'A wonderful leap, with a wise guide, into the green we thought we knew' TRISTIAN GOOLEY 'Wright is a joyful companion' CAROLINE QUENTIN A sparkling green field. A dull and scrubby patch of grass. One is the sanitised evidence of monoculture, the other a world teeming with more life than you could ever imagine. Join John Wright, one of our best-known naturalists, as he uncovers the beauty and rich diversity of Britain's grasslands. Bursting with mushrooms, lichen and wildflowers, home to butterflies, bees and beetles, and vital to foxes and birds alike, these grasslands are part of our natural heritage. From meadows to mires to heathlands, John Wright introduces them in all their variety: the history of how grasslands came to be, what can be found there, what we risk with their loss and what can be done to save what is left. Most of all, he shows why we should care. Because grasslands are never just patches of grass.

After reading John Wright's book, you will never look at another 'patch of grass' in the same way again. Even for someone like me, who thinks he knows a thing or two about grasslands, the idea that from the point of view of a mycorrhizal fungus, a rockrose is just another tree, was both new and surprising. And linking the antiquity of anthills to the Starkadders of Cold Comfort Farm is so clever, I wish I'd thought of it myself. Fascinating and revelatory -- Ken Thompson, author of Common or Garden
What a pair of eyes John Wright has! Eyes for tiny things and the big picture; for biology, history, spirituality and everything else. And he is wise - that rarest and most important quality. He can lend you those extraordinary eyes. A walk through a field with him can transform you. You should go. -- Charles Foster, author of * The Edges of the World *
Wright's long-overdue book delves into the history and ecology of Britain's grasslands in meticulous and tender detail. It is at once a compendium of the astonishing breadth of species found in these living places and their symbiotic relationships with each other, and a new bible for restoring a vital piece of nature in Britain -- Chantal Lyons, author of Groundbreakers
With his usual wit and warmth making expert insight accessible, Wright shows us why the hidden life of Britain's special grasslands makes them so much more than mere fields - and why we should fight to save those that remain. -- Luke Barley, author of Ancient
A wonderful leap, with a wise guide, into the green we thought we knew -- Tristian Gooley, author of How to Read a Tree
This is an extraordinary story, beautifully told. With erudition, patience, passion and no little humour, Wright draws us little by little into the very heart of this half-forgotten and frequently overlooked world. If grasslands were once at the unsexy end of conservation, this important contribution will ensure that they once again take their rightful place under the spotlight -- Roger Morgan-Grenville, author of Return of the Grey Partridge
Praise for John Wright * : *
Blissfully funny, staggeringly informative, a joyful companion -- Caroline Quentin
He writes so engagingly ... The Forager's Calendar is a treasure. It is beautifully produced, designed and illustrated -- John Carey * The Sunday Times *
Writes as though he's talking directly to you, a good friend in the same room. His harvest of fascinating information is worn lightly, with funny, whimsical observations * BBC Countryfile *
Tells the endlessly fascinating tale of Britain's natural history in a way that makes every delicate detail sparkle with life -- Charlie Corbett, author of 12 Birds to Save Your Life
Praise for The Natural History of the Hedgerow: '[not] just a delightful one-off read but an invaluable work that will remain on my bookshelves for good. * Sunday Times *
This fund of hedgerow knowledge is a beautifully presented fieldguide with plenty of vivid photos. * The Times *
Solid natural history from someone who knows his way around a billhook as well as he does a library. John Wright is full of hedge-magic - read the trick with the dogwood leaf - hedge lore and its place in the weave of British landscapes. * BBC Wildlife *

John Wright is one of Great Britain's best-known naturalists and leading experts on fungi. His books include A Spotter's Guide to the Countryside, A Natural History of the Hedgerow and the bestselling The Forager's Calendar. He lives in Dorset, near the glorious grassland of Hog Cliff.