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Wonderland: A Year of Britain's Wildlife, Day by Day
Expert birders start each January by drawing up their year list -- the birds they are determined to see in the next 365 days. Brett Westwood and Stephen Moss want to help us do the same thing for nature. Every day of the year -- summer or winter -- there are wonderful things that we can all see and experience if only we knew what to look for. And now we do.
A chilly day in the dead of winter -- which bird would choose this time of year to raise its young?
The buzzing of bumblebees, the humming of hoverflies or the croaking of crickets -- which is the true sound of summer?
Distilling two lifetimes' knowledge, insight and enthusiasm, naturalists Brett Westwood and Stephen Moss take you through the year, day by day, sharing the delights that you can experience in Britain's skies, seas, rivers, fields, forests and back gardens. From winter encounters with the curious black redstart, which chooses to spend its winters on our freezing, rocky coasts, and the first appearance of the snowdrop's tiny green shoots poking up through stone-hard soil, the first sign that winter might be reaching an end; through spring with its rush of migrant birds and the emergence from her chrysalis of the fragile orange-tip butterfly; into the sounds and smells summer with its abundance of flowers and insects, and when at night you might encounter summer's 'earthly stars', the glow-worm, or that most bizarre and bewitching of moths, the ghost moth. The Nature Table is a book for anyone who wants to experience the world and to observe how it changes throughout the year.
A chilly day in the dead of winter -- which bird would choose this time of year to raise its young?
The buzzing of bumblebees, the humming of hoverflies or the croaking of crickets -- which is the true sound of summer?
Distilling two lifetimes' knowledge, insight and enthusiasm, naturalists Brett Westwood and Stephen Moss take you through the year, day by day, sharing the delights that you can experience in Britain's skies, seas, rivers, fields, forests and back gardens. From winter encounters with the curious black redstart, which chooses to spend its winters on our freezing, rocky coasts, and the first appearance of the snowdrop's tiny green shoots poking up through stone-hard soil, the first sign that winter might be reaching an end; through spring with its rush of migrant birds and the emergence from her chrysalis of the fragile orange-tip butterfly; into the sounds and smells summer with its abundance of flowers and insects, and when at night you might encounter summer's 'earthly stars', the glow-worm, or that most bizarre and bewitching of moths, the ghost moth. The Nature Table is a book for anyone who wants to experience the world and to observe how it changes throughout the year.
466 pages, Hardcover
Published June 6, 2017
145 people are currently reading
496 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
December 31, 2018
I have been interested in nature for many years. Last year, I packed my job in so that I could concentrate on my nature photography and try to make a business out of it. I spend a lot of time outside, sometimes just enjoying the sights and sounds of the UK countryside, often searching for things to photograph. I love the gradually increasing awareness I have of the natural world that is going on all around us all the time but of which we are often oblivious.
Wonderland is a book designed to take one year to read. There is an entry for each day of the year, all at around one page long, and each one looks a something different covering animals, birds, insects, trees, flowers, fungi…you get the idea.
There are three things about this book that I particularly enjoyed. Firstly, there is the entry for each day on that day - I tended to read each over breakfast and it became one of the mini-highlights of my day. Secondly, there is the end-of-month look back at the previous four weeks of entries to remind myself of some of the things I’ve read about. And finally, there is the sense of anticipation as I read the few introductory pages at the start of each month that give hints of what is to come. Nature is endlessly fascinating.
There were some days when I already knew quite a lot about the topic, other days when I had never even heard of the subject before. Most days were somewhere in the middle: I knew some stuff but learned something interesting. The writing is never condescending and always entertaining.
Thoroughly recommended for anyone UK-based with an interest in nature. It will make you more aware of that “other world”: there’s a lifetime of learning and enjoyment out there and this is a great way to enter into it or to build up your knowledge. It’s a brilliant use of 5 minutes of your day for a year.
To finish, one of my pictures (shameless, I know). Short-eared owls are discussed in 3 October’s entry:
Wonderland is a book designed to take one year to read. There is an entry for each day of the year, all at around one page long, and each one looks a something different covering animals, birds, insects, trees, flowers, fungi…you get the idea.
