Both grounding and uplifting, From Coast & Cove, the new book from author and acclaimed illustrator Anna Koska, walks us through the four seasons on the English coast. Beautifully observed, contemplative and deeply personal, Anna combines emotive and evocative tales of life beside the sea with her exquisitely detailed and intricate illustrations of the plants and wildlife found in the water and along the coastline. Read an extract from the diary below.
12 April
Morning lit, sky clear. Warmth on my back! Standing near a patch of wood anemone, watching a buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) queen in search of the perfect nursery. So many of them now, thundering around, lazy looping among the laden arms of the cherry tree; dropping to knee height for a closer inspection, then finally settling to rootle among last year’s leaves and this year’s blossom. They’ve a particular fondness for an empty mouse nest. Once she’s found the ideal hole, she’ll get to work, taking wax secreted from her abdomen to create a nursery for her colony, where she’ll lay the first eggs to begin her family. Some of her firstborn will hatch and head out to gather nectar and pollen, while others will stay within the nursery to help nurture the young brood, maintain the hive and care for their queen.
Extract from From Coast & Cove by Anna Koska. Out now.
