The Natural History of Flowers

The Natural History of Flowers
Author: Michael Fogden
Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
Total Pages: 234
Release: 2018-09-05
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1623496454

Flowers have played an important role in human culture and survival for thousands of years. The final products of flowers—fruits and seeds—are vitally important as food. Flowers provide bursts of color to homes and gardens and they symbolize love, sorrow, and renewal. Yet we often overlook their real purpose. Why do flowers exist and why do they have certain colors, shapes, and smells? What function does a flower have in the life and survival of the plants themselves? In nature, flowers play an essential role in improving a plant’s chances of survival. Some flowers are pollinated by wind or water but most are designed to attract and reward pollinators, such as bees, butterflies, birds, and bats, to carry their pollen from flower to flower. After being pollinated, flowers produce fruits and again take advantage of wind, water, and animals to disperse their seeds, ensuring a new generation of their species. Pollination and seed dispersal are fine-tuned systems, and their importance in sustaining a healthy environment cannot be overstated. And, as ongoing climate and other environmental changes apply new pressures, flowers must continue to adapt in order to survive. In this beautifully illustrated book with over 200 stunning photographs, Michael Fogden and Patricia Fogden draw from existing research and their extensive field experiences all over the world to present a detailed but accessible introduction to the natural history of flowers. They discuss a representative sample of flowering and fruiting strategies, illustrating interactions between plants and their pollinators and dispersers, and conclude with descriptions of their favorite tropical flowers.

The Reason for Flowers

The Reason for Flowers
Author: Stephen Buchmann
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 352
Release: 2015-07-21
Genre: Gardening
ISBN: 1476755523

An exploration of the roles flowers play in the production of our foods, spices, medicines, and perfumes reveals their origins, myriad shapes, colors, textures and scents, bizarre sex lives, and how humans-- and the natural world-- relate and depend upon them.

The Rose's Kiss

The Rose's Kiss
Author: Peter Bernhardt
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 280
Release: 2002-04-15
Genre: Gardening
ISBN: 9780226044408

In The Rose's Kiss, botanist Peter Bernhardt rekindles our sense of wonder at the plant life all around us. He presents a fascinating and wide-ranging look at the natural history of flowers - their forms and functions as well as their hidden interactions with the surrounding environment and the other living organisms upon which they depend for survival. The Rose's Kiss will hold wide appeal for nature lovers, garden enthusiasts, and anyone interested in learning more about the inner workings of the natural world.

Spring Wildflowers of the Northeast

Spring Wildflowers of the Northeast
Author: Carol Gracie
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 292
Release: 2012-03-12
Genre: Gardening
ISBN: 0691144664

This volume presents a detailed description of more than thirty-five wildflower species of the Northeast, describing their colors, habitats, range, pollination, history, cultural lore, medicinal uses, and literary and artistic references. The spring-blooming wildflowers looked at range from old favorites to lesser-known species. Featuring more than 500 full-color photos in large-sized format, the book delves deep into the life histories, lore, and cultural uses of more than 35 plant species. The narrative covers topics such as the naming of wildflowers; the reasons for taxonomic changes; pollination of flowers and dispersal of seeds; uses by Native Americans; related species in other parts of the world; herbivores, plant pathogens, and pests; medicinal uses; and wildflower references in history, literature, and art. The photos capture the beauty of these plants and also illustrate the concepts discussed in the text.

The Natural History of Pollination

The Natural History of Pollination
Author: Michael Proctor
Publisher: Timber Press (OR)
Total Pages: 492
Release: 1996
Genre: Nature
ISBN:

This is a brand new, fully updated edition of the natural history classic first published in 1973 as The Pollination of Flowers. The importance of insects in pollinating flowers is today so well known it is easy to forget that it was discovered little more than two centuries ago: before that, it was believed that the concern of bees with flowers was simply a matter of collecting honey. But the methods by which pollen reaches the female flower, enabling fertilisation and seed production to take place, include some of the most varied and fascinating mechanisms in the natural world. The Natural History of Pollination describes all the ways in which pollination is brought about: by wind, water, birds, bats and even mice and rats; but principally by a great diversity of insects in an amazing range of ways, some simple, some bizarre. This book is a unique introduction to a complex yet easily accessible subject of great fascination.

Flowers

Flowers
Author: William C. Burger
Publisher: Prometheus Books
Total Pages: 337
Release: 2009-12-02
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1615922164

A leading botanist and popular science writer examines the crucial role flowers have played in life's evolutionary scheme as a fundamental energy resource for most of the biosphere.

Seeing Flowers

Seeing Flowers
Author: Teri Dunn Chace
Publisher: Timber Press
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2013-09-24
Genre: Gardening
ISBN: 160469422X

We’ve all seen red roses, blue irises, and yellow daffodils. But when we really look closely at a flower, whole new worlds of beauty and intricacy emerge. Using a unique process that far surpasses conventional macro photography, Robert Llewellyn shows us details that few of us have ever seen: the amazing architecture of stamens and pistils; the subtle shadings on a petal; the secret recesses of nectar tubes. Complementing Llewellyn’s stunning photographs are Teri Dunn Chace’s lyrical, illuminating essays. By highlighting the features that distinguish twenty-eight of the most common families of flowering plants, Chace gives us fascinating insights into the natural history of flowers, such as the relationship between pollinators and floral form and color. At the same time she gives us a deeper appreciation of why and how flowers have become so deeply embedded in human culture. Whether you’re a nature lover, a gardener, a photography buff, or someone who simply responds to the timeless beauty and variety of the floral world, Seeing Flowers will be a source of enduring delight.

Strange Bright Blooms

Strange Bright Blooms
Author: Randy Malamud
Publisher: Reaktion Books
Total Pages: 352
Release: 2021-10-19
Genre: Crafts & Hobbies
ISBN: 1789144019

Virginia Woolf famously began one of her greatest novels: “Mrs Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself.” Of course she would: why would anyone surrender the best part of the day to someone else? Flowers grace our lives at moments of celebration and despair. “We eat, drink, sing, dance, and flirt with them,” writes Kakuzo Okakura. Flowers brighten our homes, our parties, and our rituals with incomparable notes of natural beauty, but the “nature” in these displays is tamed and conscribed. Randy Malamud seeks to understand the transplanted nature of cut flowers—of our relationship with them and the careful curation of their very existence. It is a picaresque, unpredictable ramble through the world of flowers, but also the world itself, exploring painting, murals, fashion, public art, glass flowers, pressed flowers, flowery church hats, weaponized flowers, deconstructed flowers, flower power, and much more.

What's Inside A Flower?

What's Inside A Flower?
Author: Rachel Ignotofsky
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers
Total Pages: 25
Release: 2021-02-02
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 0593176502

From the creator of the New York Times bestseller Women in Science, comes a new nonfiction picture book series ready to grow young scientists by nurturing their curiosity about the natural world--starting with what's inside a flower. Budding backyard scientists can start exploring their world with this stunning introduction to these flowery show-stoppers--from seeds to roots to blooms. Learning how flowers grow gives kids beautiful building blocks of science and inquiry. In the launch of a new nonfiction picture book series, Rachel Ignotofsky's distinctive art style and engaging, informative text clearly answers any questions a child (or adult) could have about flowers.