Reviews (2)

Does a good job, but incompletely
First, let's look at the strengths of Marilyn Dwelley's "Spring Wildflowers of New England". The illustrations are excellent, extremely simple to grasp and showing enough detail to "rough out" the identification of the majority of flowers one is likely to see, without a lot of extraneous background material seen in many photographic collections. Second, its small size makes it useful for the field. Third, the index is pretty complete, allowing you to look up many flowers by multiple common names as well as the official Latin nomenclature.

The weaknesses are also significant. There is no introduction to speak of but, rather, the book simply opens with one page of definitions, then a stream of flowers. There is no attempt to divide flowers up by anything but color; with so many white flowers, some attention to grouping by size or form would make identification more manageable. There is little information on many flowers other than their form and presentation in the wild, while for others there are comments about edibility, folklore, etc. Also, the division of flowers into color groups is slightly peculiar as she includes red flowers in the pink group and violet flowers with the blue group. And some guides contradict her comments such as regarding the edibility of the May-apple fruit. BUT, overall, despite my negative comments, I like this guide (I bought it, didn't I?) and would recommend it to be used with a bulkier guide, like the Audobon series book, as a backup for more detailed information.

Thank you Down East Books!
If you want to know what is blooming in your New England surroundings, this is the book to reach for. Arranged by season and color with color illustrations as well as both common and latin names, this book can satisfy any level of naturalist's curiousity. It is great to see this hard to find volume back in print and in hardcover to hold up in the field! ... Read more

Book Description

From seashore to mountain peak, the wild, untended blossoms of Washington flourish throughout the growing season. This easy-to-use guide by the late Chess Lyons is loaded with brilliant color photographs and complete descriptions of nearly 500 species. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Wildflowers of Alabma and Adjoining Sates
This book covers a number of wildflowers throughout Alabama. The book is filled with wonderful color pictures which aid in identification of species in this area.The descriptions are also very informative! It helped mealot on a collection I was putting together for a Botany class. I loved itso much I had to buy a copy for myself! ... Read more

Book Description

Beautiful, specially drawn full-color illus-trations depict more than 700 different species of wildflowers. Plants are grouped by botanical families. At-a-glance identifi-cation capsules pinpoint the characteristic textures, shapes and color, as well as habitat, scent, and blooming time. ... Read more

Book Description

With over 400 species, exquisite detail, full true-color photographs, this guidebook is the best wildflower guide for Washington, Oregon, Idaho, western Montana, Northwest Wyoming, British Columbia, and western Alberta. Don't make your next trip without it. Updated version, April 2004. ... Read more

Book Description

There is increasing awareness among biologists that mutualistic interactions play a key role in natural communities. One of the best-known examples of a mutualistic interaction is the mycorrhizal symbiosis formed between soil fungi and the majority of plants. These symbioses are present in almost all terrestrial ecosystems and yet, until recently, their contributions to the functioning of those ecosystems have been poorly understood. This multi-authored book gives an overview of recent advances and breakthroughs. The contributions of all the major mycorrhizal types to plant population biology, multitrophic interactions, biological diversity, ecosystem functioning, global change and evolution are given. This volume shows that collaboration in the rhizosphere is essential for plants, microbes, plant communities and ecosystems. It has been written with ecologists in mind, giving them easy access to an understanding of how these important interactions could shape our ecosystems. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

If you live in Lousiana, Mississippor Texas, find this book!
This is a great field guide to wildflowers in Louisiana. The photographs enable the reader to immediately identify the plant that they are trying to discover. I have owned my copy for 30 years and I still use it. Grab a copy if you can find one. I'm never parting with mine! ... Read more

Book Description

This concise guide to identifying flowering plants covers aesthetic and botanical information about flora from around the world. Presented are illustrations and explanations of reproductive parts, variations in floral structure, and nomenclature and plant families. The dissection process for flowers, techniques of flower arranging, and methods of observing structure for identification are clearly described. Plant families common to Australia are illustrated with examples of cultivated and wild plants. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Helpful guide
I spent a few weeks in Michigan this summer and found this book to be a helpful guide to the state's wildflowers. I could walk through a field and identify a dozen different varieties in just a few minutes, thanks to this book.

You couldn't go more wrong...
purchasing a book on Michigan wildflowers. There are numerous inaccuracies throughout the book, and the information is relatively unhelpful. Before purchasing this book, keep in mind this book is part of a "series"; Mr. Tekiela has a book on "Ohio Wildflowers" coming out within a year of this one! I doubt the author has spent time in Michigan looking for these plants, and I'm sure none of the photos are from the state either. This is a money-making deal at best. Purchase any other book on the state's wildflowers and you'll have spent your money in a more satisfying way. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

An Indispensible Work for the Committed Landowner
I am a property owner in the Santa Cruz Mountains. This flora has been indispensable to me as a guide by which to restore my land. Its keys are, for the most part, comprehensible and useful to the amateur. Its detailed references to where the plants were found are a blessing in a region with enormous climate and soil variations. It is purely a scientific work by a man who loved the land.

