How to be a Bad Botanist

by Simon Barnes

Can you tell a tomato from a grape? Lawn from an oak tree? Then congratulations - you are a botanist.  Self-confessed bad birdwatcher Simon Barnes thought he knew nothing about plants. He didn't object to trees are interesting, because birds perch in them; plants are useful as they create habitats and birds live in habitats. But while admiring the tenacity of some sea kale and yellow-horned poppy to thrive on an inhospitable shingle beach, he was struck by a truth - it all begins with plants.  In this funny and inspiring book, Simon Barnes tells the story of a lifelong relationship with plants, and the realisation of the fact. Taking us from thinking ourselves ignorant about plants, to gently starting to observe seasons, patterns and places, Barnes guides us on a journey to better observing the beauty and diversity of the natural world.  Both a primer on how to appreciate the plants around us and an exploration on how they make our external and interior worlds, How to be a Bad Botanist opens our eyes to the wonders  around us. Plants are everywhere, in every part of your life, and you know more than you think.  

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Environment, Science, Audiobook

285 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 25, 2024

Reviews

[Georgia · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is a very pure and wholesome read for all the girlies whose new year resolution was to be able to identify a tree (hi!). it just got painfully annoying having to pick up your phone every paragraph to look up what monkshood or lesser celandine looks like (he really likes lesser celandine). i actually have a brilliant suggestion that i offer to simon and schuster for free: illustrate the endpapers with all the key plants from the book with their page numbers underneath. since you have already paid for 4/0 endpapers it won’t cost you any more beyond the set fee for the illustrator or image clearance rights. i guess this won’t work for the PB edition but you shouldn’t have cheaped out first time round xxx

[Jane Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book… but, it could do with images. I kept finding myself reaching for my phone to search the species mentioned and look at images. It made it quite distracting.

[Colin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Following the success of his How to be a Bad Birdwatcher, Simon Barnes’ new book takes the same lighthearted but informative approach to plant life. There’s plenty of useful introductory information here for the general reader who’s just started to take an interest in plants and how they grow, reproduce and spread, and how they fit into wider ecological systems; indeed, his chapter on the process of ecological succession is as clear a description of the process as I have ever read. As other reviewers have commented, it is best read with a good plant identification guide at hand, and it does suffer from the lack of an index, but as a book to spark or rekindle an interest in plant life, it does the job very well.

[Ellie M-K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an interesting book! Now I look for flowers, trees and different types do grass everywhere and sometimes I can even name them! I’d recommend the Collin gem guide on wildflowers to go alongside this book.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars, learnt loads (cabbage and broccoli are the same species!?), curious to learn more

[Toby]

Appreciated the factual information on plant function but with a lean towards more social and cultural associations regarding them also. And how it drew on my prior knowledge of biology and drew new links between, providing a new appreciation for even the more basic plants through a wider, real life context. Really got me putting myself in a plant’s shoes which I did not expect. Vibes. Got me back into reading too I think!

[Suz Cliff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this whilst on holiday in Suffolk and it contained lots of examples relevant to my daily walks. I imagine it would prove less interesting to anyone outside the uk and as already mentioned lacks photos. The science, ecological stance, is well explained but I imagine would be incredibly annoying to any evolution denying individuals. Love Simon’s bad birdwatcher book, especially the audio that goes with it. This could do with a similar accompanying file of online visual footage of the entangled bank. A good reminder of the wonders of the natural world and their importance.

[Katherine Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute lil cozy book about plants. Covers all the plant biology basics and also gives great food for thought about how we're all better botanists that we give ourselves credit for. Would have liked some pictures or illustrations as I found myself googling a lot. I'm now finding myself really looking at every plant I walk past, which is weirdly comforting.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoroughly engaging and witty read. I realise I know far more about botany that I thought I did! Plus I learned a whole lot more. Simon Barnes's musings on evolution and climate change were really insightful and thought provoking, really bringing the concepts and issues alive for a science-phobe like me. The author lives locally to me in Norfolk, which made it all the more relevant. I recently relocated to its coastline and have been familiarising myself with the flora and fauna of the region over the past 18 months or so. How To be A Bad Birdwatcher has been added to my Want To Read list.

[Diana Coleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book, such an interesting read, and I could picture the tangled bank. It was a reminder of my Norfolk childhood and walks with my parents who would teach my sister and I about the plants, insects and birds, mammals and amphibians, that inhabited our countryside. Simon Barnes writes books about nature that are always a pleasure to read.

[Joakim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took a while to get into it but it introduces some really interesting concepts towards the end. I do agree it would’ve helped with some photos when you list so many different types of flora, and I do wish it went a bit more in depth sometimes

[RuBisCO Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and charming book. Not too technical but more of an introduction to the love of plants. Written for someone in the UK but worth a read for us bad botanists in North America.

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

More plants

From the author of a history of the world in 100 plant's comes this little gem of a beginner's guide to observing plant's **** recommended

[Robert Howell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a Bad Botanist and proud! Great book insightful and informative x

[Tamara Clarke · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was good to gain some random facts and basic general knowledge on botany. The lack of pictures and English plants made it not ideal.

[Kj Gracie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant living book for nature studies.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really enjoyable book about starting to look at the plants around us - Nothing to blow your mind, but a fun one.

[D.A. Baden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simon Barnes has a lovely writing style and a great way of sharing information in an easy to digest format.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this, it was an interesting chatty book with background information - I recognised almost all the plants that Simon talked about, but there were one or two I wished we had pictures of and I had to look up. I'm kind of middling botanist - I rely on apps and books to help narrow down plants (or to confirm my identification), but I'd hoped for a more illustrations - there were great descriptions and names of parts of a plant - but would have been easier to follow with illustrations. Although I could claim to be a bad botanist, by knowing the plants discussed, there was interesting information which helped fill in some gaps - for example why plants have male & female flowers (and why they might flower at different times), the way plants are categorised using their Latin names, or how if left, grasslands would eventually become oak forests.

If there had been more pictures either of the plants discussed or illustrations showing the names of parts of the plant, it would have been a 5* book (its possible the paper copy has more pictures - but the kindle copy is 9.99, so its not a cheap ebook!)