It has taken her almost 20 years to complete, but the first illustrated guide to Bermuda's botany since Lord Britton's was published in 1918 is already proving to be a bestseller.

More than 1,000 copies of Christine Phillips-Watlington's book, `Bermuda's Botanical Wonderland: A Field Guide' were sold in the first week.

Many would say that the book's publication just two weeks ago came not a moment too soon.

"I think one of the driving forces behind the book is that it is an effective way of raising awareness of Bermuda's great natural heritage -- and the fact that we are in great danger of losing it. Ever since I came here in 1977,'' says the English-born author, "I have felt an increasing sense of distress about the loss of farmland and open spaces which are disappearing at a quite terrifying rate.'' She points our that her book, which began life primarily as an updated reference book on Bermuda's wonderfully diverse plants, could end up as a memorial to many plants that have already disappeared. In some cases, rare endemic plants and the habitats that nurtured them are gone forever.

As Conservation Officer David Wingate writes in his Foreword, "...this book will serve as a time capsule of a golden era in Bermuda's history when the growing profusion of exotic introduction still left some room for the Island's unique endemic heritage -- an era now gravely threatened by rampant development, lawnmowers, weed whacker herbicides and loss of biodiversity...It may very well serve as a catalyst to turn the tide in favour of conservation.'' Noting in the book that conservation and protection of the environment is now an international concern, she writes: "The study of plants has no boundaries.

We all owe it to the world not to destroy our natural heritage.'' As Bermuda is home to well over 250,000 plant species, Mrs. Phillips-Watlington sees her book as an attempt to bring "a few'' of the dominant species to light.

Noting that her exhaustive guide aims to appeal to both specialists and amateurs, she introduces her book with a history and overview of Bermuda's fauna, also listing, describing (and illustrating) some of the different habitats. Dividing the book into `plates', each one of which features such differing plants as vines and scramblers, flowers of field and grassland, ornamental palms or ferns and asparagus of Bermuda, Mrs. Phillips-Watlington has given both the Latin botanical and English names for each plant.

It is her great hope, she says, that people will use her sketches and studies as a means of identifying the glories of nature around them -- especially those that are threatened with extinction, such as the rare turkey berry, Bermuda Campylopus moss (now seen only in Paget Marsh), the yellow-flowered rattle box, or the now seriously endangered Bermuda spike bush. ("It goes almost without saying that the book should be taken to the plant and not the plant to the book...).

"I realise that Government has to provide homes for everyone and are probably doing their best, but I think a little more awareness of the environment wouldn't go amiss! For example, hedges look far more attractive than those ugly concrete walls which are appearing all over the place. Many of our plants are very hardy and can take care of themselves if left alone. That, in itself, and without any effort, would re-create the botanical wonderland that was already here and which, to a great extent, is being systematically destroyed.'' At a time when other countries, particularly those in the Caribbean, are pushing their natural histories "for all they're worth'', she sees her book as a "humble way'' of doing something similar for the Island she has come to love.

"I would like to see Bermuda getting seriously involved in an ongoing programme of eco-tourism to attract tourists to the beauty and great natural heritage of the Island,'' she explains. "When I came here, I could get no idea of how wonderful and unique a place this was from looking at the brochures. They showed pink cottages, pink buses, beaches and so on, and maybe the odd hibiscus, so it was a shock to get here and see all the incredible vegetation. This should, in my opinion, be the most important aspect of Bermuda's tourism.'' One of her first nature excursions in Bermuda, over 17 years ago, took place with Mr. Wingate. "He has really been my inspiration and I just don't know what would have happened to many of Bermuda's wild areas without this remarkable man. When he took me to places like Paynter's Hill to see the very rare yellow wood and other trees, he expressed a hope that the area would be preserved, as it contained so many fragile plants and unique habitats. But he expressed a fear that Castle Harbour had a development plan that included some of the rare plants and he was worried for this and other areas.'' Although she is dismayed by the amount of land and habitat already gone, Mrs.

