Flower Day

An illustrated hourly guide that spotlights twenty-four flowers as they attract pollinators, resist predators, and survive on our changing planet. Is it 4 AM or chicory oclock? In this short book, botanist and award-winning author Sandra Knapp walks us through a day in a global garden. Each chapter of Flower Day introduces a single flower during a single hour, highlighting twenty-four different species from around the world. Beginning at midnight in the Americas, we spot the long tubular flowers of the moonflower, Ipomoea alba; they attract a frenzy of hawk moths before the dawn arrives and the flowers wither and collapse. As day breaks, dandelions and chicory open their headsactually made up of many individual flowers tightly packed togetherand flies and bees visit to get the energy they need to lay eggs and raise their young. Later, at eight oclock in the morning, the sun rises over the watery Amazon basin, and we meet the giant waterlily, slowly turning from white to pink and purple. Trapped inside are the beetles who feasted on the flowers during the night. That evening, at seven oclock, we travel to the Caribbean to smell night-blooming jessamines powerfulsome may say nauseatingsweet scent. But this member of the nightshade family isnt just a thing of beautyit has a reputation as both a poison and invasive species, crowding out endangered native trees. For each hour in our flower day, celebrated artist Katie Scott has depicted these scenes with gorgeous pen-and-ink illustrations. Working closely together to narrate and illustrate these unique moments in time, Knapp and Scott have created an engaging read that is a perfect way to spend an hour or twoand a true gift for amateur botanists, gardeners, and anyone who wants to stop and appreciate the flowers.