There are three things about this book that I particularly enjoyed. Firstly, there is the entry for each day on that day - I tended to read each over breakfast and it became one of the mini-highlights of my day. Secondly, there is the end-of-month look back at the previous four weeks of entries to remind myself of some of the things I’ve read about. And finally, there is the sense of anticipation as I read the few introductory pages at the start of each month that give hints of what is to come. Nature is endlessly fascinating.
There were some days when I already knew quite a lot about the topic, other days when I had never even heard of the subject before. Most days were somewhere in the middle: I knew some stuff but learned something interesting. The writing is never condescending and always entertaining.
Thoroughly recommended for anyone UK-based with an interest in nature. It will make you more aware of that “other world”: there’s a lifetime of learning and enjoyment out there and this is a great way to enter into it or to build up your knowledge. It’s a brilliant use of 5 minutes of your day for a year.
To finish, one of my pictures (shameless, I know). Short-eared owls are discussed in 3 October’s entry:
October 21, 2017
We are used to hearing horror stories of the dramatic decline in our wildlife and the daily persecution that they suffer, but if you know where and more importantly when to look, we still have an amazing abundance of flora and fauna to see. Drawing on two lifetimes experience, naturalists Brett Westwood and Stephen Moss take us on a daily journey into the natural world. No stone has been left unturned as we find the creatures of moor and mountain, stream and river, field and dale and more importantly those that you might see when you look out of your kitchen window. They write about all sorts of creatures too, from the smallest flies that you can only find on particular plants, the majestic eagles you can see on the West Coast of Scotland and the fleeting visitors as they pause briefly here on their epic journeys.
As I have come to expect from Stephen Moss the writing is excellent; it is detailed whilst still being interesting. Haven’t read anything by Brett Westwood before, but have been listening to his Natural Histories on Radio 4 a lot recently and have come to like the enthusiasm for his subjects be they slugs or owls. They are an ideal partnership and this is one of the things that makes this book so special and a veritable goldmine of the natural world. Will definitely be buying this in paperback when it comes out.
As I have come to expect from Stephen Moss the writing is excellent; it is detailed whilst still being interesting. Haven’t read anything by Brett Westwood before, but have been listening to his Natural Histories on Radio 4 a lot recently and have come to like the enthusiasm for his subjects be they slugs or owls. They are an ideal partnership and this is one of the things that makes this book so special and a veritable goldmine of the natural world. Will definitely be buying this in paperback when it comes out.
May 4, 2018
My daughter gave me this delightful book for my birthday last year, and since then I’ve had a year’s worth of pleasure reading daily about the diverse wildlife of our country. And now I can start all over again!
January 26, 2025
Perfectly pleasant, and a nice idea, but not for me. Found it hard to concentrate on the narration (I listened to the audiobook) as it just didn't hold my interest.
December 14, 2018
This is fantastic. What a wonderful book. My wife and I tried to read it together day by day but that became difficult. It is now a book to be kept in our 'watching area' to be dipped into as and when.
September 28, 2018
I picked this one up on a whim at a Waterstone's, largely for writing research; I figured the information would probably be helpful, and hey, just look at that sweet cover! The whole book turned out to be marvelous. As an American, I'm not exactly its target audience, but it took me back to the days when I was obsessed with nature and wanted to be an ornithologist when I grew up. The short, daily entries are perfect for savouring, Westwood's and Moss's descriptions beautiful, with stand-out phrases like a beetle armoured like a medieval warhorse or a (dragonfly?) shimmering gold like an illuminated manuscript: you can immediately picture whatever it is, regardless of whether you've seen the species before. The mix of personal experience, scientific observation, and historical context is on point. It's a window onto the variegated wonder of creation, and it's terrific.
May 4, 2021
Those with the discipline to buy (or receive) their own copy of this and then to read it over the course of a year (there is a piece for every day) will be richly rewarded. I was surprised though by just how delightful it still was to read it all against a library returns deadline. It worked well to have Stephen Moss and Brett Westwood team up for this, with their different home patches (and occasional wry references to one another) Both of them write a short introduction each for every month and each month has a beautiful design to introduce it which is suitable leaven for an otherwise unillustrated work.
