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The Orchid Hunter: A young botanist's search for happiness
In the summer after leaving school, a young botanist sets out to fulfill a childhood dream—to find every species of orchid native to the British Isles. He has just a few months to complete his quest, which no one has ever done before within one growing season, and it will require ingenuity, stamina and a large dose of luck. As he battles the vagaries of the British climate, feverishly chasing each emerging bloom, Leif Bersweden takes the reader on a remarkable botanical journey. This study of the 52 native species is a fantastic gateway into the compendious world of orchids, and one that will open your eyes to the rare hidden delights to be found on our doorstep. Includes an essential guide to finding all 52 British orchids.
402 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 5, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
December 5, 2022
The Orchid Hunter: A young botanist's search for happiness is the account of an enthusiastic teenage botanist who decided to use his gap year to track down every orchid species native to the British Isles. Spoilers: he managed it! I found his joy at discovering orchids and exploring beautiful landscapes endearing. I was also amused by the whole book because it presents the reverse of my own youthful experience. Bersweden laments not having friends or family who share his intense orchid enthusiasm and is only occasionally able to drag someone along with him. Whereas both my parents are wild orchid enthusiasts, so as a child I was frequently taken to picturesque meadows in order to search for them. This inculcated a familiarity with and fondness for wild orchids, but orchid hunting has never become a hobby of mine. Thus there was a certain nostalgia to Bersweden's account.
I particularly appreciated the inclusion of photographs of all the orchids at the centre of the book. This allows the reader to match Bersweden's descriptions to the orchid itself. Despite my upbringing, I didn't realise that Britain has so many native orchid species: a total of more than fifty. According to my parents I've seen quite a few of them, but don't remember because in some cases I was only six months old at the time. While recounting his own adventures, Bersweden also includes lots of interesting biological and historical detail. I enjoyed learning more about some orchids' interdependence with fungi and the first records of orchids from the seventeenth century.
The Victorians have a lot to answer when it comes to the rarity of many orchids today. Not only was this a period of considerable development and agricultural intensification, but Victorian enthusiasm for wild orchids meant a great many were picked and sold or added to collections. The populations of most have never recovered from this. Still, certain orchid species are pleasingly widespread and pop up in little patches of grassland - I've noticed bee orchids in a car park, common spotted on university grounds, and an early purple (I think) beside a leisure centre. Others are so rare that sites where they grow have to be kept secret and guarded. I'm very impressed that Bersweden managed to photograph a lady's slipper orchid flowering in the wild. The only one he couldn't find was the ghost orchid, which true to its name hasn't been seen since 2009.
The book also comments on the challenges of conserving orchids and other wild flowers when there is limited public awareness of or interest in them:
I suppose ecology has occupied the academic space left by botany? This paragraph also reminded me of my surprise that friends who'd taken plant science during their degrees weren't as familiar with native plant names as me. I picked up some knowledge thanks to my parents, without realising this was quite unusual. Indeed, I once mocked a friend for declaiming his interest in plant science at a garden centre then immediately mistaking a fake plant for the real thing.
Even if you don't have an inherited fondness for orchids, I recommend this engaging, funny, cheerful, and vivid tour of Britain's beautiful woods, meadows, bogs, and seashores in search of rare and beguiling plants. It's impossible to finish without having your interest in orchids piqued.
I particularly appreciated the inclusion of photographs of all the orchids at the centre of the book. This allows the reader to match Bersweden's descriptions to the orchid itself. Despite my upbringing, I didn't realise that Britain has so many native orchid species: a total of more than fifty. According to my parents I've seen quite a few of them, but don't remember because in some cases I was only six months old at the time. While recounting his own adventures, Bersweden also includes lots of interesting biological and historical detail. I enjoyed learning more about some orchids' interdependence with fungi and the first records of orchids from the seventeenth century.
The Victorians have a lot to answer when it comes to the rarity of many orchids today. Not only was this a period of considerable development and agricultural intensification, but Victorian enthusiasm for wild orchids meant a great many were picked and sold or added to collections. The populations of most have never recovered from this. Still, certain orchid species are pleasingly widespread and pop up in little patches of grassland - I've noticed bee orchids in a car park, common spotted on university grounds, and an early purple (I think) beside a leisure centre. Others are so rare that sites where they grow have to be kept secret and guarded. I'm very impressed that Bersweden managed to photograph a lady's slipper orchid flowering in the wild. The only one he couldn't find was the ghost orchid, which true to its name hasn't been seen since 2009.
