Ken Thompson (botanist)

Ken Thompson is a botanist and writer of popular books on botany. He is a retired Senior Research Fellow of Sheffield University and has written for the newspaper Telegraph. He is also an editor for the journal Functional Ecology.

Academic career

Thompson "devised the widely-used scheme for classifying soil seed banks and is the author of the standard work on European soil seed banks. While retaining an interest in all aspects of seed ecology, he has published widely on almost all aspects of plant ecology, particularly on plant functional types, commonness and rarity, invasive plants, urban ecology and prediction of the response of regional and national floras to changing climate and land use."

Works

Thompson is noted for "ideas that you will be inspired by and interested in discovering more about". Some of his ideas include:

• "The best single thing you can do for wildlife in your garden is to find a young tree and leave it alone. Failing that, plant one."
• "Long grass is good for wildlife, and in short supply in gardens."
• "Maintaining soil carbon is easy: make as much compost as you can..."

His books include:

• No Nettles Required: The Reassuring Truth about Wildlife Gardening
• Do We Need Pandas?: The Uncomfortable Truth About Biodiversity
• Where Do Camels Belong? – The Story and Science of Invasive Species
• Darwin's Most Wonderful Plants – A book that "summarizes Charles Darwin's plant focused books - On the Movements and Habits of Climbing Plants, The Power of Movement in Plants, Insectivorous Plants, On the Various Contrivances by Which British and Foreign Orchids are Fertilised by Insects, Good Effects of Intercrossing, and the Effects of Cross-and Self-Fertilisation on the Vegetable Kingdom, The Different Forms of Flowers on Plants of the Same Species and The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication."