Gwithie Kirby has transcribed her lifelong love for flowers into a publication that details their types and characteristics of flowers found in the Southeast of Botswana. The wife of Court of Appeals’ President and co- founder of the Mmokolodi Game Reserve, Ian Kirby, launched the book, ‘Wild Flowers of Southeast Botswana’ at Mokolodi nature Reserve last week.
Kirby said the book was researched and written over several years as it is the type of literature that pays outmost attention to factual detail. This was the reason why she roped in expert knowledge in completing the book, some of which include botanical wisdom from Professor Braam van Wyk, a South African author on trees and flowers, and Professor Desmond Cole, author of the new MacMillan Setswana dictionary, who is said to have assisted with the many Setswana names of particular flowers. The book is said to feature detailed descriptions of 332 different species of wild flowers in the region, which are presented in photographs and drawings.
The book’s foreword was authored by a Gwithie’s fellow environmentalist, President Ian Khama, who is also the patron for the Mokolodi Wildlife Foundation. Giving a short reading of the foreword, President Khama said, “Wild Flowers of Southeast Botswana will fill a gap in the natural history literature of our country. It will be a useful guide for the children who visit Mokolodi, and also for the many tourists and other nature lovers who have an interest in flowers.” He deemed the book reader friendly and delightful.
The book is dedicated to the Kirby’s late son, Puso Kirby, who was a manager at the game reserve at the time of his passing due to a tragic car accident. According to Kirby, all proceeds from the book will be donated to the Mokolodi Nature Reserve Boitumelo-mo-Nageng camps.