Insect Flight, An Insect-Eye View of Flight Behaviour in the Wild. By John H. Brackenbury. London, London, Pelagic Publishing. 168pp ISBN 9781784276263

The author is a retired zoologist from University of Cambridge and Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society, so he presents here many of his collected fruits of his photographic journey using high speed cameras. This is not the first of his books on capturing flight, he has published ‘Up Up and Away’, and ‘In the Blink of an Eye’, which also feature ‘flight cascades’ of an insect taking off, such as is found on the cover of this book. These sequential images or ‘reconstructed flight sequences’ used to be hard to create but increasingly modern cameras such as Nikons and Olympus do the job. Brackenbury does not have a section of cameras but from the range of images it looks like several types have been used.   His subjects are mostly drawn from European fauna, as he says he has photographed a ‘a mere fraction’ from the million of insect species worldwide. The book gives an insight into the very biodiverse world of insects, from somersaulting Alder flies and Caddisflies to grasshoppers leaping and airborne dragonflies. He describes the mechanics of leaping, jumping and flying, and this reminds me of Dame Miriam Rothschild’s leaping fleas taking off with the power of 140Gs and thirty times the power of a Saturn rocket blasting off; pity fleas were not covered. The way that butterflies fly is however covered in demonstrating the way in which the large wing area interestingly distorts through the air as it flies. The images capture what the naked eye cannot see, so this presentation of insects in flight is useful for a better understanding of their biodiverse and successful life on earth. The mechanics of upstroke and downstrokes in insects are described by way of diagrams of photographs, even showing the sequence of a bird taking off in one full sequence. There are seven chapters ranging from How Wings Work, Butterfly Flight and Male Flight Behaviour, as well as Mating flight. There is some interesting behavioural and ecological observations in these chapters. We also see how hibernating wasps carefully fold their wings perfectly so that they are undamaged when they come out of hibernation from wood piles or leaf litter months later.  Lepidopterists will enjoy the close-up ‘frozen moving‘ images of various white species, Painted Ladys, Peacocks and Red Admirals, all flying in their colourful meadows or grassland setting; many   shots enhanced with sunburst star filters against blue skies. Entomologists with a more wider interest will like the range of beetles, true-flies and crickets.  There are few books on the subject of insect flight, but Roger Camp’s (2003) book on Butterflies in Flight – which opens out as a concertinaed pull out a few metres long, comes to mind, but is different. The Brackenbury book fits nicely in the Pegasus series as an up to date introduction to the flightly world of insects that has made them so successful in the world. There is an general index and a QR code to the author’s YouTube channel.

A Wildflower a Day,  by Dr John Feltwell, published by Wildlife Matters. Publication  October 2026. 200pp.  ISBN 978-0-907970-05-7  Available from   john@wildlifematters.com 

Over 200 colour photographs by the author

Biodiversity bursts from this new book, as it brings to life many of the familiar wildflowers that we see (or used to see) in waysides, woodlands, hedgerows and gardens: a plant for every day of the year, whether it is a wildflower, a tree or a fern. The various insects (such as bees and moths), birds and mammals which are co-evolved with our wildflowers are described.  Mostly native species have been chosen, but now, in Britain there are more non-natives than natives, many from the Mediterranean. You will not find the invasive buddleia mentioned, but true British natives that still have a lot to offer foragers.

The Romans may have started this dribble of introduced species (with seeds in their sandals) but it has gathered a pace in more recent times. The book is for all those who just like wildflowers. There are a few botanical terms used, such as words for historic arrivals (archaeophytes) or more recent ones (neophytes) and definitions area provided. The maestro for bringing ordinary everyday wildflowers to everyone’s home was the Rev. Keeble Martin who used Common Names and Latin Names, as has been followed here, but strictly following best regarded botanical literature  – namely from Dr. Clive Stace of the New Flora of the British Isles.

With botanical quotes from Vita Sackville-West and William Robinson, through to Christopher Lloyd, Rachel de Thame and Fergus Garrett the book resonates to the lost wildflowers of the countryside. Inspiration has, as always been taken from the Impressionists view of the hot, sun-kissed landscape depicted by Van Gogh through to the amazing Hockney. There has been a systematic slide to an impoverishment of the wildflowers through the loss of habitats and this is discussed in the long introduction as part of the all-too-familiar Anthropocene. Each wildflower that is experiencing a population decline is indicated with a red arrow facing downwards. Some are rare, protected and Red Listed.