Phillips-Watlington says hope for the future lies in the younger generation: "So many young people are coming back from college and university and are horrified at the way things are going. I think that in the past, people who have tried to fight this so-called `progress' have tended to be dismissed as `impractical fanatics'. Now, I think the tide is definitely turning.

"The younger breed of Bermudian understands very well indeed that unless we do a much better job of preserving our Island, Bermuda as we have always known it will be destroyed. Thankfully, a lot of younger people are joining organisations such as Save Open Spaces because they realise it's up to them to save what is left of their heritage.

Exploring Bermuda's diverse plant life "I quite understand that Bermuda has to grow and evolve but this must be done in an educated way, beautifying what has to be done. If you can spend millions on a house, surely you can spend some money on plants and flowers. Creeping fig, for instance, will grow very easily over all those harsh, white walls. We have to understand,'' she adds, "that the green areas of foliage provide our oxygen and our food, so their preservation is not so much a case for aesthetics as a necessity. And, let's face it -- tourists come here to see scenic beauty -- they can see concrete slabs in their own cities.'' Mrs. Phillips-Watlington feels that more thought should be given to the future, perhaps following Japan's example in a programme of land reclamation and monorails: "We should think about something that doesn't touch the land, otherwise, in 50 to 100 years, Bermuda will be a hodge-podge of small nature reserves sprinkled in a huge suburban sprawl of concrete. Bermuda has to think seriously about this and ponder some alternatives.'' Reflecting that "Bermuda seems to have a bit of an obsession with concrete just now'', Mrs. Phillips-Watlington echoes the growing concerns too, for Government's apparent policy of sacrificing wild hedgerows and flowers for "obsessively neat'' roads. Part of the problem lies with the spraying and clipping gangs who are indiscriminately destroying many hedges.

"I think they need some kind of education programme on the importance of wild plants and flowers. Experts must relay their knowledge to the people who actually clear up the roadways and hedgerows. At the moment, this is not happening. And the Department itself has ruined the natural beauty of areas like John Smith's Bay, Church Bay and so on, turning them into little more than suburban parks. That is not what Bermuda is about!'' Paying tribute to organisations such as the National Trust, Audubon Society, The Garden Club and Rose Society, the Botanical and Horticultural Societies, Keeo Bermuda Beautiful and the Biological Station for their invaluable dedication, Mrs. Phillips-Watlington says she is particularly excited by the work done at the Island's schools and the related education programmes at the Bermuda Aquarium: "The annual Earth Day programmes and the new Learning Through Landscapes scheme are wonderful ways of teaching our children to love, respect and look after their Island.'' Mrs. Phllips-Watlington, who was born in Devon and grew up "surrounded by the beauty of nature'', has worked for many conservation causes, including the famed Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew and the Royal Horticultural Society at Wisley, where she regularly met TV personalities such as Sir David Attenborough and David Bellamy: "All the big explorers passed through Kew at some point or another!'' Since her arrival here 17 years ago when work on her book really began, she has become well known for her series of educational posters, and a series of postage stamps featuring the fruits of Bermuda. Her decision or `labour of love' as Mr. Wingate more accurately termed it, to produce this valuable reference work for gardeners, botanists and anyone remotely interested in plants, grew out of her desire to help the ongoing, worldwide task of cataloguing all of the world's known plants.

`Bermuda's Botanical Wonderland', published by MacMillan Education Ltd. is on sale throughout Bermuda at $39.95. There will be book signings at Smith's this Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. and on Friday, December 13 at Cooper's from 6 to 8 p.m.

BERMUDA'S BOTANICAL WONDERS -- An illustrative panel from Christine Phillips-Watlington's new book shows (from left to right): a monarch butterfly, the crinum lily, giant toad, a silk spider spinning a home around the chalice cup vine, a Bermuda lizard and the blue-petalled Bermudiana.