Peter Marren is a natural-history writer and former government and freelance conservationist. He is a wildlife polymath whose writings extend from newspaper journalism, obituaries, book reviews and opinion pieces to humour and news summaries for the likes of Whitaker's Almanack. He is the author of more than 20 books, including Bugs Britannica, Chasing the Ghost, After They're Gone, and Mushrooms – the first title in the British Wildlife Collection series.