The book also comments on the challenges of conserving orchids and other wild flowers when there is limited public awareness of or interest in them:
The disappearance of botany from UK universities - a remarkable landmark, surely, which seems to have passed unnoticed - is symbolic of a shift in focus from taxonomy and classification to genetic and molecular biology. It is now possible to complete a plant science course in Britain without once identifying a British wildflower. The withdrawal of our final botany degrees epitomises the fact that the need to identify British plants is no longer deemed important or relevant in a society rapidly losing interest in the plant kingdom.
I suppose ecology has occupied the academic space left by botany? This paragraph also reminded me of my surprise that friends who'd taken plant science during their degrees weren't as familiar with native plant names as me. I picked up some knowledge thanks to my parents, without realising this was quite unusual. Indeed, I once mocked a friend for declaiming his interest in plant science at a garden centre then immediately mistaking a fake plant for the real thing.
Even if you don't have an inherited fondness for orchids, I recommend this engaging, funny, cheerful, and vivid tour of Britain's beautiful woods, meadows, bogs, and seashores in search of rare and beguiling plants. It's impossible to finish without having your interest in orchids piqued.
January 23, 2018
Whenever orchids are mentioned, most think that they only live in the tropics where their fantastic colours and shapes have dazzled are the ones that have captivated and obsessed people over the ages. This level of obsession has caused grown men to almost lose their minds, squander fortunes and even resort to theft to possess the finest specimens. The United Kingdom has its own collection of orchids that are native to the isles; over fifty of them in fact. Leif Bersweden shares this obsession, having been fascinated with plants from an early age and when an opportunity to take a gap year presents itself, he conceives the idea of travelling around the UK trying to find each and every one of them when they were flowering. Working frantically to save the money for the journey, his parents give their approval for his journey around the UK, his only concern is whether his slight clapped out van is up to making the trip too?
The season for spotting these plants is from May to September and they are spread all around the country. Some of these plants are rare too, with only one or two endangered plants in secret locations. He will walk through bogs, walk through swathes of wildflowers as he sought orchids on chalk downlands, getting slightly lost whilst pushing his way through trees and slide down sand dunes in search of these small but still beautiful plants.
This is a really good combined travelogue and natural history book, with a really nice set of colour photos of all the orchids that he found too, for anybody that wants to discover any of these spectacular plants for themselves. For someone so young, Bersweden has an impressive and clear style already and writes about his passion with infectious enthusiasm. There are brief reflections through his personal life, his anxieties and hopes as he formulates the direction that he wants to take with his life after his orchid challenge. It is too a stark reminder of just how perilous the existence of these plants actually is, half of them are on the UK endangered list and the spectres of climate change and intensive farming are having irreversible effects on the habitat. Definitely one for the plant lovers out there and also one for those who have a wider interest in our native ecology.
The season for spotting these plants is from May to September and they are spread all around the country. Some of these plants are rare too, with only one or two endangered plants in secret locations. He will walk through bogs, walk through swathes of wildflowers as he sought orchids on chalk downlands, getting slightly lost whilst pushing his way through trees and slide down sand dunes in search of these small but still beautiful plants.
This is a really good combined travelogue and natural history book, with a really nice set of colour photos of all the orchids that he found too, for anybody that wants to discover any of these spectacular plants for themselves. For someone so young, Bersweden has an impressive and clear style already and writes about his passion with infectious enthusiasm. There are brief reflections through his personal life, his anxieties and hopes as he formulates the direction that he wants to take with his life after his orchid challenge. It is too a stark reminder of just how perilous the existence of these plants actually is, half of them are on the UK endangered list and the spectres of climate change and intensive farming are having irreversible effects on the habitat. Definitely one for the plant lovers out there and also one for those who have a wider interest in our native ecology.
May 27, 2018
A book which is returning to the shelf as I shall want to read it again. A compelling read with a good balance of travelogue, botanical history and ecology and the story of a very enthusiastic young man. Written with style and quality you'd expect from a much older author.
January 19, 2019
Charming…and gloriously nerdy.
Orchidophile, Bersweden, turns a setback (not getting into Oxford) into an adventure (to find all 52 species of native British orchids in one year – a feat never achieved before). So begins a classic Hero’s Quest.
Even if you have no interest in orchids, or any plants for that matter, you will come away with great respect for their ability to thrive in the most niche ecosystems, and for their sheer variety.
