Orchid Summer

‘Remarkable ... Evoking the intensity with which orchid hunters pursue their quarry ... Vivid and expressive’ Sunday Times
‘Wonderfully vivid … this is a beautifully written celebration of these mysterious and endangered plants’ Guardian
‘Rich with orchids and their subjects ... A wonderful book’ Robert Macfarlane

Orchid Summer is a heady celebration of the beauty and history of the wild orchid species of the British Isles, embraced in one dazzling summer-long hunt by naturalist Jon Dunn.

The flowers that are the focus of this treasure hunt are exquisite and diverse. Some tower above the surrounding vegetation; others are vanishingly small and discrete. Some are sweetly scented; others smell of ripe billy goats. Some are abundant; others more elusive – none more so than the last to flower, the ghost orchid…

Capturing the intoxicating beauty of these rare flowers, Orchid Summer explores their history, their champions, their place in our landscape and the threats they face. Combining infectious enthusiasm and a painterly eye with a deep knowledge that comes from a lifetime’s passionate devotion to their study, Dunn sweeps us up on his adventure.

Jon Dunn is a natural-history writer, photographer and tour leader based in Shetland, who travels worldwide searching for memorable wildlife encounters. A childhood exploring the water meadows and abandoned orchards of the Somerset Levels and the droves and ancient woods of Dorset’s Blackmore Vale spurred a lifelong passion for all things natural history based. His Shetland home features otters on his doorstep, and summer evenings watching porpoises from the kitchen window. Once stalked by a mountain lion in Mexico’s Sierra Madre Occidental, he generally prefers experiencing wildlife on his own terms and not as part of the food chain.

jondunn.com / @dunnjons