The range is much wider than you often get in nature books - lots about particular species, flora and fauna, yes, common or celebrated or other, but also particular habitats and seasonal elements. Those who are not fans of the more purple end of the genre should be happy, as should those who risk glazing over at more technical stuff because each piece is so short. Short but not written always to equal length, more to fit the subject. There is enough reference to pressures and controversies to keep it real and unfluffy without spoiling its capacity to convey the wonder it advertises.
The range is much wider than you often get in nature books - lots about particular species, flora and fauna, yes, common or celebrated or other, but also particular habitats and seasonal elements. Those who are not fans of the more purple end of the genre should be happy, as should those who risk glazing over at more technical stuff because each piece is so short. Short but not written always to equal length, more to fit the subject. There is enough reference to pressures and controversies to keep it real and unfluffy without spoiling its capacity to convey the wonder it advertises.
November 30, 2022
it’s been so lovely to have reading about british wildlife as part of my daily routine this year ! Reading this as the year has gone on made me more aware of what was happening in the world around me and left me looking out for the plants and animals I’d read about, am going to miss this
July 30, 2020
Great read, a pick up and put down read for me but I have thoroughly enjoyed it.
So much I have learned, really fascinating.Highly recommend.
So much I have learned, really fascinating.Highly recommend.
January 9, 2020
Read this book as an entry per day....so it took a full year. Enjoyed the two different writing styles of the authors. Woul recommend the book,to anyone interested in wildlife.
December 8, 2025
I got this book a while back and tried to read it cover to cover. Bad move. Instead, if you are fortunate enough to own a copy of this book find yourself a spot in your home that you visit every day (the toilet perhaps) or put in the glovebox of your car and try and read one entry a day. Don't worry if you are a little ahead or behind because of holidays etc - but do try not to fall behind more than a week or two.
Keep up this little routine and every trip outdoors will be all the more enjoyable. You'll find yourself noticing more, or being able to tell one dragonfly from another. You'll also become more in tune with the wildlife calendar moments of the year. St Marks fly for example, a fly that appears around St Marks day, will appear in abundance around the end of April. The migratory birds know this and you'll start to see more birds as a result of the feeding frenzy.
Having read it from Dec to Dec I have to say it is one the most satisfying anticlimaxes I have ever read. And next year, well... I'll just read it all over again and again until the cover falls off.
Keep up this little routine and every trip outdoors will be all the more enjoyable. You'll find yourself noticing more, or being able to tell one dragonfly from another. You'll also become more in tune with the wildlife calendar moments of the year. St Marks fly for example, a fly that appears around St Marks day, will appear in abundance around the end of April. The migratory birds know this and you'll start to see more birds as a result of the feeding frenzy.
Having read it from Dec to Dec I have to say it is one the most satisfying anticlimaxes I have ever read. And next year, well... I'll just read it all over again and again until the cover falls off.
September 28, 2022
I love books about nature and this one is no exception. It does what it says on the tin. The two authors go through the year day to day and talk about a specific animal or plant, even a mushroom or two.
The daily entrees are often short, but they celebrate the life that can be found throughout the year. The authors also narrate the audio book and I loved hearing them talk about something they were clearly passionate about. It was a real pleasure.
It’s not very clear who wrote which bit, but I guess that did not really matter and did not take away from my enjoyment. It was a joy and the snippets of information very interesting. The subjects range from rare sightings to birds and plants we all have around our homes
If you like books about nature, and maybe specifically British flora and fauna, this is a book to try for sure
The daily entrees are often short, but they celebrate the life that can be found throughout the year. The authors also narrate the audio book and I loved hearing them talk about something they were clearly passionate about. It was a real pleasure.
It’s not very clear who wrote which bit, but I guess that did not really matter and did not take away from my enjoyment. It was a joy and the snippets of information very interesting. The subjects range from rare sightings to birds and plants we all have around our homes
If you like books about nature, and maybe specifically British flora and fauna, this is a book to try for sure
June 12, 2019
The co-authors have charted a whole year of wildlife watching. Wonderland is a day-by-day account of a wildlife year in the UK, including the familiar and the obscure.
