Recommended Reads
I wasn’t much of a reader as a child and that’s probably how it needed to be. A developing thirst for knowledge and a need to make sense of the world and my place in it changed all that in my late twenties. Books in particular have tended to find me, often serendipitously. These days we have the internet too, of course, and I’ve recently found myself stepping back from the potential overwhelm, being more discerning, and trusting in those serendipities. Life<>page/screen balance is important after all.
On my Facebook page, Future Flora, I’d a pinned post of recommended reads. Reflective of the zeitgeist, recent years have brought a proliferation of books (as well as online articles, etc) exploring right relationship with the plant realm. That list was getting quite long and so, as furtherance to my introductions here on Substack, I’m offering below the 10 books that have most influenced my own relationship with plants as I’ve deepened my enquiry over the past 12 years or so.
Some will speak to you over others. Trust that sense. As Stephen Buhner observed, there are always golden threads waiting to enrich our paths, if we are awake to them. And so, in no special order, and grouped by topic (though there’s much overlap)…
Reframing plantae non gratae/the bigger picture:
Where Do Camels Belong? - The Story and Science of Invasive Species, by biologist Ken Thompson
Weeds - The Story of Outlaw Plants, by naturalist Richard Mabey
Beyond the War on Invasive Species - A Permaculture Approach to Ecosystem Restoration, by permaculturalist Tao Orion
Inheritors of the Earth - How Nature is Thriving in an Age of Extinction, by ecologist Chris Thomas
Invasive Plant Medicine - The Ecological Benefits and Healing Abilities of Invasives, by herbalist Timothy Scott
Plant connectivity, intelligence and ethics:
Plant Intelligence and the Imaginal Realm - Beyond the Doors of Perception into the Dreaming of Earth, by herbalist Stephen Harrod Buhner
The Songs of Trees - Stories from Nature’s Great Connectors, by biologist David George Haskell
Thus Spoke the Plant - A Remarkable Journey of Groundbreaking Scientific Discoveries and Personal Encounters with Plants, by researcher Monica Gagliano
Finding the Mother Tree - Uncovering the Wisdom and Intelligence of the Forest, by forest ecologist Suzanne Simard
Grafts - Writings on Plants, by philosopher Michael Marder
And you will likely have your own favourite literary influences, some appearing above perhaps, others not. Feel free to let me know what they are. My special sense awaits.
An important and much undiscovered area of plant medicine here in the Uk and I imagine around the globe. I was looking into the uses of Himalayan balsam and Japanese knotweed earlier this year, knotweed is made into a soup in its native lands, I havn’t tried it, off the top of my head I think balsam can be used to heal skin conditions and seeds, flowers and leaves are edible in small amounts. Need to get some fancy foodies interested and make it popular.