Endemic: Exploring the wildlife unique to Britain
Meet the rare, obscure and utterly British species found nowhere else on earth.

Around 70,000 species call Britain home, but how many of them can be found here and only here? Join conservationist James Harding-Morris as he uncovers the stories of our endemic wildlife – the plants, animals and fungi that are unique to these islands.

Determined to give these irreplaceable species their moment in the spotlight, James goes in search of them across the length and breadth of Britain, from wild and rugged Orkney, the only known location for the Orkney vole, down to suburban Plymouth where the horrid ground-weaver spider faces global extinction at the hands of developers. He seeks out alien fungi on the roadsides of Norfolk, explores Devon's depths in the hunt for ghostly cave shrimps, and traces the tribulations of interrupted brome, a grass that has gone extinct not once, but twice.

Along the way, James meets the experts devoted to the study and survival of these vanishingly rare creatures and plants, individuals working tirelessly – and often single-handedly – to save them from the brink of global extinction. Because many of these species are at risk of disappearing forever, before most of us have even realised they exist.

A tapestry of wonder and weirdness, tragedies and triumphs, Endemic celebrates what makes our natural history so special and calls on us all to cherish and protect it.

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Endemic: Exploring the wildlife unique to Britain
Meet the rare, obscure and utterly British species found nowhere else on earth.

Around 70,000 species call Britain home, but how many of them can be found here and only here? Join conservationist James Harding-Morris as he uncovers the stories of our endemic wildlife – the plants, animals and fungi that are unique to these islands.

Determined to give these irreplaceable species their moment in the spotlight, James goes in search of them across the length and breadth of Britain, from wild and rugged Orkney, the only known location for the Orkney vole, down to suburban Plymouth where the horrid ground-weaver spider faces global extinction at the hands of developers. He seeks out alien fungi on the roadsides of Norfolk, explores Devon's depths in the hunt for ghostly cave shrimps, and traces the tribulations of interrupted brome, a grass that has gone extinct not once, but twice.

Along the way, James meets the experts devoted to the study and survival of these vanishingly rare creatures and plants, individuals working tirelessly – and often single-handedly – to save them from the brink of global extinction. Because many of these species are at risk of disappearing forever, before most of us have even realised they exist.

A tapestry of wonder and weirdness, tragedies and triumphs, Endemic celebrates what makes our natural history so special and calls on us all to cherish and protect it.

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Endemic: Exploring the wildlife unique to Britain

Endemic: Exploring the wildlife unique to Britain

by James Harding-Morris
Endemic: Exploring the wildlife unique to Britain

Endemic: Exploring the wildlife unique to Britain

by James Harding-Morris

Hardcover

$28.00 
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Overview

Meet the rare, obscure and utterly British species found nowhere else on earth.

Around 70,000 species call Britain home, but how many of them can be found here and only here? Join conservationist James Harding-Morris as he uncovers the stories of our endemic wildlife – the plants, animals and fungi that are unique to these islands.

Determined to give these irreplaceable species their moment in the spotlight, James goes in search of them across the length and breadth of Britain, from wild and rugged Orkney, the only known location for the Orkney vole, down to suburban Plymouth where the horrid ground-weaver spider faces global extinction at the hands of developers. He seeks out alien fungi on the roadsides of Norfolk, explores Devon's depths in the hunt for ghostly cave shrimps, and traces the tribulations of interrupted brome, a grass that has gone extinct not once, but twice.

Along the way, James meets the experts devoted to the study and survival of these vanishingly rare creatures and plants, individuals working tirelessly – and often single-handedly – to save them from the brink of global extinction. Because many of these species are at risk of disappearing forever, before most of us have even realised they exist.

A tapestry of wonder and weirdness, tragedies and triumphs, Endemic celebrates what makes our natural history so special and calls on us all to cherish and protect it.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781399405676
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Publication date: 10/28/2025
Pages: 336
Product dimensions: 5.32(w) x 8.50(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

James Harding-Morris is a passionate nature enthusiast with a lifelong love for exploring the natural world. Professionally, he specialises in communications and engagement within the conservation sector. His work on the Back from the Brink project has inspired many to care about some of England's rarest and most obscure species. Currently, James is on a mission to ensure that everyone in Britain and Ireland has the opportunity to fall in love with plants through his work with the BSBI.

Table of Contents

Introduction

1. Stone Cold Survivor – Northern February Red

2. In a Flap – Scottish Crossbill and other (supposed) endemic birds

3. Celtic Creatures – Celtic Woodlouse and Chater's Bristletail

4. Blown Away – False Fen and Bertha's Dandelion

5. Just Right – Goldilocks Buttercups

6. The World's Unluckiest Plant – Interrupted Brome

7. Shrimply Amazing – British Cave Shrimp

8. Devon's Galápagos – Lundy Cabbage and Beetles

9. Purple Prose – Purple Ramping-fumitory

10. Back from the Dead – York Groundsel

11. Roadsides and Seasides – No Parking and Menai Strait Whitebeams

12. Berry Good – Great Orme Berry and South Stack Fleawort

13. Mantle Peace – False-toothed Lady's Mantle

14. Rooting For You – Elms

15. By a Single River – Baker's Hawkweed

16. Down to Earth – British Earthstar

17. Between a Rock and a Wet Place – Derbyshire Feather-moss

18. Orcadian Adventures – Scottish Primrose and Orkney Vole

19. The Rarest Tree on Earth – Catacol Whitebeam

20. Small Wonders – Horrid Ground-weaver and the British False Flat-backed Millipede

Epilogue

Acknowledgements

References and Bibliography

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