All the lost cornfield wildflowers have been included, once common, now gone in many cases. The many flowers known to Shakespeare are described, so too the strewing herbs laid out in Tudor houses to deter pests. There are Cottage Garden wild plants of herbaceous borders included, as well as plants from which to make snuff.  Conservationists will be delighted that lots of the typical wildflowers that are  ‘Ancient Woodland Indicators’ in Britain, are all listed with the notation: AWI.

So, biodiversity underlies the whole of the book, where wildflowers support a huge range of wildlife especially foragers.

The book has a Glossary, an Index of Common names and Latin names, References and Further Information. There are over 200 colour photographs, all from the author.

Published by Wildlife Matters       200pp    £15    available from the author  john@wildlifematters.com + pp.

                       Typical entries

About the Author:

Dr. John Feltwell has many books published with well-known publishers and through his own publishing house: Wildlife Matters.

His expertise as a scientist cuts across many disciplines as he is a professional botanist, zoologist, and conservationist fascinated by environmental law

ends

 The Ancient Tree Explorer: guide to Britain’s Heritage Trees and Forests.  By Julian Hight. Bath, Wild Things Publishing Ltd. 2026. £18.99 288pp.

 It took the author 20 years to visit and gather together this remarkable compilation of some of the most veritable trees in Britain. It is a stunning photographic book to over 300 trees all photographed in their ungainly and twisted twilight years throughout the kingdom (broken down into ten regions) –  where they have stood strong to the vagaries of man’s treatment to the original ancient forests, deer parks and hunting lodges that weather has thrown at them over the millenia. These trees are masters of survival in the face of everything. Hight has done an excellent job highlighting these astonishing vestiges of our countryside. This compilation is a first. A masterpiece.

The author Chairs the Wessex Ancient Tree forum and knows a thing or two about old Veteran and Ancient trees. Each of the stunning photos is supported by a local history he has through records, books, gravestones and historical accounts. There is often an interesting back story to each tree, given they have seen it all. The idea of the book being an ‘explorer; is that it can be used to go and visit these trees where possible. It has a special tough cover for use in the field. The author has indicated if Public Footpaths are present, together with map references. Most people will know a handful of these fantastic wizen trees, but it may come as a big surprise that there are so many of them lurking in country estates, relics of old woodlands and inhospitable coastal habitats; it is unlikely that most people are aware of so many of these fantastic trees, often living isolated lives – a magnificent exposeé of the tenacity of trees in the face of everything, even the Anthropocene. 

A lot of the old and gnarled trees are English Oak that have become the fabric of villages, and old yews of numerous churchyards. But there are many fabulous twisted Sweet Chestnut resplendent in old age and tall beeches. The more west you go the mosses and lichens decorate many an old tree, such as the diminutive oaks of the Dizzard or Wistman’s wood mysteriousness on Dartmoor. We learn of champion trees, our own Atlantic rainforest trees, the oldest or tallest trees in Britain, lapsed pollards, maiden trees, submerged forests, and trees where all sorts of goings-on have happened. They have seen it all before. And now it is your turn to share their quirkiness in old age. This book is special to all who love trees.

Stoats, Weasels, Martens & Polecats: A Natural History of British & Irish Small Mustelids. Number 149 in The New Naturalist Library, by Jenny MacPherson. 2024. 375pp. ISBN  978-0-00-833493-2.  £65 Hardback with Dust Cover.

