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Author: Marta Kolanowska
Publisher:
Published: 2014-01-01
Total Pages: 259
ISBN-13: 9783874294751
DOWNLOAD EBOOKDescriptions of 270 orchid species- The Darien Gap undeveloped swampland and forest a hotspot which extends from the Panamanian Province of Darien through to Coloumbia, along the west coast of Ecuador through Peru.
Author: Tom Hart Dyke
Publisher: Corgi
Published: 2011-07
Total Pages: 400
ISBN-13: 9780552165716
DOWNLOAD EBOOK"The Darien Gap is a place of legend. The only break in the Pan-American highway, which runs from Alaska to the tip of South America, it is an almost impregnable strip of swamp, jungle and cloud forest between the vast landmasses of North and South America. Stories of abduction and murder there are rife and in recent years more people have successfully climbed Everest or trekked to the South Pole than have crossed the Darien Gap. In 2000, Tom Hart Dyke, a young botanist, set off to Central America with one thing on his mind- orchids. He knew that in order to find the rare and beautiful species he so fervently admired, he would have to visit some of the most inhospitable places on earth. Unbeknown to Tom, another young explorer, Paul Winder, was backpacking through the area at the same time. Though he sometimes worked freelance in the City of London, Paul was a fearless and intrepid traveller, happier scaling volcanoes than lounging on beaches. In every bar and cafe along his route, rumours abounded of the Darien Gap - and the more he heard, the greater became his desire to make the journey. Pure chance brought Paul and Tom together in northern Mexico; they formed an instant bond
Author: Joel L. Schiff
Publisher: Springer
Published: 2017-12-08
Total Pages: 190
ISBN-13: 3319700340
DOWNLOAD EBOOKComprising some 28,000 different species, orchids are by far the largest flowering plant family on Earth. Every year, new species are being uncovered in the wild or created by humans, and so this number has only continued to blossom. This book is intended for those who wish to learn about the multifaceted nature of this amazing plant. It covers many different aspects of orchid study, from its cultural history to its evolutionary development and from its first discoveries to ongoing scientific research. No matter your specialty or level of orchid expertise, you can find in this book new and fascinating facts and stories that will make you gasp, laugh, and read on. Through the many exotic and beautiful pictures permeating these pages, you will come to know something of the infinite diversity of this plant family and at last learn why so many orchid growers and fanatics have embarked on this same endless path. “I was smitten with this book after reading the very first chapter on the history of Orchids...There are plenty of interesting facts to charm your orchid friends and impress even the most studied researcher... All in all a fabulous read that is well illustrated and with a reference section the likes of which I have never seen before with its vast and varied appendices on a slew of subjects. If you are looking for a book that is engaging and educational with lots of good humor thrown in, then this book is for you. I know that I will treasure my copy for years to come.” -- Laura Newton, American Orchid Society Awards Registrar and Accredited Judge, ORCHIDS Magazine (May, 2018) "Joel L. Schiff brings to life not just the science surrounding orchids, but the human process of recognizing, cataloging, and appreciating them...It's this approach, combined with lovely close-up color photos throughout, which makes Rare and Exotic Orchids a recommendation not just for professionals or botany libraries, but for general-interest readers who will enjoy a highly accessible study that invites an in-depth interest in orchids and their importance to human affairs."-- Diane Donovan’s Pick of the Month (April, 2018)
Author: Jon Dunn
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2018-03-08
Total Pages: 385
ISBN-13: 1408880903
DOWNLOAD EBOOKA heady celebration of the beauty and history of the wild orchid species of the British Isles, embraced in one glorious and kaleidoscopic summer-long hunt by naturalist Jon Dunn From the chalk downs of the south coast of England to the heathery moorland of the Shetland Isles, and from the holy island of Lindisfarne in the east to the Atlantic frontier of western Ireland, Orchid Summer is a journey into Britain and Ireland's most beautiful corners. The flowers that are the focus of this treasure hunt are exquisite and diverse. Some resemble insects and develop scents that mimic the smell of a virgin female wasp in order to lure male wasps to sample their unsatisfying charms. Some tower above the surrounding vegetation; others are vanishingly small and discrete. Some are sweetly scented; others smell of ripe billy goats. Some can be readily found but some will prove more elusive – none more so than the last to flower, the rarest of them all, the ghost orchid... Capturing the intoxicating beauty of these rare and charismatic flowers, Orchid Summer is also an exploration of their history, their champions, their place in our landscape and the threats they face. Combining infectious enthusiasm and a painterly eye with a deep knowledge that comes from a lifetime's passionate devotion to their study, Dunn sweeps us up on his adventure, one from which it is impossible not to emerge enchanted and enriched.
