I’m working now on a new book (for grownups, though kids are welcome to read it) about Charles Darwin’s other voyage of scientific discovery, one that began years after his famous trip on the H.M.S. Beagle. In the woods and fields around his country home, Down House, Darwin investigated the habits of ordinary wildflowers…and discovered that the world of plants held secrets no one before him had ever noticed.

I was thrilled to be able to visit Down House this spring, since by now I have spent more hours than I care to think about digging into Darwin’s letters here, and reading his now-mostly-forgotten books of botany (which have been largely overshadowed by his, well, other work) here.

Down House is just a short train and bus trip away from London. Going there was like time travel, which is one of my favorite activities.