This book, a compilation of some of the worlds most interesting and rarest flora and fauna, was compiled by the author to celerbrate his Grandmothers 100th birthday. Within the flora chapter the plant groups consist of wild orchids, aquatic & bog plants, soft wooded perennials, trees, shrubs, climbing & trailing plants and selection of miscellaneous interest plants. Following the flora chapter it is accompanied by a range of charismatic and rare fauna groups inclusive of mammals, dragonflies, frogs, birds and turtles. All accompanied by hundreds of colour photos and text data.
For both main chapters i.e. the flora and or fauna, each species has its botanical or zoological name followed by a common English name and the plant family name in brackets, along with data on culture and countries of distribution, habiat altitude etc. For the fauna along with their zoological and common English name, text is provided on distribution, habitat, diet, staus of endagerment etc. All species are accompanied by colour photographs, including are and new species of Hoya and numerous wild orchids and faunistic wise some very rare shots of not previously recorded feeding activities of Cynocephalus variegatus or also known as the 'Flying Lemur'.
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Rice, Rod: - Rod Rice is a naturalist and explorer, wild life photographer, highly qualified horticulturalist (& landscape designer) and internationally published botanical author specializing in the floristic morphology and systematics of wild orchids. Rod is also the founder and editor of the occasional scientific publication "Oasis The Journal" dedicated to wild orchids and further is an Honorary Research Associate to the Orchid Herbarium Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney since 2003 from where he has worked closely with other scientists from around the globe. Mr Rice has also consulted for the 'United Nations Environment Program' for projects in northern Laos and western China. Rod is further, the founder (along with his late wife "Noi") of the now closed "Kanchanaburi Orchid Species Research Station" West Thailand and has refereed a number of scientific papers including for the Kew Bulletin. Rod has a keen interest in our environment generally and other interests include climbing and aquatic plants, soft wooded perennials, birds, frogs, turtles, dragonflies and designing eco gardens and the use of orchids as permanent fixtures in gardens for warm temperate climates as well as educating the general public on the benefits of bio-indicators of environmental health and large scale conservation and education projects that work with our environment to assure longevity and long term stable employment through correctly conducted eco tourism and scientific research.