Perhaps more winningly, Bersweden’s book inspires faith in our ability to overcome any obstacle, just so long as we believe. His gap-year of orchid-hunting illustrates two great truths:
1. The power of concentrated effort and positive thinking: how you can succeed if you believe in it strongly enough. Bersweden went on to study at Oxford and is now (at the time of publication) a PhD student at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
2. The importance of a plan: if you know what road you want to travel, your path will be shorter.
Particularly engaging is when Bersweden discusses his plant-hunting predecessors. His admiration for, and self-imposed competition with, orchid-hunters of old brings alive the ongoing discovery of nature. He also discusses the myths these plants have given rise to, and dissects the meaning of the botanic names.
His loving descriptions of each plant and its habitat inspires a desire to see them in the wild and to learn more about them. His yearning to share this love with others is palpable.
The narrative falters when Bersweden interacts with his fellow-man/woman. With the exception of one such interaction, for the majority of times, an individual's introduction piques the interest, only for nothing to come of the encounter. Finally, in the botanist's haste to track down the next orchid, the character is written off without the slightest of farewells.
With clear photographs by the author of each orchid described, beautiful illustrations by Evie Dunne, and a guide to finding all 52 British species.
Heart-warming and informative.
Orchidophile, Bersweden, turns a setback (not getting into Oxford) into an adventure (to find all 52 species of native British orchids in one year – a feat never achieved before). So begins a classic Hero’s Quest.
Even if you have no interest in orchids, or any plants for that matter, you will come away with great respect for their ability to thrive in the most niche ecosystems, and for their sheer variety.
Perhaps more winningly, Bersweden’s book inspires faith in our ability to overcome any obstacle, just so long as we believe. His gap-year of orchid-hunting illustrates two great truths:
1. The power of concentrated effort and positive thinking: how you can succeed if you believe in it strongly enough. Bersweden went on to study at Oxford and is now (at the time of publication) a PhD student at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
2. The importance of a plan: if you know what road you want to travel, your path will be shorter.
Particularly engaging is when Bersweden discusses his plant-hunting predecessors. His admiration for, and self-imposed competition with, orchid-hunters of old brings alive the ongoing discovery of nature. He also discusses the myths these plants have given rise to, and dissects the meaning of the botanic names.
His loving descriptions of each plant and its habitat inspires a desire to see them in the wild and to learn more about them. His yearning to share this love with others is palpable.
The narrative falters when Bersweden interacts with his fellow-man/woman. With the exception of one such interaction, for the majority of times, an individual's introduction piques the interest, only for nothing to come of the encounter. Finally, in the botanist's haste to track down the next orchid, the character is written off without the slightest of farewells.
With clear photographs by the author of each orchid described, beautiful illustrations by Evie Dunne, and a guide to finding all 52 British species.
Heart-warming and informative.
March 2, 2018
This is a beautiful book written with great passion, and follows a wonderful journey across the UK to find all 52 species of native orchids. However, it just didn't grab me. This book is definitely written for botanists, because of the amount of plant and Latin names. It would be nice to get to know the author a little more and to have more information about his journey and its challenges, as this is more appealing for a casual reader. I was highly impressed by this challenge as a gap year, and certainly think this would be inspirational for young scientists. I would mostly recommend this book for anyone interested in botany and studying the natural sciences.
April 23, 2019
I absolutely loved this book. I love wildflowers and this book has inspired me to get out about more looking for orchids and other rare plants that I’ve never seen. For example this spring I went to see pasqueflowers for the first time, and I have two orchid trips planned in May. The author, Leif Bersweden, comes across really well. I feel like he is my friend now. He seems like a really genuine person. I just disagree with him on one point: botany and orchids are definitely cool! I really enjoyed the fact that this book is a story as well as an informative botanical book and I enjoyed hearing about his summer of orchid hunting and all the sagas and dramas along the way.
March 21, 2018
Lovely evocative language. Bersweden has a Tolkienesque love for the countryside and this comes across in the way he writes. I did find him a bit whiny at times when he goes on about not having a companion. Also a couple of the chapters could do with slightly better editing, but apart from that it was an enjoyable read.
Want to read
July 22, 2022What a lovely book! I never consciously saw an orchid in my life, until I read this book, and my mother showed me one growing in my parents' garden. What pleasure. The book is part treasurehunt, part autobiography and all pleasure. Leif Bersweden aims to find all 52 orchid species in one season, involving a lot of travel to catch them all.
The Burren 'a savage land, yielding neither water enough to drown a man, nor wood enough to burn a man, nor soil enough to bury a man'. In these inhospitable lands he misses the orchids he luckily finds a shortly after.
He has a pleasant writing style ('it is easy to judge how close you are to the Chilterns by counting the number of red kites in the sky; five or six a minute and you are nearly there' 'There is a childlike freedom about giving yourself over to the excitement of nature' 'Rarity, beauty and wildness should surely be intrinsically linked, epitomising that magical, mysterious power that nature can hold over us'.
Also a good sense of observation (about the beauty of a couple searching botanizing together, botany disappearing from universities and taxonomy and classification giving way to genetics and molecular biology).
Very much enjoyed the book. And the quote from Eliot: We shall not cease from exploration /And the end of all our exploring /Will be to arrive where we started/ And know the place for the first time. - T. S. Eliot (1888–1965)
The Burren 'a savage land, yielding neither water enough to drown a man, nor wood enough to burn a man, nor soil enough to bury a man'. In these inhospitable lands he misses the orchids he luckily finds a shortly after.
He has a pleasant writing style ('it is easy to judge how close you are to the Chilterns by counting the number of red kites in the sky; five or six a minute and you are nearly there' 'There is a childlike freedom about giving yourself over to the excitement of nature' 'Rarity, beauty and wildness should surely be intrinsically linked, epitomising that magical, mysterious power that nature can hold over us'.
Also a good sense of observation (about the beauty of a couple searching botanizing together, botany disappearing from universities and taxonomy and classification giving way to genetics and molecular biology).
Very much enjoyed the book. And the quote from Eliot: We shall not cease from exploration /And the end of all our exploring /Will be to arrive where we started/ And know the place for the first time. - T. S. Eliot (1888–1965)
May 6, 2023
Fantastic read! You feel as if you are there with Leif through the ups and downs of his hunt across the UK. His descriptions and illustrations allow you to really see the beauty of the many fascinating and unique orchids!
August 3, 2024
How I love this book!
I am not a biologist, botanist or scientist...
I simply love nature and this book is so beautifully written.
The timing was perfect because, while reading this book, wild orchids were in bloom.
Even though I was reading it from Belgium and not England, it inspired me to go out and find beautiful wild orchids in my own region.
My husband got involved too, and during our coffee breaks, we took turns reading sections to each other.
After reading about a specific orchid, we planned to try and find it in our area.
Sometimes we succeeded, and they are truly so beautiful! We could completely empathize with the search and admiration for these fascinating plants.
We laughed together, even shed a tear, and I drew a lot of inspiration and motivation from this book.
I am very grateful to Leif for sharing this adventure with us!
I highly recommend this book to every one!
I am not a biologist, botanist or scientist...
I simply love nature and this book is so beautifully written.
The timing was perfect because, while reading this book, wild orchids were in bloom.
Even though I was reading it from Belgium and not England, it inspired me to go out and find beautiful wild orchids in my own region.
My husband got involved too, and during our coffee breaks, we took turns reading sections to each other.
After reading about a specific orchid, we planned to try and find it in our area.
Sometimes we succeeded, and they are truly so beautiful! We could completely empathize with the search and admiration for these fascinating plants.
We laughed together, even shed a tear, and I drew a lot of inspiration and motivation from this book.
I am very grateful to Leif for sharing this adventure with us!
I highly recommend this book to every one!
October 27, 2018
Wonderful.
More than just a travelogue. A young man's journey around the country following his dream and learning about the World. Oh, and I learned lot about orchids too.
More than just a travelogue. A young man's journey around the country following his dream and learning about the World. Oh, and I learned lot about orchids too.
November 14, 2023
I loved this book. It was written in a very engaging style and had lots of information. I loved the use of common names and the stories behind some of the plants (which made it quite an approachable book and of course, there's some 'real botanical' details too). Although Leif talks about the orchids and where he found them, he's correct, many can be found in other areas, you just need to get out and look, you never know what you'll find! Leif describes some orchids and the hunt for them in great depth, the harder to find the more he talks about the search. But the common ones, you see in a car park or along the central reservation of a motorway, are also good to see, those in unexpected places, or those odd ones tucked under a tree on a verge in a town - although its too easy to pass by in a hurry and just not notice. Favourite book of the year.
Unfortunately the kindle eddition has no photos, and although has some nice line drawings, it doesn't say what they are.
This also took me back to lockdown. I spent lockdown exploring nature and reconnecting with all our local reserves (limiting myself to 20-30 mins from home), I was lucky enough to find a large number locally (well it seemed a large number, but was nearer 15). Interestingly he talks about Noar Hill (which is one of the place to which I have often visited) and gave a different perspective to that site.
