A Nature Walk

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In: birds, film, nature, photography

I’m often asked about the equipment I use for nature watching, my photography and to make my sound recordings. Earlier today I made a short film during which I reveal how much I manage to fit in a small bag. Continue Reading

Books about plant hunters

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In: books, feature, flowers, nature, people, plants

To celebrate the lives of plant hunters, like John Jeffrey, here I share some of my favourite books on botany, botanical exploration, and the often extraordinary lives of the plant hunter. Think more Indiana Jones than shy retiring pansies, as these men and women travelled the world in search of plants, valuable for their beauty, medicines, timber, smell, and any number of other benefits.Continue Reading

Tree Fractals video

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In: art, film, nature, plants, science, trees

My writing about art and math in nature are always among my most popular posts, and I’ve meant to write about fractals for a while because they fascinate me. This time of year the bare branches of deciduous trees display their full beauty and fascinating growth patterns. Did you knowContinue Reading

An interactive Google Map showing the journey of John Jeffrey (1850-1854)

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In: books, feature, film, Green Gold, nature

John Jeffrey, the main character in my latest book Green Gold, walked, paddled and rode at least 10,000 miles across North America while hunting for plants from 1850-4. During the two years I spent researching and writing the book I plotted his travels in detail and can now publish the route in full for the first time.Continue Reading

On:
In: forestry, landscape, nature

The same year that I started planting Paradise Wood, a new forest and centre for forestry research in Oxfordshire, I started recording a view of the former arable farm from the nearby vantage point of the Wittenham Clumps. 2015 is the 19th year of photographing the same view of theContinue Reading