As a child, I loved Cicely Mary Barker’s Flower Fairies books. I was enchanted by the beautiful illustrations and the colourful names, which captured my imagination. Old man’s beard was one that really stuck in my mind – I didn’t know the Latin name of the plant, but I knew what it looked like, and even now, every time I go for a walk, I recognise it when I see it.

Since the publication of the first book in 1923, there has been a steady decline in biodiversity in this country. According to the charity Plantlife, 97% of UK wildflower meadows have been lost since the 1930s. “A lot ...

 

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