Killing plants, mainstream flowers, and well-born trees: all the vegetation that surrounds us and we don't see.

BarcelonaYou will find a good number of plant manuals published, but probably none like Things that grow (Ara Llibres), a "treatise on plants, trees and everything in between" signed by Godai Garcia (l'alter ego by Galdric Plana), a screenwriter, comic book writer, and, as he defines himself, a passionate nature lover. Plana proposes a peculiar approach to the plant world of our environment, vindicating those plants that we won't find in any florist or garden center, but that are part of our daily lives and make up the natural landscape of our lives.

The book is the result of the work that Godai Garcia has been doing for some time on social media to disseminate, always with a touch of humor, all his knowledge about nature. As Galdric explains, his passion for plants is a natural passion he has had since he was little and that was accentuated when he decided to live in the countryside and begin to learn about the natural environment. This knowledge he has sought to bring to the public by linking it to his career as a comic, and which he has managed to disseminate in a humorous yet rigorous way. Thus, he talks to us about flowers mainstream, of plants that kill—referring to those that can be poisonous—and well-born trees, highlighting the vegetation we find in our surroundings, from that which grows on dry stone margins along riverbanks to that which you find while walking through a beech or holm oak forest. A review accompanied by beautiful and delicate illustrations by Bruna Dinarès and explanations that are anchored by the author's sense of humor. It also includes a small space for readers to take notes while discovering this plant world that is so typical of Nostradamus.

The author acknowledges that the book is the natural continuation of the outreach work he has been doing with his family. videos, but giving it a broader context. He describes six different landscapes that, for him, "are at home and are part of his daily environment. I'm not a biologist, but I've done a lot of research and I wanted to be very rigorous, providing verified information, despite the touch of humor with which I explain things, because I don't know how to communicate without making jokes. I want to, which isn't always easy for me," he says. Galdric Plana explains that he's especially interested in "those plants that grow spontaneously in ruderales, that pop up on the sides of paths, flowers that have always been there. In fact, one of the book's main goals is to give value to the vegetation we have next to our homes, plants we have in forests, on sidewalks, and in fields that often go unnoticed. Beyond talking about plants, Plana focuses on everything they contribute to the natural environment, and acknowledges that this is a sought-after option. "Because what I like to do is ecological politics. I think that talking only about a specific reality doesn't provide enough; we need to provide context to understand what all these plants mean and what they imply. In a way, I seek to value the ecological heritage we have," he says.

This passion for nature that Galdric has articulated from his character as Godai Garcia is the result of how he understands the relationship with nature, which he assures is the longest-lasting love relationship he has ever had; "It is a true love and from which I expect nothing in return. A very intimate relationship that some friends of mine describe as mystical, although I don't find it so. Now, it is true that in this world of ours, so multitasking and hyperconnected, nature connects me with the here and now," he declares. The author of Things that grow He asserts that his is an environmentalism that seeks to take care of friends, because "if you understand the natural environment as something that happens every day and you are able to name the plants or trees that surround you, if they disappear, it's like seeing a part of your family disappear."