The Orchid Hunter : A young botanist's search for happiness

Leif Bersweden has just a few months to complete his quest – no one has ever done it before within one growing season – and it will require ingenuity, stamina and a large dose of luck. As he battles the vagaries of the British climate, feverishly chasing each emerging bloom, he takes the reader on a remarkable botanical journey in search of all 52 native British orchid species.

This study of our native orchids is a fantastic gateway into the compendious world of these extraordinary plants – one that will open your eyes to the rare hidden delights to be found on our doorstep. Like Two Owls at Eton and My Family and Other Animals, The Orchid Hunter is a charming account of a precocious adolescent's obsession with the natural world.

Leif's enthusiasm for his quest is infectious, as is the quiet conviction with which he keeps at it, showing how plant hunting can be the ultimate mindful activity and a search for happiness in the beauty of the natural world.