Straight forward, informative prose urging us to step outside and look and listen, because wildlife is everywhere, not just in remote rural areas. We can feel wonder at the unexplained and seemingly impossible: the synchronised murmuration if starlings, the intricate slider's web, the migratory birds that return each year; the codependency between trees and fungi.
I read it cover to cover, but reading it day by day would perhaps work better.
Straight forward, informative prose urging us to step outside and look and listen, because wildlife is everywhere, not just in remote rural areas. We can feel wonder at the unexplained and seemingly impossible: the synchronised murmuration if starlings, the intricate slider's web, the migratory birds that return each year; the codependency between trees and fungi.
I read it cover to cover, but reading it day by day would perhaps work better.
December 31, 2018
4.5 stars rounded up. A lovely book but loses half a star from me because I really felt that it could have benefitted from some illustrations - and I think the publishers really missed an opportunity; a beautifully illustrated hardback edition would indeed have been a thing of wonder. The further reading section was also rather on the short side.
December 8, 2021
Such a beautiful insight to the wildlife that surrounds us throughout the year.
So informative to which I learned so many new things about animals, plants and insects.
Enjoyed the illustrations that took us into a new month.
I think if I am/will read this book again, I will read in time to which day I’m on.
Would highly recommend this book to any one
So informative to which I learned so many new things about animals, plants and insects.
Enjoyed the illustrations that took us into a new month.
I think if I am/will read this book again, I will read in time to which day I’m on.
Would highly recommend this book to any one
April 17, 2023
A fascinating book if you love nature you will love it. A great book to dip into each day. You do need to have google to hand as there are no photographs of the subject being discussed. Each day of the year is devoted to a nature species animal plant insect or bird etc. and they are appropriate for that time of year.
December 31, 2023
What a lovely book. I read it as intended, one entry per day, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I think British readers might get even more out of it, as the birds, insects, and other animals I see around me in the US are mostly different from those described here. But it was a total pleasure and I highly recommend it for anyone interested in the natural world around us.
June 7, 2021
A beautiful book chronicling all the wildlife that the UK has to offer, broken down into a different fauna or flora wonder for each day. Highly informative but written in a beautiful way that is easy to engage with and enjoy. One I may go back to several times in all honesty too.
June 9, 2022
A wonderful, marvellous voyage through the British countryside drawing the reader's attention to the glories that can be found everywhere, if you know where to look. If you don't, like me, this book helps you to.
April 5, 2023
Such a wonderfully informative read! Each entry is a single day in the wildlife calendar year. From foxes to fungi, from trees to toads, this book includes everything you can possibly find on your own garden doorstep. I really enjoyed it.
August 25, 2024
A gorgeous painting of Britain's wildlife. Full to bursting with both common and elusive species, weaved between the experience of nature watching and how it creates so many wonderful, long lasting memories for us.
December 31, 2024
A wonderful and informative book, with an entry for each day of the year. I have learnt a great deal and it has prompted me to get out into nature at every possible opportunity, no matter what the weather or how much time I have. Even a 10 minute walk is enough to see and hear and discover!
October 7, 2025
Absolutely gorgeous book. Day by day in short sections, easy to understand and so beautifully written in a whimsical way I felt like I was there watching the wildlife myself. We really do live amongst wonder!
November 6, 2019
THis was really good! I enjoyed reading this over time and picking out new places to go and watch wildlife- although I could have done with a few more north-west wildlife watching spots.
February 23, 2021
An brilliant book, informative and interesting.
Perfect book for the bedside table or the toilet (in the nicest possible way) - reading a section or two a day.
Perfect book for the bedside table or the toilet (in the nicest possible way) - reading a section or two a day.
February 25, 2021
I read this through last year, trying to read it one day at a time. It was fascinating and I'm definitely going to read it again. Each entry is very interesting and informative, but not too long.
March 25, 2021
Highly recommend listening to the audiobook of this as it is read by the authors and it would be a shame to miss their enthusiasm for their subject.
January 7, 2022
Such a lovely book - the best way to enjoy it is to read it every day for a year so you can also try to spot the things mentioned around you.
April 18, 2022
Such a lovely book
December 24, 2022
A passage each day to be savoured which really made me think about the wildlife, flowers & fauna around me.
A great variety of subjects with lots to learn.
A great variety of subjects with lots to learn.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews