One Thousand Shades of Green: A Year in Search of Britain's Wild Plants

by Mike Dilger

Mike Dilger's nationwide quest to find 1,000 wild plant species in a single year.

For most of 2020, Mike Dilger’s day-job of travelling to the four corners of the British Isles all but disappeared. Having been confined to one place by the Covid pandemic, and with daily dog walks his sole permitted outdoor pursuit, the simple pleasure of getting to know the flowers at his feet reignited a long-buried botanical passion.

Now Mike is on a to see a thousand different wild plants in one calendar year, and assess how our fascinating flora is faring in modern Britain.

From Cornwall to Kent and Breckland to the Scottish Highlands, Mike meets the resilient reserve wardens and courageous conservationists tasked with protecting some of the nation’s richest botanical sites, and experiences first-hand the many difficulties associated with saving our rarest and most charismatic plants.

Taking in city centres, mountain tops and every conceivable habitat in between, One Thousand Shades of Green is a manifesto on how to love and conserve our green and pleasant land, and celebrates the beauty and diversity of the nation’s plants.

Genres: Nature, Nonfiction, Natural History, Science

304 pages, Hardcover

Published February 2, 2023

Reviews

[Tania · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to see a talk given by the author about this book at WOMAD recently, (very nice to see a bookshop at a music festival), he was a very engaging and enthusiastic speaker, and I couldn't resist picking up a copy of the book, and made a start on it straight away.

In 2020, with lockdown, his work had largely tried up, so he pitched an idea to Bloomsbury to spend 2021 trying to find and identify 1000 wild plants, and write a book about his 'big botanical adventure'. He travels around quite a bit with his work, so managed to rack on some plant sporting forays into his trips. He is fortunate enough to have plenty of friends and acquaintances who are experts in their fields eager and willing to help him reach his goal as he claims to be no expert himself, though he does learn plenty along the way.

It isn't necessary to know much about wild flowers to appreciate the book, it's as much about the journey, and the people who help him along the way as it is about the flowers and where he finds them, and it has certainly given me a better appreciation for what might be beneath my feet. The council's around here are being much better about not cutting back the roadside verges, so that in the last few years the have very noticeably become a great habitats for wildflowers; each year I see more and more variety, this year, I noticed the verges heading into Cheltenham were covered in orchids, now thriving due to 'No mow May' and now, 'Let it Bloom June'. It's great to see this, but !the book let's is know if the many other habitats and plants needing a helping hand. Inspiring stuff.

[Sarah Gregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an enjoyable account of how Mike Dilger challenged himself to find 1000 species of British plants in one year. I am anyway interested in plants but I also liked his account of the people who helped him: his family to whom he gives special thanks and all the botanists up and down the country. He is also describes some places I know well but do have not visited recently: the Dorset coast, Anglesey and the north Norfolk coast. There is a helpful listing in the back of the book of the places and the common and Latin names of the plants. On his way he exposes the plight of British wildflowers but the whole is also laced with good humour and the joy of the chase.

[Elysia · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Very Good*

Picked this book up at a talk by Mike Dilger at a local bookstore, he was enthusiastic and lovely and I came away feeling enthusiastic again about nature.

The book follows his journey to finding 1000 species of plant in the uk in a single year! An impressive feat and a heartwarming read.

[Susan Grimshaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating account of Dilger's challenge to record 1000 species of British wild flowers in one year, which he successfully accomplished. His enthusiasm and love of wild plants shine through the pages and are an inspiration to all lovers of wild plants. Perhaps there is just a bit too much information about family and friends , but a thoroughly enjoyable and educational book nonetheless.

[BookswithLydscl | · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new style of non fiction for me - not being a nature reader. So glad I jumped in and picked this up in the library. A botany quest told with knowledge and enthusiasm and has certainly made me look a little closer at the plant life around me when I go out for walks.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like our wild plants, you’ll thoroughly enjoy this book, detailing Mike Dilger's quest to see one thousand of the UK's wild plants. For the non-botanist it may have less attraction, and for the non-naturalist perhaps even less

[Alana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went to a talk by Mike at the Global BirdFair on this book and felt so excited to read his stories of plant hunting in more detail. A great read! Ready to start my big botanical year in 2025!! (And I'm very much a beginner!!!!)

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful book, which I had to read with my iPad near to hand so that I could image search all the marvellous plants I'd never heard of before

[Ray Hamblett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read on audible by the author.

[Lady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend.
My first Botsny (loving calling Botany this way) book.
Adventurous, and a lot of humour.
A botany tale told during the pandemic. Brave.