Monthly Archives: January 2024

Towards the end of the 18thc botany had become  a fashionable subject amongst the educated class in Britain, and in particular it was thought the study of plants was a suitably feminine pastime. So when Erasmus Darwin  (who I wrote … Continue reading →

We’re all heard of Charles Darwin, and indeed the last couple of blogs have been about one impact of his ideas on evolution, but who knows much about his grandfather? I certainly didn’t until I chanced across something he’d written … Continue reading →

The man-eating tree from Madagascar I wrote about last week turned out to be an elaborate hoax, albeit a very long lasting and successful one. Nevertheless it struck a chord in the public imagination and from then on there has … Continue reading →

Let’s get the New Year off to a scary flying start with a look at monstrous even man-eating plants.  There have always been strange or mythical plants but from the second half of the 19thc they take on new and … Continue reading →