The Flaming Wheel

Cover of Flaming Wheel

The book entitled Flaming Wheels is a collection of essays on the flora and fauna of Co. Wicklow written by an enthusiast who resided in Bray from the 1920's.The author was Sophia St. John Whitty who died in 1924, after which the essays she had published in the Irish Times, the Freemans Journal and the Irish Statesman were published under the title The Flaming Wheel.The book is divided according to the months of the year and under each month can be found a selection of essays relevant to that month, describing the activities of the animals and plants relating to a particular month.An example to illustrate this is found under the month of October-list of essays under October are as follows :The Fall of the Year, Autumnal Hedges, Birds in October, The Golden Woods, The River Pool. The subtitle of the book is Nature Studies in the Counties of Dublin and Wicklow.It is not scientific in its approach but is an enjoyable recounting of the sights observed by St. John Whitty on her nature excursions through the Counties of Wicklow and Dublin.

Cover of Flaming Wheel

Cover of Flaming Wheel

The book entitled Flaming Wheels is a collection of essays on the flora and fauna of Co. Wicklow written by an enthusiast who resided in Bray from the 1920's.The author was Sophia St. John Whitty who died in 1924, after which the essays she had published in the Irish Times, the Freemans Journal and the Irish Statesman were published under the title The Flaming Wheel.The book is divided according to the months of the year and under each month can be found a selection of essays relevant to that month, describing the activities of the animals and plants relating to a particular month.An example to illustrate this is found under the month of October-list of essays under October are as follows :The Fall of the Year, Autumnal Hedges, Birds in October, The Golden Woods, The River Pool. The subtitle of the book is Nature Studies in the Counties of Dublin and Wicklow.It is not scientific in its approach but is an enjoyable recounting of the sights observed by St. John Whitty on her nature excursions through the Counties of Wicklow and Dublin.

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The Flaming Wheel is a series of nature essays written by Sophia St. John Whitty about the countryside of Wicklow and Dublin. The essays were published by the Irish Times and the Freeman's Journal during the early nineteen twenties. Upon her death in 1924 the essays were collected and published later that year under the title "The Flaming Wheel".
 

The essays are the result of her many Nature Expeditions through the countryside on her bicycle or accompanied by her mother in her little Peugeot car. Her love of nature was inspired as a child growing up in the Dublin mountains where she was surrounded by golden gorse and purple heather. After her field trips she would write down her observations concerning the animals, plants and birds she had spotted. Her writings are not scientific by any means but the collection provides a wealth of information about the types of flora and fauna that characterise the landscapes of Wicklow and it is an enjoyable and informative way to learn about them.

The essays in the book are sorted according to the twelve months of the year, which provides the reader with an insight into the changing seasons and the impact on the various habitats throughout the year. There are also some interesting anecdotes of local folklore about some of the flora and fauna.