Written by the go-to expert on Pine Martens, Dr Jenny MacPherson gained her PhD at Royal Holloway College, London where she fell under the influence of leading mammalogist Pat Morris who encouraged her to write this book. She had earlier seen ‘the most beautiful animal’ she had ever seen in Scotland when badger-watching when a weasel appeared. That provided the original spark. (I too gained a PhD from Holloway, and was similarly encouraged by Pat, but in a different direction.)  This is a hefty tome which goes to extraordinary lengths to discuss everything every scientist seems to know about these small mustelids; some such as weasels and stoat have complete global distribution east to west across the whole of the northern hemisphere. Impressive conquerors. Only interrupted, and expanded, by their transport to New Zealand where they changed the balance of nature unintentionally. The book does not include details on the larger mustelid cousins Badger and Otter which are adequately dealt with in other books. Nor of the Wolverine, so these ferocious mustelid mammals remind me of the seriously blood-curdling ferocious Tasmanian Devil and the Quolls, which are carnivorous marsupials from down under. The northern hemisphere Wolverine is not described as this book is all about the smaller mustelids. And a great book it is though. Incidentally, the only Wolverine in Sussex is a pelt in Rudyard Kipling’s study; so at least Kipling was up to speed on one impressive mustelid, which maybe it tempered his writing. There is a lot in this book. It is arranged in thirteen chapters from all the information about the origin of weasels (including a ‘Meet the Weasels’ chapter) right through to mythology and mysteries to do with mustelids; mustelids  seem to have got everywhere in texts from cave paintings to the present. Fascinating details have been revealed. I am not sure one would not like to meet some mustelids face to face (well mammalogists excepted), as they always have business to attend to, as highly-honed killers. They have been killed relentlessly for their ermine and tails (a nice photographic chapter on mustelids in portraiture from Leonardo to the royal’s penchant for ermine) and they have been hung and tallied on gamekeepers gibbets to the verge of extinction. The winter whiteness in coat colour is well described and illustrated and the differences evolved in Ireland well explained. The book is to the very high standard expected of any NNL series, and is generously illustrated in colour and black and white, with scientific and general indexes and references. This is a worthy coveted tome which will be ferociously gobbled up by students, naturalists and general public who will want to know everything about this lively group of successful exciting mustelids which have carved out a perfect niche in nature.  Let them thrive. The book is a masterpiece.  John Feltwell

Future Rural, Imaging Tomorrow’s Countryside. Editor Adrian Cooper. 2026. Little Toller Books.  218pp. ISBN 978-1-915068-57-6.. This is an ‘uncorrected proof’ copy. From 28 April: Hardback. £25 

 The CPRE (Campaign for the Protection of Rural England) has become of age, at least now that it is a 100 years old. This is not a prospectus of their way ahead. Instead it has offered an indulgence to 33 ‘contributors’ to write about their feelings of the countryside and how it has moulded their expectations, with a few nostalgic photos. The photos show earliest days or impressionistic landscapes of remembered pasts; they generally do not add a lot to the text, as they are small and not always very good. This is an ‘Uncorrected Proof’ that I am reviewing here, so this might be sorted in later revisions. The CPRE have moved from use of the words ‘Council’ to ‘Campaign’ and from ‘Preservation’ to ‘Protection’ reflecting new beliefs. Preserving the countryside is clearly not a sound policy as the countryside is always changing and one would not want to preserve what has become stark and ugly and not biodiverse.  The CPRE’s campaigns remain the same, trying to check the gross loss of the countryside and the anthropmorphic effects on nature, including the decline of flora and fauna (anthropocene). CPRE like to oppose solar farms in favour of PVs on factory roofs, but they have warmed in recent years to embracing biodiverse solar farms. Michael Morpugo writes a Foreword from deepest rural England estolling the virtues of wide open landscapes, hedges, sheep and how children will grow up to ‘becoming the greatest protectors’ of the countryside. Of th 33 contributors, and those who work for CPRE are noted naturalists, such as Richard Mabey who provides a potted history of his life between his beloved Chilterns and North Norfolk coast, Isabella Tree with her special rewilding experiences at Knepp, to Guy Shrubsole, environmental campaigner and author of the Lost Rainforests of Britain and his revealing book on who owns what land.  There are quite a few academics and directors of nature reserves who have done their bit for nature conservation, or have written plenty of nature books. Clearly they are all sympathetic of ‘preservation’ whatever that really means (not preserving everything in aspic), Fiona Reynolds giving her experience with the National Trust, Cambridge University and private landowners. All have a different take on the way the land is managed and proportioned and how wildlife tries, or is enabled to fit in to an every reducing and constrained optimal habitat. Generally nature and wildlife come off badly with such competing aims of everybody. Of course commentary on sustainability and the effects of climate change have been discussed. However there is no summary of all views or chapter to demonstrate how the CPRE’s campaign has been going. There is no index which is a pity. The only colour for the future, or indeed, in the book, is the cover, which acknowledges our current countryside gay with yellow fields of Oilseed Rape, ploughed fields, walkers, joggers and sheep in fields, and, last but not least people working allotments, with raised beds to come face to face with the fruits of the land.  They show swifts screaming over the yellow fields as something to remember right now. Enjoy it while it lasts, when swifts are experiencing a 57% decline, and House Martins a 47% decline.  It all paints a jolly picture of life on the land in 2026 acknowledging  intensive agriculture alongside man. It is not getting better. That is the pessimistic view.  UK, we have a problem. CPRE do their best. Their mission.