Author: IUCN/SSC Orchid Specialist Group
Publisher: IUCN
Published: 1996
Total Pages: 176
ISBN-13: 9782831703251
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThis action plan chronicles the threats faced by wild orchids, but more importantly to critical habitats that host extraordinarily high orchid diversity and endemicity. It explores and recommends specific ways that national and local government, legislators, scientists and orchid conservationists as well as growers can all help to reverse present trends. The facts and viewpoints presented in this comprehensive document update and supplement the information available to conservation organizations and agencies through the world so that they can lobby their appropriate government offices more effectively.
Author: Ambra Edwards
Publisher: Greenfinch
Published: 2021-05-27
Total Pages: 208
ISBN-13: 1529410126
DOWNLOAD EBOOKRHS Staff Pick of the Year 2021 Spectator Gardening Book of the year 2021 'A refreshingly insightful history of plant introductions.' - Roy Lancaster Travel the world with extraordinary tales of the botanical discoveries that have shaped empires, built (and destroyed) economies, revolutionised medicine and advanced our understanding of science. Circling the globe from Australia's Botany Bay to the Tibetan plateau, from the deserts of Southern Africa to the jungles of Brazil, this book presents an incredible cast of characters - dedicated researchers and reckless adventurers, physicians, lovers and thieves. Meet dauntless Scots explorer David Douglas and visionary Prussian thinker Alexander von Humboldt, the 'Green Samurai' Mikinori Ogisu and the intrepid 17th century entomologist Maria Sibylla Merian - the first woman known to have made a living from science. Beautifully illustrated with over 100 botanical artworks from the archives of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, this absorbing book tells the stories of how plants have travelled across the world - from the missions of the Pharaohs right up to 21st century seed-banks and the many new and endangered species being named every year. *** THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS, KEW is a world-famous research organisation and a major international visitor attraction. It harnesses the power of its science, the rich diversity of its gardens and collections to unearth why plants and fungi matter to everyone. Its aspiration is to end the extinction crisis and help create a world where nature and biodiversity are protected, valued and managed sustainably.
Author: Brian Winder
Publisher: Europa Edizioni
Published: 2021-08-31
Total Pages: 172
ISBN-13:
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThis is an account of a father’s attempts to discover what has happened to his son, who disappeared in the Darien Gap Jungle in Panama, in Central America. Just how do you go about finding out what has happened to someone six thousand miles away in a Spanish-speaking country? At the start the father did not know for definite where how his son had disappeared, if he had had a companion or who that companion was, or if he had had a guide. The significant thing is that the search became a family affair (without divorce!), but then other people became involved – some complete strangers very generous and helpful, a genuine crook, and two largely incompetent detective agencies. After 9 months, it was resolved, free of any ransom demand, probably by direct contact with the guerrilla group, FARC, itself. When the two adventurers were released, the parents, Brian and Anne Winder, heard of ransom demands of $2.000,000 each which never reached them, and many situations where the two adventurers could easily have died, and their fate never be known. Brian Winder is a family man with three grown-up sons and a long-suffering wife who is a French teacher. He was born and educated with degrees in Classics and Philosophy with the Jesuits in Ireland. In his 20s he travelled in North Africa and most countries in Europe, and most interestingly in Russia when it opened its borders. He taught in a secondary school in Zambia and also worked in the copper mines in Zambia for 11 years and in London, after he specialised in computers and as an accountant. After retirement, he devoted himself full-time over 25 years to volunteering with many roles in charities serving the homeless and addicts. His favourite hobby is country dancing.
