Botanical Folk Tales of Britain and Ireland

Botanical Folk Tales of Britain and Ireland gathers traditional stories about the trees, flowers and plants woven through Britain and Ireland’s landscapes. Lisa Schneidau arranges the collection around the growing year, beginning with winter’s yew, holly and ivy before moving through spring quickening, summer growth and autumn harvest. The tales range from the Forest of the Yew and the Apple Tree Man to Bride and the Cailleach, Jack and the Beanstalk, and The Farmer and the Boggart.

Across fields, bogs, moors, woodlands, towns and cities, plants become guardians, companions, tricksters and sources of danger. Schneidau’s retellings consider how folk tradition reflects the changing relationship between people and the living landscape, with story sources and further reading included.