Nuts About The Rainforest, The Brazil Nut (Bertholletia excelsa Bonpl.) its role in the ecology, ethnobotany, and economy of Amazonian Brazil with an emphasis on the indigenous peoples. By Pedro B.L. Lisboa and Ghillean T. Prance. Published by Redfern Natural History Productions Ltd. 2026.  484pp  with dustjacket.

 A huge amount of time, energy and decades of exploration in the Amazon rainforest has gone into this magnificent work, compiled by two authors. The first is Pedro Lisboa who was Director at the Goeldi Museum in Belem, and Professor Sir Iain Prance who was Director of the Royal Botanic Garden, Kew 1988-1999. Both love trees; particularly this one. Between them they have published 43 books and about 700 scientific papers. For a while, Sir Iain seemed to be forever in Amazonia since he clocked up 39 expeditions and collected over 350 new species of plant; a rare and superlative record for field botany in the thick of it. He has 15 honorary doctorates.

But this tome is almost as heavy as the fruit of the tree that they have compiled, the Brazil Nut. So why this species?  The answer is because it is simply the ‘greatest symbol of sustainability and conservation in the Amazon Basin’. It certainly is distinctive and magnificent, an ‘eye-stopper’, towering over other vegetation, growing on a straight trunk and flowering amongst the canopy, 20-30 metres up. This is a killer nut, the size of a child’s head, that has claimed several lives and fractured skulls.

The nut is made of hard wood, and its evolutionary origin is fascinating, perhaps being so hard to avoid the ravaging skills of the megapods before man evolved, or simply to deter large herbivores, or both: a consequence of evolution.  The nut has a lid which detatches to allow the fruits to tumble out, and the whole fruit is a pyxidium, a device also shared by the delicate and humble Scarlet Pimpernel.

Cracking the nut in the wild has been achieved in a symbiotic relationship with the agouti  – the main disperser – which helps to spread the species. This rodent has such strong teeth it can gnaw its way to the softer centre of the nut. This is coevolution at it is best.  The nut it nutritious for indigenous peoples and explorers alike, for instance saving Humboldt men from starvation when they came up the Orinoco into Amazonia.

Pollination of the flowers is done by strong-bodied bees of five genera, able to fly up to 20km, thus increasing gene flow and ensuring good genetic variability. Germination takes a while; when Kew tried germinating the whole capsule it took up to six years to get a few seeds to germinate out of the pericarp. In the wild the hard nuts can lie around in the leaf litter for a few years before germination.

Knowledge of the Bazil nut came late to Europeans; the first mention being Carolus Clusius (1526-1609) who established it in Leiden, Netherlands. But this book digs very deep into its origins of the Brazil nut in the ordinary lives of the indigenous peoples of the Amazon. There are 331 indigenous lands in the ‘Legal Amazonia’, of an increasing population (730K in 2022), and most collect Brazil nut as part of their diet, usage (i.e. matting) and for sale. The authors describe the nut productivity of indigenous peoples along all the main river basins. There is no other book that has meticulously catalogued the profit and loss accounts, and vagaries of the world trade in these nuts. The book thus presents historical, ecological, anthropomphic information and commercial data on the species. It is no wonder that Robin Hanbury-Tenison, Founder of Survival International, has endorsed the book.

