The delicate and subtle watercolor drawings of Wendy Walsh, who works only from nature, painting the actual plants that are her subjects. Following in the tradition of an earlier age, Wendy Walsh has put her exceptional skills to splendid effect in this beautiful collection of watercolor drawings. She has painted a selection of the flora of Ireland, chosen not only for their botanical interest or attractiveness but also because they happen to have an interesting history. For Ireland has produced a surprising number of devoted and intrepid plant-hunters who played a significant part in the introduction into Europe of specimens from remote and exotic places. Ruth Isabel Ross, a horticultural journalist in Dublin, recounts the history of plant collecting and horticulture by the Irish since the earliest times, and Charles Nelson, of the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin, has written extensive notes on the individual plants. 48 hand-tipped color plates.