My interest in plants dates back to Devon during WW2 where my Godmother, a country polymath, who knew every hedgerow plant and creature, would take me with her collecting the fruits of the county. She would point out, among many other things, the enigma that songbirds could devour deadly Yew berries without ill effect. Now based in Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean, my wife, Chrystalla, and I discovered that the town and country abound with some of the world’s most poisonous plants: Ricinus, Oleander and Lantana, all used as community plants on motorways, parks and public utilities. The antiquities sites harbour Mandrake and Datura, making it important to be able to recognize these dangerous plants when instructing staff employed in a leaf gathering business. The idea for this book started several years ago as a weekly column for the Cyprus Mail newspaper, back in 2003.