The nut crop is so important that models have been worked up to show that of the indigenous people could produce 34,608 tons of Brazil nuts a year, as an reliable economic gain. This has been worked out as a means of proving that this reliance of one single food source may restrain the progressive loss of the rainforest by preserving and conserving rainforest. After the nut have been taken from the wooden capsule a modern usage of the capsules has been to make organic bioplastics.

Harvesting of nuts is done from existing rainforest trees, so the harvest is entirely sustainable. We learn than there are no plantations in the Amazon, that there are great swathes without the species, and that its origin is a little obscure, there are conundrums and enigmas and false declarations and there is a lack of fossils which is an evolutionary botanical mystery.

These two botanists have ‘cracked’ the story of Brazil nuts…..yes, they have become nuts about the nuts on this botanical literary expedition. There is nothing quite like this botanical masterpiece on such a key rainforest species. The book has many colour photographs, and there is a General Index, Index of Scientific Names, Index of Indigenous tribes cited, and  a Glossary.

 Every botanical and ethnobotanical library in the world should have a copy.

Ponds, Pools and Puddles by Jeremy Biggs & Penny Williams, 2024. New Naturalist’s Series No. 148. London, William Collins. 615pp. ISBN 978-0-00-220085-1.  £65

The authors are founders of the ‘Freshwater Habitats Trust’ which was formed out of ‘Pond Conservation’ initially formed in 1988 by Jeremy Biggs, now Prof. Biggs. It’s a very big and comprehensive book compiled by these two go-to pond experts. The fruits of pond research have been trawled to bring up to date information, graphs and maps of changes in the landscape, and the rise and fall of pond organisms at the hands of man manipulating the landscape. It is not only a good read but it provides a resumé of the state of populations of native and introduced wildlife, with especial detailed information of amphibians. GCNs (Great Crested Newts) we learn are the ‘pantomine villains of British nature conservation’ and ‘more money has been spent on this animal than other, often ‘without much success’ and of Natterjacks we learn are ‘perhaps the most intensively studied of Britain’s amphibians,” but one that is least seen I would add.  A dive into the book for obvious topics such as pingoes, the 1 million ponds project and fairy shrimps are all there with further information.  The history of ponds in Britain provides a fascinating insight into the how aquatic wildlife has worked its way into different habitats, even coastal ones, and abroad, too with information on now toads have evolved into old wet woodland. What the book will be particularly useful for practicing ecologists is that management strategies for looking after, enhancing and making new ponds and what to do with old terrestrialised ponds is all there with illustrations. The book carries many colour photographs demonstrating different types of ponds and wildlife from birds to dependant invertebrates – but no mention of ‘Buglife – The Invertebrate Trust’ in the index. There are indexes to common names and species and a big section on references typical of these NNS books which never disappoint.

The Education of a Prince, The Diary and correspondence of Frederick Waymouth Gibbs: tutor to King Edward VII. Edited by Ghillean T. Prance and Rachel J. Crosby. 2024. pp141.  ISBN 978-1-908787-50-7 and ISBN 9 781908 787507.

The papers of Mr. Gibbs (1821-1898), including his diary, letters and prints have come directly down the family tree to these two authors, Prof. Sir Ghillean T. Prance (Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew from 1988 to 1999) and his daughter (manager of international projects in Africa and South America), Frederick Gibbs being Prance’s second cousin of his grandfather.  Gibbs’ claim to fame was that he was the tutor to Queen Victoria’s two eldest sons, from 1851-1856, Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, and Prince Alfred.

And what a hard life Gibbs seems to have had. It was not an easy teaching job, since the Prince of Wales was particularly truculent, aggressive and prone to throwing things around. These transcripts of diary entries and letters (some originals are shown written in a spidery quill hand) are revealing and deal mostly with everyday life in royal Victorian circles. Most of the political issues of the day are not included. There are timetables and strict work schedules, often metered out by Victoria who insisted on seven hours teaching, sometimes seven days a week especially if the princes were especially naughty. There were many “wishes of the Queen on a number of small points and generally the host of nothings which become important only when neglected” said Gibbs in a letter home from Windsor Castle in 1852. There were “Rules for Meals” and regulations, such as not being rude to their sisters, how not to fidget with cutlery at the table, and never to interrupt people speaking at mealtimes, and when precisely to wear a kilt.   The Queen also provided approved lists of suitable boys (17 are listed) who the Prince of Wales could have round to play during the summer – and  eight listed for Prince Alfred.  Eton, being next door to Windsor Castle had been a source of teachers and appropriate playmates.