As Leif gave us his favourites, I thought I'd share mine! My top 3 are... 1) the Bee orchid (being from Winchester, as it has a varient of Bee orchid, I would like them!), locally found in car parks, on roundabouts, they are not fussy and fascinating. 2) the burnt tip - which is reminiscent of an vanilla ice cream cone with pink sauce, and so tiny & cute, and 3) the marsh helleborine, so dainty (and these are walking distance of me). But having read this book, there are a few sites I need to visit and expand the types orchids I have seen. So now I can travel further - I must find Martin Down and other sites a little further away, and I need to find a frog orchid (I know they are on a couple of sites I have visited, but just not spotted one, yet)!
Unfortunately the kindle eddition has no photos, and although has some nice line drawings, it doesn't say what they are.
This also took me back to lockdown. I spent lockdown exploring nature and reconnecting with all our local reserves (limiting myself to 20-30 mins from home), I was lucky enough to find a large number locally (well it seemed a large number, but was nearer 15). Interestingly he talks about Noar Hill (which is one of the place to which I have often visited) and gave a different perspective to that site.
As Leif gave us his favourites, I thought I'd share mine! My top 3 are... 1) the Bee orchid (being from Winchester, as it has a varient of Bee orchid, I would like them!), locally found in car parks, on roundabouts, they are not fussy and fascinating. 2) the burnt tip - which is reminiscent of an vanilla ice cream cone with pink sauce, and so tiny & cute, and 3) the marsh helleborine, so dainty (and these are walking distance of me). But having read this book, there are a few sites I need to visit and expand the types orchids I have seen. So now I can travel further - I must find Martin Down and other sites a little further away, and I need to find a frog orchid (I know they are on a couple of sites I have visited, but just not spotted one, yet)!
January 12, 2025
A delightful little book. Orchid hunting and orchid hunters is/are such a fascinating topic and it is so nice to read about an orchid hunter who is fascinated with his local flora and who engages in this activity with a genuine interest and enthusiasm for the preservation of orchids in their natural habitats (though they may be changing). The one thing that prevented me from enjoying this book more is the lack of information/facts about these species (I do sometimes ask myself the question: do I just want to read textbooks/encyclopedias about plants? And the answer is probably yes but I'm also fascinated by the human elements that is introduced into narratives about plants).
On one issue, I believe, me and Bersweden completely aggree: I wish there was a larger fascination with the flora that naturally occurs all around us. I wish people would appreciate the plants that are right in front of them more. And this book makes such a great case for opening your eyes to native flora. I'll be on the lookout for orchids next time I'm in the UK, but I'll also see how much I can find out about continental European orchids. There may be new treasures for me to discovere yet.
On one issue, I believe, me and Bersweden completely aggree: I wish there was a larger fascination with the flora that naturally occurs all around us. I wish people would appreciate the plants that are right in front of them more. And this book makes such a great case for opening your eyes to native flora. I'll be on the lookout for orchids next time I'm in the UK, but I'll also see how much I can find out about continental European orchids. There may be new treasures for me to discovere yet.
January 31, 2019
Beautiful Book
I thought I would like this book being a naturalist particularly keen on wildflowers myself, but I absolutely loved it, I was continuingly stopping and telling my wife about this and that during reading.
Leif wears his heart on his sleeve too, which I also thought was very endearing and made the book so very much more 'human'.
Thank you Leif, I enjoyed this very very much, please write again.
Andrew
I thought I would like this book being a naturalist particularly keen on wildflowers myself, but I absolutely loved it, I was continuingly stopping and telling my wife about this and that during reading.
Leif wears his heart on his sleeve too, which I also thought was very endearing and made the book so very much more 'human'.
Thank you Leif, I enjoyed this very very much, please write again.
Andrew
May 26, 2019
A plant hunter’s version of Patrick Barkham’s ‘Butterfly Islands’. Fascinating (to me anyway) account of a young botanist’s quest to find all species of British orchids in one season. Lovely descriptions of the British countryside, and enough suspense to keep one interested. Orchids are extraordinary plants, and as I’ve only seen a handful of the 52, I enjoyed reading about Leif’s trials and travails; I look forward to his further books.
November 24, 2018
I have loved every single word of this book, it has been incredible - further deepening and extending my love of botany. I was completely hooked and now so desperately want to go on an orchid adventure myself. So sad that the book had to finish! I’m an orchidophile through and through.
December 30, 2017
interesting
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 17, 2020
Endearingly geeky, though a little repetitive at times. Great for lovers or orchids, as well as nature lovers generally!
March 18, 2021
A beautifully written account of an immense botanical journey. The perfect read for botanist and plant lovers!
June 26, 2021
I loved this book. The photographs are easy to refer to from the text, which is useful. I especially enjoyed the personal story of the author's search.
Read
November 3, 2025loved this book! Found it just the right balance of botany and storytelling. thank you!
November 5, 2025
very cute!!
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