My favourite nature books

I thought I'd write a little blog post sharing some of my favourite nature books, as it is a question I get asked so often on Instagram. This is the first, of what I will hope will be, a small series of posts on my most loved books. I do have quite a few so I thought I'd share little glimpses into a few of my most treasured.

Some of my favourite places to look for botanical books include thrift stores,  car boot sales, community/charity shops and local libraries. I prefer to buy the books second hand as not only is this more affordable but the older books often contain beautiful illustrations as opposed to modern colour photography. I often pay less than a few pounds for each book.

I use the books to read,  to draw from and for inspiration for my jewellery collections at www.owlandwallflower.etsy.com.

Flowers of the Countryside by Marjorie Blamey's.

It's no secret that I love Marjorie Blamey's work. Her illustrations are so beautiful. I few months ago I borrowed her book "Wildflowers by Colour" from a local library and fell in love with her detailed, colourful watercolour botanical depictions. Sadly, I had to return this book to the library but was kindly gifted with this book by my parents. It contains countless beautiful botanical illustrations and is so lovely to look through.

The observer's book of Butterflies

I love this little book so much. There was a whole series of these published (some of which I own and will share on future blog posts) and I love the older editions with the traditional linen colours best. It's a simple pocket guide and will easily fit inside a handbag or rucksack to take with you to identify your discoveries. I came across this book at a car boot sale a couple of years ago and purchased it for just 50p.

The Country Diary Herbal by Sarah Hollis

This book is so lovely. It contains beautiful colourful illustrations alongside detailed information and advice. I've been really interested in herbalism and natural healing for quite a few years so this has been a really interesting read. I was given this book for a Christmas gift this year by my Mum. It contains a comprehensive, alphabetical directory of herbs and their uses followed by descriptions of how to use the herbs for cosmetics,  healing and cooking. There is also a really interesting section on how to create your own herb garden that I would definitely recommend.

And of course the text is accompanied by the images of Edith Holden's beautiful original drawings.