Day to day entries in his diaries are sometimes like entries in a school report…”the impulse to oppose is very strong and offers great difficulties in his education”, and  “nothing makes a deep impression, and he forgets the greatest part of what he learns”…  It seems hard work for Mr. Gibbs considering all the non-cooperation he had with the Prince of Wales, all for an annual fee of £1,000. He took over from a master at Eton who was regarded as being too lenient with the boys, which is why the Queen wanted someone a little more stricter. This did not go down well with the boys so Gibbs took a while to settle in. The diaries show that Victoria gave him presents, and that he dined with her on some evenings. In his role as a teacher he had to work at Buckingham Palace, Osborne House and Sandringham and took voyages around the coast following his subjects. In 1852 the Queen had a phrenologist look at the princes’ heads to see if they were developing correctly. “The predominant organs are still combativeness, destructiveness, self-esteem, firmness and conscistiousness. Concentrativeness also is large, and the cerebellum is of considerable size having increased since May 1851.”  Phrenology was highly regarded at the time.

The book is illustrated with very good sketches from Albert Edward, and black and white photographs of the boys later in life, and Queen Victoria.  There is correspondence between the princes after Gibbs left when he continued to write to them, and received letters from them with presents, and others, including Tennyson residing at Henley on Thames. He was given £400 rising to £800 for his pension after four years.

The book provides a valuable insight into royal life during this snapshot of Victoria’s life. The entries will provide historians with a wealth of finer detail from ‘upstairs’ as seen by a teacher, as well as shining a light on the abundance of courtesy, etiquette and behaviour amongst the royals.  As a teacher Gibbs clearly earnt his keep within the household and the princes obviously appreciated his efforts as they continued to send him presents during his retirement; so did the Queen. This was not an ordinary life of a teacher, but a privileged one.

Groundbreakers, The return of Britain’s wild boar. By Chantal Lyons. London, Bloomsbury Wildlife. 2024. ISBN  978 3994 0163 0  &  9 781399 401630.  288pp

 Having almost been shot by a chasseur, whilst he was stalking me as a wild boar, and I was stalking him, I am fully aware of how keen the French are to kill les sanglier. The British wild boar was always native to Britain but then it went extinct, then reintroduced. This book picks up the European story. Chantal Lyons has French blood, and whilst visiting family in SW France has embraced what it is like to get inside the way of life of this large herbivore, which also doubles up as an omnivore and carnivore. Lyons says they are 90% herbivorous. Tell that to the French farmer rearing boar decades ago who said if a gendarme fell into the corral there would be nothing left except his pistol.  Her particular boar habitat of study is The Forest of Dean (Gloucestershire) where there is a viable population, and made Sus scrofa her subject of at least two dissertations. Why Dean? She says it is ‘The biggest unintentional field experiment in Britain’s nascent rewilding history’ (steady on). On bluebells she provides evidence that boar eat the bulbs, and help to wreck woodlands, which is understandable as they search for invertebrates in wet woodland. Incidentally she refers to geophytic bluebells, so I am left wondering where the epiphytic ones might be in our delicate Atlantic climate. One very important aspect of boar’s rotavating the soil is that they enhance biodiversity as wildflowers spring up from seeds brought to the surface. Biodiversity is only mentioned in the index in the sense that Britain is in its own Anthropocene where it is declining. I like the book; it follows Ramamoto’s 2017 book ‘Wild Boar’ (Reaktion Books) which has a more historic worldwide edge. I would like more on male ‘solitaires’ which do their own thing, or on ‘ear-tagging’ data, and on cross-country movements in France, and ‘motorway tunnels’ that boar do through impenetrable thick scrub.  I don’t like the flannelly paper used in the printing of this book, already foxed within the year, and which smells!  (not of foxes)  There are no illustrations or references, but there is an index.

Sus scrofa, the wild boar in captivity, with young