The Santa Cruz Mountains have an incredibly complex flora. They are located at the confluence of three major botanical regions: North Coast, Central Coast, and Inland. As a consequence, a single parcel can have a bewildering array of plants. On my fourteen acres alone, I have distinguished over 240 species, of which 60 are exotics. Without a good flora, I would be lost, killing things that are native and letting exotics pass simply because the task of weeding is so physically and intellectually overwhelming.

The rewards of this kind of work can be equally overwhelming, and I owe a personal debt to botanists such as Thomas. I am astonished that this was but a graduate dissertation. I can only say that I wish his ability, integrity, and energy was more common.

Modern flora, although blessed with the benefit of DNA analysis, can be needlessly complicated with innumerable "subspecies" that, from my observations, may only be hybrids or simply variants based upon distinctions important only to the professional career of the botanist. Although Thomas' book may be in that respect somewhat dated, it is also a blessing. I am often faced with making distinctions on attributes belonging to separate "species" that are shared by individuals on the same parcel! Jepson, while equally indispensable and supposedly definitive, can, in that respect, be maddening. "Plants of the San Francisco Bay Region," by Beldeman and Kolzoff and "Coastal County Plants from Santa Cruz to Mendocino," by George Pikkaranien, although less comprehensive than Jepson, are, in some respects, more useful, if only because of the photographs and references to attrributes of typical habitat.

I use Thomas, Pikkaranien, and Beldeman/Kolzoff to get close with my identification, confirm it with the CalFlora web site (where the photographs are usually poor), and complete the identification process using Jepson, both the text and the online version, which sometimes don't agree. My only criticism of Thomas is that I wish there were more of those excellent drawings. ... Read more

Book Description

This much-needed Second Edition of a standard resource offers a state-of-the art, multidisciplinary presentation of plant roots--reflecting the explosion of the previous edition. ... Read more

Book Description

The diverse coastal habitats of the spectacular Pacific Coast include sandy beaches and dunes, salt- and freshwater marshes, coastal prairies and bluffs, riparian woodlands, and coniferous forests. This guide, first published nearly forty years ago, has introduced thousands to the wildflowers and other plants that grow along the coastline. Now thoroughly updated and revised, it is the perfect field guide to pack for a day at the seashore anywhere in California or the Pacific Northwest.

* 268 species are described and illustrated by a new color photograph, a precise line drawing, or both

* Includes native and introduced species of wildflowers, common trees, and shrubs

* This new edition includes more plants, gives helpful hints for identifying species, and incorporates new taxonomic and distribution information ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Vivid beauty!
Large, crisp, vivid photos presented by Arizona Highways.Each wildflower includes information such as: region, elevation, blooming season, relatives and more.As an avid Arizona hiker I get excited when I am able to spotthese beauties on the trail.The format is magazine size.All pages arethick and glossy Arizona Highways quality. - Beautiful! ... Read more

Book Description

Wildflowers of Mammoth Cave National Park provides an in-depth field guide to 400 wildflowers found along the trails and roads within the park, nearly all of them species found throughout Kentucky and in neighboring states. Each wildflower is represented by a brilliant full-color photograph and accompanied by a text that identifies its characteristics: colors, floral and leaf forms, flowering time, and native or introduced status, as well as the plant's folklore, past herbal or medicinal use, and myriad other myths and historical facts. For those enthusiasts eager to search for new discoveries, the appendixes provide tables showing the observed flowering period, a flower hunting planning guide, and an index of flowers by trail. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

excellent guide to the wildflowers of central kentucky
Mr. Seymour's descriptions and pictures of the wildflowers of the cave area are clear and easily used. His comments add an extra dimension to the usual guide book. ... Read more

Book Description

"In many ways this book takes up where Dr. Edward Bach left off, exploring and developing the application of flower essences in such areas as sexuality, communication, learning skills, creativity and spirituality, which are so relevant in modern society. Told in a confiding manner, it an engrossing story of how these powerful Australian essences came about ... makes fascinating reading and opens up exciting possibilities of self-exploration" (Aromatherapy Quarterly}. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A comprehensive guide
For some reason, I love the Australian Bush flower remedies, and this is the guide to those remedies. After Bach discovered the idea and began to sell flower remedies, the work and the idea has spread to many parts of the world, resulting in hundreds of different flower remedies, each unique in its healing power. I tend to prefer remedies from my own region of the world, and these are from a completely different continent. Still, I was very drawn to them, and have not been disappointed. I am always impressed by the people who discover & make the remedies, their perceptions and commitment to the work. Australian Bush remedies are no exception. I highly recommend both this book and the remedies described therein, as well as flower essence therapy in general.

Lovely Book - Powerful Essences
The Bush Flower Essences are among my favorites. This is a wonderfully written flower essence book. The repertory is well organized and easy to use.

Highly recommended! ... Read more