The more I learn about plants, the more fascinating I find them. Recently I have been developing an interest in the origins of plants. I don’t mean from where individual plants originate; although that is of course interesting. Rather, my growing interest is how plants even got going on this planet and how they have developed over deep geological time, aka paleobotany.
Riley Black’s book “When the Earth was Green”, is just the book i needed to start learning about this very topic. Starting with cyanobacteria 1.2 billion years ago and moving forward, Black takes us on a journey that looks at how plants changed the nature of nature itself. Each chapter looks at a moment in time, and considers what kind of plants existed at that moment, and how they interacted with the world around them.
I’ve read the audiobook twice already and will do so again as there is so much contained within this book. From the first land plants 425 million years ago, to how there were once c.20 species of Gingko (now only one exists), and from the 30 metre tall scale trees of the Carboniferous period, and to the first angiosperms (flowering plants) in the Cretaceous, and the savannahs that lead to the first hominins 6 million years ago, the book covers a lot. Special mention for the chapter Nip Trip; the delightful image of a saber-toothed cat rolling around in catnip will stay with this cat lover, for a long time.
Most books about the history of our planet only give a cursory nod to plants. Black gives them centre stage, and makes it clear: plants made our world. If you are interested in plants, then you will find this book a fascinating read.
I used Libro.fm for listening to When the Earth was Green.
When the Earth Was Green: Plants, Animals, and Evolution’s Greatest Romance
Author: Riley Black
St. Martin’s Press
ISBN: 9781250288998
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Note: I originally intended to write a more in-depth review, but after the draft sitting here for more than 2 months, I decided to just publish a short review. Better something than nothing. Sigh, chronic illness life.