range of specialist flowers, shrubs and ferns that are able to thrive on our islands thanks to a combination of conditions seldom found in mainland Europe. The peculiarities of their occurrence here, at unusually low altitudes for typically alpine species and uncommonly far south for arctic species, make their ecology especially intriguing. In this invigorating journey from the Lizard of Cornwall to Unst in Shetland, Michael Scott examines Britain's richest upland sites, bringing an important 21st-century perspective to our understanding of the flora along the way. Lavishly illustrated with over 340 colour photographs of plants and their spectacular habitats, Mountain Flowers has much to offer wild flower enthusiasts and botanists. Included are detailed profiles of over 150 of the plants most characteristic of our montane regions, as well as 20 extended profiles for the most enigmatic species. This book will prove an indispensable companion for hillwalkers and climbers wanting to learn more about the enigmatic species that are such an intrinsic part of the British mountain landscape. Jacket artwork by Carry Akroyd.