Orchid Summer

A heady celebration of the beauty and history of the wild orchid species of the British Isles, embraced in one glorious and kaleidoscopic summer-long hunt by naturalist Jon Dunn

From the chalk downs of the south coast of England to the heathery moorland of the Shetland Isles, and from the holy island of Lindisfarne in the east to the Atlantic frontier of western Ireland, Orchid Summer is a journey into Britain and Ireland's most beautiful corners. The flowers that are the focus of this treasure hunt are exquisite and diverse. Some resemble insects and develop scents that mimic the smell of a virgin female wasp in order to lure male wasps to sample their unsatisfying charms. Some tower above the surrounding vegetation; others are vanishingly small and discrete. Some are sweetly scented; others smell of ripe billy goats. Some can be readily found but some will prove more elusive - none more so than the last to flower, the rarest of them all, the ghost orchid...

Capturing the intoxicating beauty of these rare and charismatic flowers, Orchid Summer is also an exploration of their history, their champions, their place in our landscape and the threats they face. Combining infectious enthusiasm and a painterly eye with a deep knowledge that comes from a lifetime's passionate devotion to their study, Dunn sweeps us up on his adventure, one from which it is impossible not to emerge enchanted and enriched.

O sarbatoare ametitoare a frumusetii si istoriei speciilor de orhidee salbatice din Insulele Britanice, imbratisata intr-o glorioasa si caleidoscopica vanatoare de vara de catre naturalistul Jon Dunn De la coborasurile de creta de pe coasta de sud a Angliei pana la pajisul aratos al insulelor Shetland, si de la sfanta insula Lindisfarne din est pana la frontiera atlantica a vestului Irlandei, Orchid Summer este o calatorie in cele mai frumoase colturi ale Marii Britanii si Irlandei.