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The Liguus Tree Snails of South Florida
Henry T. Close
Manufacturer: University Press of Florida
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Insects & Spiders
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ASIN: 0813018145 |
Book Description
Some of the most beautiful and vivid shells in the world are found not on the beaches but in the trees of South Florida. This colorfully illustrated book offers for the first time a comprehensive survey of these rare snails and their shells, as well as their biology, natural history, evolution, and ecology.
Shells of the Liguus fasciatus tree snails display a stunning rainbow of colors, from pink, powder blue, and deep orange to chestnut and black, in patterns ranging from subtle to complex. Fifty-nine named color forms exist, and variations within the forms bring the total of distinct varieties to almost 80.
The author identifies all the various forms and their localities in this book. Color photographs of some 300 brilliantly hued shells illustrate the text. The migration and interbreeding of the Liguus fasciatus, including the many varieties that appear in only one defined habitat such as Matecumbe Key or Key Vaca, are described.
This remarkable compilation of all available information on these snails contains abundant reference material for scientists, but it is written in an informal style that will appeal to shell aficionados and amateur naturalists alike. Enthusiasts also will be interested to learn that the shells can be seen on walks through the forests of Everglades National Park and the hammocks of the Pinecrest area, and even from the road in several places in the Keys.
Customer Reviews:
Floridas Lost Treasures.......2001-03-08
At last! Someone has opened the door, I never dreamed a book could make my heart skip a beat, make all my young memories from when I was growing up in Miami, come back so vividly. All the hours walking through heat,bugs,rain and swamps !!! Yas it was great. Only someone else who has joined in the comradery to such an adventure can relate to the hours of work it took to compile so much info on a subject which has been kept hidden from the laymen collectors. I collected Tree Snails back in the early sixties and seventies, I was privileged to meet and talk with some of the old time collectors, which sparked my appreciation of this unique shell. Thanks to Mr. Close for such a realistic and factual account of Florida Liguus. I was able to learn from this book even more, and it gave me a basis to educate my children to appreciate the special beauty of an indigenous species. I hope anyone who has an interest in this subject, will read this book and practice good conservation in protecting the special treasures of the Florida Everglades, for future generations to come! Sincerely, Arthur W. Riegle Papaartr@aol.com
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Reference.......2003-06-05
Although not the most interesting "read", this is a great reference book for gardening in South Florida. Straight forward without too much fluff. The section on pest control is a little heavy on identifying pests and little light on how to control them but the rest of the book is very clear on the basics. Probably not the best book for an advanced gardener but I highly recommend it for the novice like me who wants the nitty gritty on how to get going in Florida but doesn't care about a fancy looking book.
Very good reference for selecting bedding plants in Florida.......2001-09-22
I thought this was an excellent reference for selecting Florida bedding plants. I wanted a book that had lots of pictures of various plants and told me when and where to plant them. This book does that. It is limited on pest control, but has a good basic section on digging and prepping your bedding areas. It would be a great reference to take with you to the nursery when you are trying to decide which plants to purchase for your beds. It has more color photos for identification of bedding plants than most of the Florida gardening books out there.
Poor.......2000-05-18
I was so dispappointed in the presentation made in this book that I sent it back. The cover and even title give the impression that the book will include photgraphic and descriptive information regarding landscaping. What actually comes across is a very boring, poorly presented reference type of book that simply seems like an elaborate dictionary on various landscape terminology. The photographic connections were especially done poorly; all pictures relating to topics were simply united together in a large section at the back of the book. When a reference is made by an author regarding a specific subject, it is certainly best understood and appreciated by the reader when both are on the same page. It was also misleading in their title reference to Florida plants, shrubs, etc., that there would be direct inclusion of information of those subjects, but all that comes across is very general information relating to the words themselves. I have been working on my own Florida yard area now for over 5 years, enjoying what I have been learning by simple hands-on techniqe and questions to my neighbors. None of my own 26 personal plants were even directly mentioned in the book. Again, possibly some of the topics regarding pests or plant diseases might have been appreciated if the information would have been on the same pages as the related photographs--needing to turn clear to the the back of the book every time was a frustrating way to try and understand the connections.
