Our Green Heart: The Soul and Science of Forests

The ethereal latest from botanist Beresford-Kroeger (after The Sweetness of a Simple Life) explores the interdependence of plants and humans. The two share complementary biological processes, she contends, noting that at the molecular level, chlorophyll is nearly identical to the hemoglobin found in human blood except that the former “is designed to produce oxygen” while the latter is designed to “grab” it. Highlighting the benefits various plants provide, she explains that Irish moss contains antibiotic properties that made it a popular prescription among ancient Druidic physicians and that redwood trees “release a highly volatile aerosol called taxodione” that’s been found to reduce the risk of developing tumors in men. Beresford-Kroeger brings an overtly spiritual perspective that may alienate more secular readers (“Forests hold a form of divinity. They are the Holy Orders of our solar system”), but her discussions weave together botany, physics, and personal reflections with aplomb. For instance, she emphasizes the unsung wisdom of traditional cultural knowledge by recounting how a Celtic storyteller at a funeral she once attended spoke about a man who was able to be in two places simultaneously and describing how photons are capable of “bilocation” before proceeding to discuss how plants turn photons into energy. Readers willing to accept a dash of the mystical with their science will be entranced. (Sept.)