Author: Thomas A Marks
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2019-12-18
Total Pages: 366
ISBN-13: 1351050818
DOWNLOAD EBOOKFar from being an anachronism, much less a kit-bag of techniques, people’s war raises what has always been present in military history, irregular warfare, and fuses it symbiotically with what has likewise always been present politically, rebellion and the effort to seize power. The result is a strategic approach for waging revolutionary warfare, the effort “to make a revolution.” Voluntarism is wedded to the exploitation of structural contradiction through the building of a new world to challenge the existing world, through formation of a counterstate within the state in order ultimately to destroy and supplant the latter. This is a process of far greater moment than implied by the label “guerrilla warfare” so often applied to what Mao and others were about. This volume deals with the continuing importance of Maoist and post-Maoist concepts of people’s war. Drawing on a range of examples that include Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, the Caucasus, and Afghanistan, the collection shows that the study of people’s war is not just an historical curiosity but vital to the understanding of contemporary insurgent and terrorist movements. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Small Wars & Insurgencies.
Author: Paul Winder
Publisher: Random House
Published: 2011-03-30
Total Pages: 402
ISBN-13: 1446421813
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThe Darién Gap is a place of legend. The only break in the Pan-American highway, which runs from Alaska to the tip of South America, it is an almost impregnable strip of swamp, jungle and cloud forest between the vast landmasses of North and South America. Stories of abduction and murder there are rife and in recent years more people have successfully climbed Everest or trekked to the South Pole than have crossed the Darién Gap. In 2000, Tom Hart Dyke, a young botanist, set off to Central America with one thing on his mind: orchids. He knew that in order to find the rare and beautiful species he so fervently admired, he would have to visit some of the most inhospitable places on earth. Unbeknown to Tom, another young explorer, Paul Winder, was backpacking through the area at the same time. Though he sometimes worked freelance in the City of London, Paul was a fearless and intrepid traveller, happier scaling volcanoes than lounging on beaches. In every bar and café along his route, rumours abounded of the Darién Gap - and the more he heard, the greater became his desire to make the journey. Pure chance brought Paul and Tom together in northern Mexico; they formed an instant bond and their fate was sealed. Ignoring a final, succinct warning from the Lonely Planet guide - 'Don't even think about it!' - Tom and Paul set off into the Darién: Tom in search of orchids, Paul in search of adventure. They would find plenty of each. For six days they made good progress. Then, just hours away from Colombia, the dream ended and the horror began. Paul and Tom were ambushed by FARC guerrillas who were to hold them hostage for the next nine months. From that day on, their survival was a matter of extraordinary endurance, incredible ingenuity and not a little good luck ...
Author: Eric Rutkow
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Published: 2019-01-08
Total Pages: 448
ISBN-13: 150110392X
DOWNLOAD EBOOKFrom the award-winning author of American Canopy, a dazzling account of the world’s longest road, the Pan-American Highway, and the epic quest to link North and South America, a dramatic story of commerce, technology, politics, and the divergent fates of the Americas in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The Pan-American Highway, monument to a century’s worth of diplomacy and investment, education and engineering, scandal and sweat, is the longest road in the world, passable everywhere save the mythic Darien Gap that straddles Panama and Colombia. The highway’s history, however, has long remained a mystery, a story scattered among government archives, private papers, and fading memories. In contrast to the Panama Canal and its vast literature, the Pan-American Highway—the United States’ other great twentieth-century hemispheric infrastructure project—has become an orphan of the past, effectively erased from the story of the “American Century.” The Longest Line on the Map uncovers this incredible tale for the first time and weaves it into a tapestry that fascinates, informs, and delights. Rutkow’s narrative forces the reader to take seriously the question: Why couldn’t the Americas have become a single region that “is” and not two near irreconcilable halves that “are”? Whether you’re fascinated by the history of the Americas, or you’ve dreamed of driving around the globe, or you simply love world records and the stories behind them, The Longest Line on the Map is a riveting narrative, a lost epic of hemispheric scale.