Customer Reviews:
Palms of South Florida.......2000-04-19
While an excellent and detailed explanation of the confusing world of palm botany, I have two problems with this book. 1) It contains comprehensive, detailed drawings of the trees reviewed, but not a single photo! Of course it costs a publisher more to use the type of paper that color can print on, not to mention the ink itself, but a garden book with no photographs at all?? 2) It would be most helpful for us beginners if the pronunciation and the derivation of the botanic names was listed. It's hard to remember a plants proper name when you cannot even pronounce it!
Customer Reviews:
Florida Landscape Plants: Native and Exotic.......2007-01-09
I bought this book about 10 years ago and it turned into my Florida "Bible". Just about every plant, especially garden plants, is included. On one page you can see all the necessary information that is needed to be a successful Florida gardener.
I loaned it to a friend, a plant "nut", recently transplanted from Pennsylvania. She was trying to grow plants the old northern way, which wasn't working out. Eventually success is growing in her garden.
The book became a Christmas gift and a "Welcome to Florida" gift (and a gift for me, my old book is very worn) this year. Use it and enjoy.
The Florida plant chronicles.......2005-12-31
FLORIDA LANDSCAPE PLANTS lists native and non-native plants growable in the northern, central or southern parts of the state. It's an updated version of the late Professor John V Watkins' book. Professor Watkins taught landscape horticulture at the University of Florida. But he was well known outside the campus, for his gardening- and landscape-related radio series and writings published as books and magazine articles.
Professors Thomas J Sheehan and Robert J Black fill the empty space left with Professor Watkins' death. They've added to and modernized his classic landscape plant manual. Throughout, they've stayed true to Professor Watkins' original mission of writing for an audience of university students, nurserymen, master gardeners, and homeowners of our Gulf states.
Their book is nicely organized for that purpose. There's a listing of over 400 plants. The book closes with a helpful model planting guide, list of invasives, glossary, and an index of common and scientific names.
Their book gives more information and puts in more plants than the original work by Professor Watkins. But their book isn't comprehensive. It's not a case of everything Professor Watkins listed, along with add-ons. In fact, they've left out some "old favorites," partly because some have been called "invasive" by the Florida Exotic Plant Council. In part, too, they wanted the book to fall within the page range known as "popular size."
FLORIDA LANDSCAPE PLANTS is nevertheless very workable, with a lot of clearly illustrated and organized information and with no useless information. Each plant is listed by common name. The scientific name is given below, with the way to say it and the English meaning. There's also a sketch of each plant. I miss the beauty of color drawings and photos. But the black-and-whites are so well done that the plants should be easily known by form and shape, often more telling than color.
The information is conveniently slotted into family; relatives; type of plant; height [in Florida]; zone [in north, central or south Florida]; how to identify; habit of growth; foliage; flowers; fruits; season of maximum color; landscape uses; habitat; light and soil requirement; salt tolerance; availability; culture; propagation; and pests. Sometimes, there's a note slot, such as for sweet acacia "This plant is cultivated in the south of France for its flowers, which are made into a very fine perfume."
FLORIDA LANDSCAPE PLANTS would be an interesting read not only for gardeners and landscapers. I was impressed with how many of the plants are already common household words as household plants: Dieffenbachia, ficus, jade plant, spider plant, and wandering jew. Others are already known as "public places" trees, such as my favorites: American hornbeam, black olive, geiger, gumbo limbo, lignum vitae, red maple, river birch, and southern magnolia. Still others are already known as rock garden plants, such as my favorites: agave, aloe, aluminum plant, bush zinnia, Florida yew, kalanchoe, peperomia, ponytail palm, prickly pear, royal fern, spineless yucca, and variegated pineapple. And still others are already known as water garden plants, such as my favorites: African iris, Asiatic jasmine, black tupelo, firecracker plant, galingale, ginger lily, oleander, peperomia, pittosporum, primrose jasmine, sweet bay, and torch ginger.
It was particularly interesting to see how many of my favorites were listed as natives, such as: Adam's needle, beauty berry, buttonwood, coontie, frangipani, fringe tree, seven year apple, Spanish bayonet, sweet shrub, and tulip tree. In many cases, with natives we reduce the use of hazardous materials such as pesticides. For natives have their own natural controls. They're part of wider plant, bug, bird and animal communities that have built up a balance between over- and under-population in the same space over the same time. Just as important, natives reduce yardwaste. So many have attractive flowers, fruits and parts that can be reused as and recycled into artistic creations, such as dried bouquets and holiday wreaths.
