Endemic

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. 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.