The Secret Wisdom of Nature

Deciduous trees affect the rotation of the Earth. Cranes interfere with the production of Iberian ham. Coniferous forests can make it rain. Peter Wohlleben starts from these surprising facts and asks what processes lie behind them and why they matter.

This is a work of popular nature writing about the large natural systems that make life on Earth possible. Wohlleben, a forester, looks at how animals and plants shape one another, and whether living things communicate across species boundaries. He also asks what happens when such a finely balanced system falls out of step.

He draws on recent scientific discoveries and on his own observations from decades of watching nature at close range. The approach mixes research with personal experience, and the tone is that of a storyteller guiding the reader through an enormous and little-understood world.

The book is written for general readers who want to understand how ecosystems fit together, with no scientific background assumed. Its aim is to restore a sense of awe at the living world, so that familiar woods, fields and animals look new again. The audiobook edition is narrated by Sean Barrett, and Jane Billinghurst is credited as a contributor.