Wilding: How to Bring Wildlife Back - An Illustrated Guide is a stunningly beautiful gift book written by Isabella Tree which tells the story of the Knepp Estate in West Sussex. It is illustrated in full colour with lino prints and watercolours by Angela Harding (A Year Unfolding) and photographs from Knepp.
Knepp is now home to some of the rarest and most beautiful creatures in the UK, including nightingales, kingfishers, turtle doves and peregrine falcons, hazel dormice and harvest mice, scarce chaser dragonflies and purple emperor butterflies. The sheer abundance of life is staggering too. When you walk out into the scrubland on an early spring morning, the sound of birdsong is so loud that it feels like it’s vibrating in your lungs. This is the story of Knepp, and a guide telling you how to bring wildlife back where you live.
It includes timelines, an in-depth look at rewilding, and spotlight features about native animals, including species that have returned and thrived—butterflies, bats, owls, and beetles. There are accessible in-garden activities to 're-wild' your own spaces, and the book encourages you to slow down and observe the natural world around you, understand the connections between species and habitats, and see the huge potential for life right on your doorstep.
Selected by Jo Bowers
A book for all ages, a book to pore over, as beautiful as it is informative. A fascinating real- life story about the rewilding of the Knepp estate in Sussex and the wonderful way it brought wildlife back to the landscape.
Read our review on justimagine.co.uk
Tagged natural world and top pick