A Natural History of the Hedgerow: and ditches, dykes and dry stone walls by John Wright

This beautifully produced book is a practical and comprehensive record of hedges, dry stone walls, ditches and other agricultural boundaries found throughout the United Kingdom. The author starts by explaining the history of these boundaries from the Stone Age up until the present time, the legislation designed to protect them, the importance of the unique ecosystems that these barriers give rise to (the rich variety of plants and animals that call them home), and ends with a surprisingly interesting discussion of how to build and maintain your own hedge, dry stone wall or fence. The book is lavishly illustrated with full-color photographs, and writing is informative and charming, and exhaustive in detail. This is a wonderful treatise on a man-made habitat that is a quintessential part of the English countryside.

*Available on Amazon