The Reason for Flowers: Their History, Culture, Biology, and How They Change Our Lives

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Cultural history at its best the engaging, lively, and definitive story of the beauty, sexuality, ecology, myths, lore, and economics of the world s flowers, written by a passionately devoted author and scientist, and illustrated with his stunning photographs.Flowers, and the fruits that follow, feed, clothe, sustain, and inspire all humanity They have done so since before recorded history Flowers are used to celebrate all important occasions, to express love, and are also the basis of global industries Americans buy ten million flowers a day and perfumes are a worldwide industry worth 30 billion dollars annually Yet, we know little about flowers, their origins, bizarre sex lives, or how humans relate and depend upon them.Stephen Buchmann takes us along on an exploratory journey of the roles flowers play in the production of our foods, spices, medicines, perfumes, while simultaneously bringing joy and health Flowering plants continue to serve as inspiration in our myths and legends, in the fine and decorative arts, and in literary works of prose and poetry Flowers seduce us and animals, too through their myriad shapes, colors, textures, and scents And because of our extraordinary appetite for unusual and beautiful super flowers, plant breeders have created such unnatural blooms as blue roses and black petunias to cater to the human world of haute couture fashion In so doing, the nectar and pollen vital to the bees, butterflies, and bats of the world, are being reduced Buchmann explains the unfortunate consequences, and explores how to counter them by growing the right flowers Here, he integrates fascinating stories about the many colorful personalities who populate the world of flowers, and the flowers and pollinators themselves, with a research based narrative that illuminates just why there is, indeed, a Reason for Flowers. New Download [ The Reason for Flowers: Their History, Culture, Biology, and How They Change Our Lives ] Author [ Stephen Buchmann ] – kino-fada.fr This is a comprehensive look at the world of flowers, from their earliest known history and their constant interaction with humans dating from very ancient history, on to early civilizations of Egypt, Greece, Rome, China, The Mayans, etc The author is an expert on flowers and bees and shares this expertise in the initial chapters, but ...This book started out so strong I thought it would be one of my all time favorites I ended up hating it Since it had such a strong start, I had a false sense of its ability to make a comeback once it got boring and downright annoying I really should hav...NGL this book was pretty boring and didn t impart any new information or at least, not any interesting information but it did its intended job being a relaxing audiobook to fall asleep to Meh.As a florist, this book gave me millions of anecdotal trivia, which I hope to be able to recite at necessary times in the future It is an all encompassing look at how flowers have come into our lives, almost always for the better and, in the end, they are possibly using us as much ...This book discusses some interesting aspects of flowers in particular, how flowers are pollinated and their relationships with pollinators the author is an entomologist , flower breeding, the global flower business, flowers in cooking, floral essences in perfumes, flowers ...DNFThis book was honestly not what I was expecting and doesn t really delve into the subject the way I want it too so after a hefty day, I dropped it.This book was utterly fascinating Each page had something new to learn about flowers, their natural history, their place in evolutionary ecology, or their importance to human society and culture Buchmann writes beautifully, in both an engaging and informative manner, reminiscent of the best nature writers I ve read It is obvious he is passionate about the topic and eager to share with readers his love and enthusiasm.Recommended for readers of Amy Stewart Review copy courtesy of the publisher This book was utterly fascinating Each page had so...I listened to this book thanks to an app called Blinkist.I am elated that I decided to dive into this The reason for flowers is easily one of the most magnificent books I stumbled upon this year It made me smile, it was so well writt...This is a useful book for anyone wanting to knowabout the evolutionary history and pollination mechanisms of flowers Buchmann is at his best in the chapters that deal closely with his expertise flower biology and pollination especially by bees The chapters are uneven, however, because Buchmann tries to perform cultural history as well, and these portions end up being long lists of well, this culture did this, and this culture did this, rather than synthesizing the information to the This is a useful book for anyone wanting to knowabout the evolutionary history and pollination mechanisms of flowers Buchmann is at his best in the chapters that deal closely with his expertise flower biology and pollination especially by bees The chapters are uneven, however, because Buchmann tries to perform cultural history as well, and these portions end up being long lists of well, this culture did this, and this culture did this, rather than synthesizing the information to the point of thesis S...I really liked this book, but it won t engage you if you re not already interested in the specifics and minutiae of flowers Some areas were very broad overviews and it covers a wide range of topics some very briefly , but I learned a lot and liked it

The Reason for Flowers: Their History, Culture, Biology, and How They Change Our Lives
  • English
  • 23 August 2019
  • Hardcover
  • 352 pages
  • 1476755523
  • Stephen Buchmann
  • The Reason for Flowers: Their History, Culture, Biology, and How They Change Our Lives