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Description
Meet the British animals we tend to ignore – and discover why they matter more than we think.
From midge clouds and riverside bat walks to slug-slick gardens and wasps' nests in the eaves, Awful Creatures follows writer Saskia McCracken as she seeks out the British animals we dismiss, shun or quietly resent.
Travelling across the country, she encounters species often dismissed as pests – midges, slugs, wasps, toads, pigeons, ravens and jellyfish – and asks what changes when we look at them with curiosity rather than discomfort. Their stories reveal the surprising ways these creatures shape our landscapes: midges holding grazing in check, pigeons enriching soils, ravens helping forests spread, and jellyfish flourishing as the seas warm.
Blending travel writing with natural and cultural history, McCracken explores how these species connect our lives with wider ecological change, and what they tell us about shifting public attitudes, folklore and the future of Britain's wildlife.
Table of Contents
Part One - Repellent
Chapter 1 - Midges
Chapter 2 - Slugs
Chapter 3 - Moths
Part Two - Ill Omens
Chapter 4 - Ravens
Chapter 5 - Toads
Chapter 6 - Bats
Part Three - Heroes and Villains
Chapter 7 - Wasps vs Bees
Chapter 8 - Grey Squirrels vs Red Squirrels
Chapter 9 - Stoats vs Voles
Part Four - Inheritors of the Earth, Sky and Sea
Chapter 10 - Rats
Chapter 11 - Pigeons
Chapter 12 - Jellyfish
Epilogue
Further Reading
Product details
| Published | 11 Mar 2027 |
|---|---|
| Format | Hardback |
| Edition | 1st |
| Pages | 272 |
| ISBN | 9781399425957 |
| Imprint | Bloomsbury Wildlife |
| Illustrations | Black-and-white illustrations at the start of each chapter |
| Dimensions | 216 x 135 mm |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
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