By the Wainwright-Conservation-Prize-winning author of Rebirding Spend a year in an orchard, celebrating its imperilled, overlooked abundance of life.
England's ancient orchards, collaborations between people and nature, are sources of hope for the future. Protecting them promises a far richer England for the centuries to come, for wildlife and for us.
As the seasons turn, a wealth of animals and plants are revealed: Bumble and solitary bees apartment-hunting in April; spotted flycatchers migrating in May; redstarts, hedgehogs and owls nesting in June; an explosion of life in the summer and the harvest and homespun cider-making in the autumn. And all throughout the year, the orchard's human and animal inhabitants work together, creating one of the richest ecosystems left in Britain.
Explore this unique habitat throughout the course of a year, and marvel at the beauty and strength of nature.
About the Author: Benedict Macdonald is a conservation writer, television producer and naturalist, passionate about restoring Britain's wildlife. His first book, Rebirding, winner of the Richard Jefferies Prize and the Wainwright Conservation Prize, was published in 2019. Ben is a writer for BBC Wildlife, Birdwatching and RSPB's Nature's Home. He has worked on wildlife television series for the BBC, Apple, Netflix and National Geographic, including Sir David Attenborough's Our Planet.
Nicholas Gates is a naturalist, photographer and wildlife producer who has created content for the BBC, National Geographic and ITV. He has a passion for conservation and rewilding, and for inspiring people to care for the natural world. Nicholas studied Natural Sciences at Cambridge and when not out exploring and taking photos, he can be found working in his urban wildlife garden or with his chickens and honeybees.
