A guide to the many fascinating things to find in the countryside. It focuses on each subject in depth, including habitats and conservation, to provide a deeper understanding of the natural world.

An introduction to the flora and fauna found in the countryside, packed with amazing facts and clues to look for to identify the different species of trees, birds, and wild flowers to be found all year round.

Presents information on animal and plant life, with an English viewpoint, that we may observe about us in the natural world.

This book will appeal to anyone of any age who has advanced beyond the entry-level colouring books. If you love the English countryside and its fauna and flora then this book is for you. The author has been drawing all her life and for this collection of drawings she's used many of her sketchbooks for reference in which she's accumulated material to use in her pastel paintings. Some of these have been reworked to make suitable illustrations to colour. There are a variety of images. Some are traditional compositions as you might expect in a painting and others where the design and layout take precedence. All are drawn with a strong emphasis on traditional draftsman-ship and attention to detail but most of all they are intended to be appealing and attractive to look at, so that after hours of colouring there is a finished piece that is not only unique to you but that could also be hung on the wall. The book is in two halves. The first half takes you on a countryside ramble. Here you'll find a rare-breed Gloucester Old Spot pig munching apples under the spreading apple tree, Hares peeping out of a meadow of daisies and buttercups, and a cockerel perched on an old rabbit hutch keeping an eye on his hens below. The second half invites you to take a stroll in the garden where bunnies wait outside the cottage garden gate - the cottage door surrounded by roses and hollyhocks, butterflies and bees. A cat sits patiently by the side of a pond watching the goldfish swim between the water-lilies and a frog hides among the spring flowers. Finally after all that rambling and strolling - when you reach the last page - you can relax with a nice cup of tea.

Nowhere in Ireland is there such a rich diversity of walks as Killarney. Thousands visit every year to walk in the beautiful landscape for which Killarney is renowned, and until now there has been no guidebook for these walks. Jim Ryan has compiled eighteen of Killarney's most interesting low level walks, providing excellent photographs, precise directions and the length, time and level of difficulty of each. Each walk has a map indicating the important features. Walks vary in duration from an hour to a day, from fl at walking to more challenging rambles. Jim takes readers through the town of Killarney, out to Muckross and Torc, down to Ross Island, and on peaceful strolls in the countryside. One walk includes a boat trip through Killarney's lakes. Woven into the route descriptions are historical notes, anecdotes, folklore and natural history to add to the walker's enjoyment. This is a book to be used and reused, for the visitor to Killarney, having savoured its beauty, invariably returns. • Clear concise full-colour presentation in an easy-to-use, practical format • Author's enthusiasm and knowledge lends authority to commentaries and route selection. • Also by Jim Ryan: Carrauntoohil & MacGillycuddy's Reeks – A Walking Guide •