BOOK

SECRETS OF A DEVON WOOD: MY NATURE JOURNAL

I actually gasped as I received this book. The cover is so beautiful – with stunning, hand-drawn botanical studies of birds, butterflies, beetles and plants – that alone would merit a five-star review. However, inside, every page also has lavish illustrations. For those naturejournallers out there, Jo Brown is the one you might want to aspire to. At the end of April 2019, Jo posted a video of her journal to date on Twitter – within two days she had 20,000 followers.

The pages are ruled, lending authenticity to the ‘notebook’ style. In addition, every page is hand-written, neat, clear and consistent.

The illustrations are made from Jo’s photos, and each entry is given its exact location. Number one starts on April 20, 2018 with horsetail, followed by a dazzle of pages that include gorse and green dock beetle (above). The final entry, number 89, dated 24 May 2019, is perhaps the most exciting of all: a yet-to-be-named parasitic fungi found on a bramble leaf, which is still being studied by mycologists at the time of the book’s completion.

At a time when many of us are finding solace in the natural world, this book captures precious moments of delight by the hand of someone whose close observation encourages us to see through her eyes. There are blank pages at the back for you to have a go, too. Adele Nozedar, author and forager