Helpful for the new Florida resident.......2005-10-08
I purchased this book because it was highly recommended in a Florida Gardening magazine. I am new to Florida recently moving here from the Northeast. I was looking for someway to link plants I see in neighbors' yards with what might work in our spaces.
The only thing I was disappointed in is that the book's pictures are not in color. Colors would help me better link plants I see with what's in the book.
Florida Landscape Plants.......2000-04-19
This is a worthwhile book for a number of reasons, however, it has one major omission. The positive factors: 1) Excellent plant descriptions including details like salt tolerance level; 2) wonderful (and most appreciated) treatment of botanic names by giving the pronunciation and derivation of the Latin words (Thanks!). The omission concerns color photographs of the plants discussed. The publisher included a few color pages of plant drawings which are mostly useless and confusing. A good garden book needs to have extensive color photographs. I am sure that the author would agree!!
The absolute last word on Florida Landscape Plants!.......1999-05-24
This is the text book used to teach horticulture classes and plant identification at the University of Florida. All Horticulture graduates and Landscape Architecture graduates at UF have studied from this book. Dr.s Watkins and Sheehan have put more than 5 decades of combined Florida horticultural expertise into this book.
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Flowering Trees for Central and South Florida Gardens
Maxine Fortune Schuetz
Manufacturer: Seaside Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Flowering Trees of Florida
ASIN: 0820004103 |
Book Description
Florida Trees & Wildflowers, An Introduction to Familiar Species, is a must-have, reference guide for beginners and experts alike. Whether you're on a nature hike or taking a stroll in your neighborhood, you'll want to take along a copy of this indispensable guide.
The Pocket Naturalist(tm) series is an introduction to common plants and animals and natural phenomena. Each pocket-sized, folding guide highlights up to 150 species and most feature a map identifying prominent sanctuaries and outstanding natural attractions. Each is laminated for durability.
Customer Reviews:
I liked it but it needs more.......2007-04-02
I liked the format (waterproof fold-out like a map) but I think it should be expanded to include a more comprehensive catalog of Florida's plants.
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A History of Florida Forests
Baynard Kendrick , and
Barry Walsh
Manufacturer: University Press of Florida
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Conservation
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ASIN: 0813030226 |
Book Description
"The Kendrick manuscript illustrates and fully supports the claims of many that there was and still is a lot of gold in the green . . . Cleverly elevates the value of Florida's renewable natural resources and clearly lets you see the forests and the trees. When it comes to forest history, there is simply not another work like it!"--Jeff Doran, executive vice president, Florida Forestry Association
"An excellent account of how important Florida's forests have been in providing the capital to permit exciting and rapid growth and development during the last 150 years; moreover, we're still enjoying vast increasing areas of beautiful and useful trees."--Jacob B. Huffman, University of Florida
Five hundred years ago, when Ponce de Leon landed on the shores of Florida, 27 million acres of virgin timber--chiefly longleaf, slash pine and large areas of cypress, loblolly pine, sand pine, palms, and oaks--covered the land that constitutes the state today. Of the 15 million acres now forested, 12 million are privately held. This lively, 500-year history of Florida's forests begins before the Spaniards colonized the state, when Native American tribes felled trees to build shelters and canoes, carve ritual masks and weapons, and make firewood. These tribes revered Florida's forests; they understood the dangers of wildfires set by lightning and were careful when burning underbrush to improve forage or aid in the hunt. Their closeness to nature and dependence on forests for their way of life made Native Americans Florida's first "forest managers."
Florida historian Baynard Kendrick offers first-person accounts by the people who explored, logged, reforested, and managed Florida's forests. His chapters feature correspondence from conquistadors as well as memoirs by early settlers, loggers, and mill operators whose work triggered a forest conservation movement in the 1920s. Commissioned by the Florida Board of Forestry in 1966 on the eve of the environmental era, Kendrick's manuscript--titled "Florida's Perpetual Forests"--went unpublished for four decades. Barry Walsh has picked up where Kendrick left off, making this the first book to fully document Florida's forest history through the modern day. Enlightening and accessible to a broad audience, this book will appeal to historians, conservationists, foresters, agricultural leaders, archaeologists, anthropologists, legislators, and many more.
