Kathy Willis

We all take for granted the idea that being in nature makes us feel better. But if you were a skeptical scientist—or indeed any kind of skeptic—who wanted hard scientific evidence for this idea, where would you look? And how would that evidence be gathered?

It wasn’t until Dr. Kathy Willis was asked to contribute to an international project looking for the societal benefits we gain from plants that she stumbled across a study that radically changed the way she saw the natural world. In the study there was clear proof that patients recovering from gall bladder operations recovered more quickly if they were looking at trees.

In fact, in the last decade there has been an explosion of “proof" that incredible things happen to our bodies and our minds when our senses interact with the natural world. In Good Nature, Kathy Willis takes the reader on a journey with her to dig out all the experiments around the world that are looking for this evidence—experiments made easier by the new kinds of data being collected from satellites and big-data biobanks. Having a vase of roses on your desk or a green wall in your office makes a measurable difference to your well-being; certain scents in room diffusers genuinely can boost your immune system; and, in a chapter that Kathy calls "Hidden Sense," we learn that touching organic soil has a significant effect on the healthiness of your microbiome.

What is remarkable about this book is how its revelations should be commonsense—schools should let children play in nature to improve their health and concentration; urban streets should have trees—and yet it reveals just how difficult it is to prove this to businesses and governments. As Kathy Willis says in her narrative, "We now know enough to self-prescribe in our homes, offices or working spaces, gardens, and when out walking. However small these individual actions might be, overall they have the potential to provide a large number of health benefits. And we need to be encouraging others to do the same. Nature is far more than just something that is useful for our health. It is not a dispensable commodity. It is an inherent part of us."

Why Seeing, Smelling, Hearing, and Touching Plants Is Good for Our Health

Good Nature

Carolyn Fry

Across 25 episodes, Kathy Willis, Kew's head of science, will show us how the last 250 years transformed our relationship with plants. As the British Empire painted the atlas red, explorers, adventurers and scientists brought the most interesting specimens and information back to London. Understanding how plants work has changed our history and could safeguard our future

From Roots to Riches

Plants

Katie Scott

Botanicum Doga Tarihi Müzesi

Planning to rescue her brother from the Florida wilderness and reunite him with his family in England, Lady Rebecca Winslow finds herself stranded at Fort Brook waiting for her ship and in the company of the arrogant army scout Lance Logan. Original.

Tropical Thunder

Jennifer McElwain

Blends evidence from the fossil record and data from biomolecular studies to tell the story of plant evolution from the earliest forms of life to the present day. Its straightforward explanations and clear illustrations provide the most accessible introduction to plant evolution available.

The Evolution of Plants

Botanicumis a stunningly curated guide to plant life. With artwork from Katie Scott of Animaliumfame, Botanicumgives readers the experience of a fascinating exhibition from the pages of a beautiful book. Learn how plants have evolved, see inside the dissection laboratory and discover the great variety of habitats on Earth. From perennials to bulbs to tropical exotica, Botanicumis a wonderful feast of botanical knowledge complete with superb cross-sections of how plants work. Over 100 full-colour, immaculately detailed pages featuring plant species from all over the world. Illustrated by Katie Scott, this beautiful book will follow on from the phenomenal success of Animalium. The large, high-quality format makes this the perfect gift for book lovers. Created in consultation with The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, this title has been created with world-class experts and advisors. Written by Kathy Willis, Kew Gardens' Director of Science.

Botanicum - Welcome to the Museum

The 2016 offering from Big Picture Press's Welcome to the Museum series, Botanicum is a stunningly curated guide to plant life. With artwork from Katie Scott of Animalium fame, Botanicum gives readers the experience of a fascinating exhibition from the pages of a beautiful book. From perennials to bulbs to tropical exotica, Botanicum is a wonderful feast of botanical knowledge complete with superb cross sections of how plants work.

Botanicum

Our peculiarly British obsession with gardens goes back a long way and Plants: From Roots to Riches takes us back to where it all began. Across 25 vivid episodes, Kathy Willis, Kew's charismatic Head of Science, shows us how the last 250 years transformed our relationship with plants. Behind the scenes at the Botanical Gardens all kinds of surprising things have been going on. As the British Empire painted the atlas red, explorers, adventurers and scientists brought the most interesting specimens and information back to London. From the discovery of Botany Bay to the horrors of the potato famine, from orchid hunters to quinine smugglers, from Darwin's experiments to the unexpected knowledge unlocked by the 1987 hurricane, understanding how plants work has changed our history and could safeguard our future. In the style of A History of the World in 100 Objects, each chapter tells a separate story, but, gathered together, a great picture unfolds, of our most remarkable science, botany. Plants: From Roots to Riches is a beautifully designed book, packed with 200 images in both colour and black and white from Kew's amazing archives, some never reproduced before. Kathy Willis and Carolyn Fry, the acclaimed popular-science writer, have also added all kinds of fascinating extra history, heroes and villains, memorable stories and interviews. Their book takes us on an exciting rollercoaster ride through our past and future and shows us how much plants really do matter.

Kathy Willis

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