Wild Flowers of Yorkshire

Contents

Introduction
The Yorkshire Setting
Flower Hunting
The Flowers
The Orchids

Glossary
Useful addresses
Further reading
Index of common names
Index of Latin names

Bookshops are full of wild flower books, mainly for non-botanists who enjoy browsing colourful pictures, and would occasionally like to be able to identify a plant the came across on a walk. Often, and annoyingly, such books are reprints of European books, with only limited relevance to UK plants. It would be easy to write off this new book as just another flower book.

That would be a pity. Howard Beck is best known as a writer of caving books - his first publication was about Gaping Gill in the Yorkshire Dales - but his main qualification to write this guide is as a passionate Yorkshireman. Within the broad acres, as well as outside, he is widely travelled, and speaks with authority on the North York Moors and Dales - perhaps rather less so on South Yorkshire, since it is less frequently mentioned. His book is not a flora, it is intended as 'an easy to use, well-laid-out guide' to Yorkshire habitats and their wild flowers. Trees and grasses, etc. are excluded.

There are no keys. In pursuit of ease of use, the species are laid out in by colour, rather than habitat, flowering time or natural order. This is of course always a controversial matter. A species may have differing colours - in different plants, at different stage of development, etc - or the flowers may be too small to recognise the colour. And there are so many white and yellow flowers. Nevertheless, most people can recognise colour, while habitats are frequently unclear and species may be ubiquitous, flowering times may vary by exposure, and the beginner may be unable to recognise a genus to search for a species. With this book he can browse through, with a good chance of finding the flower by sight.

Following a short introduction the author turns to a regional list of habitats and includes reserves where flowers can conveniently be seen. Notes on habitat types and the parts of a flower are helpful - 'it is not rocket science.' Then the flowers - over 400 species are described (Yorkshire has over 2700 flowering plants in all) but some have only short descriptions as 'similar species.' They are illustrated by large colour photographs, three or four to a facing page, so pleasantly large, and mostly high quality. Orchids occupy a separate section - they evidently hold a place in the author's heart - and are followed by the usual glossary, useful addresses, further reading and indices, by English and Latin names.

The author has based his plant-names on those in the 1991 edition of Stace's 'New Flora', which has now been superseded. He refers, for instance, to Labiatae rather than Lamiaceae, and to Cruciferae rather than Brassicaceae. A university botanist might jib at this but the average user will not mind, and many likely readers still speak of crucifers and labiates, and will for years to come! The background information on distribution and flowering times is apparently accurate and the descriptions are enjoyable rather than dry.

It is always difficult to make a enthralling book out of a list. But with the help of his designers Beck has produced a colourful and highly informative guide which any beginner will welcome and an expert will also appreciate.

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