About 30 miles south-west of Land's End is the low group of rocks and islands that form the Isles of Scilly. Mysterious, romantic and beautiful, they have long exercised the imagination of story tellers and historians. Rosemary Parslow has spent many years working on the islands, each of which has its own unique character and special plants and animals. In this New Naturalist volume she examines the many aspects that make the islands and their flora and fauna so unique: their geography, geology and climate, the people of the islands, the way they used the land and its present day management. She brings to life the major kinds of habitats found in Scilly: the heathlands, the coast, cultivated fields and wetlands. She also discusses the people who have been important in the study of the island flora and fauna, and tells the story of the rise in popularity of the islands for birdwatchers. This book complements other regional titles in the New Naturalist series which include Loch Lomondside, the Broads, the Lakeland area and Northumberland.