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60 trees for South Florida
Elbert A Schory
Manufacturer: Division of Forestry
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
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ASIN: B0006YNAES |
Book Description
This new edition of a classic hiking guide to one of the most-visited regions of Pennsylvania includes hikes at North Mountain, Valley Forge, Saint Anthony's Wilderness, the Delaware Water Gap, Gettysburg, and more.
Despite its dense population and proximity to eastern urban centers, eastern Pennsylvania offers a wealth of hiking opportunities. North Mountain is still wild and remote; the Poconos still shelter the most secure portion of the state's bear population; and the Appalachian Trail follows South and Blue Mountains on its journey across the state. Saint Anthony's Wilderness, just 20 kilometers north of Harrisburg, is the second largest wild area in the state. And the region also boasts state parks and game lands, a national recreation area, and two national historic parks. All are represented in the hikes in this completely revised and updated fourth edition.
The hikes range from 4 to 22 miles in length, and an overview chart makes it easy to choose a hike for every ability. Each hike description includes mile-by-mile directions, a topographic map, information on hiking time, mileage, and rise, and knowledgeable commentary on the human and natural history you'll encounter along the way. 50 b/w photographs, 51 maps, index.
Book Description
In the spirit of Alvin Toffler's Future Shock, a social critique of our obsession with choice, and how it contributes to anxiety, dissatisfaction and regret. This paperback includes a new P.S. section with author interviews, insights, features, suggested readings, and more.
Whether weᱥ buying a pair of jeans, ordering a cup of coffee, selecting a long–distance carrier, applying to college, choosing a doctor, or setting up a 401(k), everyday decisions––both big and small––have become increasingly complex due to the overwhelming abundance of choice with which we are presented.
We assume that more choice means better options and greater satisfaction. But beware of excessive choice: choice overload can make you question the decisions you make before you even make them, it can set you up for unrealistically high expectations, and it can make you blame yourself for any and all failures. In the long run, this can lead to decision–making paralysis, anxiety, and perpetual stress. And, in a culture that tells us that there is no excuse for falling short of perfection when your options are limitless, too much choice can lead to clinical depression.
In The Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz explains at what point choice––the hallmark of individual freedom and self–determination that we so cherish––becomes detrimental to our psychological and emotional well–being. In accessible, engaging, and anecdotal prose, Schwartz shows how the dramatic explosion in choice––from the mundane to the profound challenges of balancing career, family, and individual needs––has paradoxically become a problem instead of a solution. Schwartz also shows how our obsession with choice encourages us to seek that which makes us feel worse.
By synthesizing current research in the social sciences, Schwartz makes the counterintuitive case that eliminating choices can greatly reduce the stress, anxiety, and busyness of our lives. He offers eleven practical steps on how to limit choices to a manageable number, have the discipline to focus on the important ones and ignore the rest, and ultimately derive greater satisfaction from the choices you have to make.
Customer Reviews:
A FEW interesting ideas - a FEW ideas for change.......2007-10-08
I actually do think that many people suffer because of too many choices. I have seen this in upper middle class people agonizing over school choices for their grade schooler. A big part of the problem is that they CAN afford private school, or to move to a neighborhood with better public schools, but which one? They end up second guessing themselves and changing their mind every year and causing a lot of misery for themselves and the child.
That said, the book takes a few fairly simple ideas, repeats them several times and doesn't offer much help. There is some research (not clear how much it really applies) that shows that having more choices makes you less happy with the choice you make, having more choices increases the chance you will delay deciding, etc. There are a few ideas in the back that may help some people with decisions - things like narrowing choices quickly to 2 main choices, learning to accept good enough for many of life's choices, etc. I suspect some of these are easier to say than do. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book.
Read this Anti-dote to the information age insanity.......2007-07-24
Oh, My, Goodness. We who are embedded in consumer culture so need this book. It will take some time to put the lessons into practice but will be worth it. Think of all the leisure time, satisfaction, and fun we will have!
This is a fun read with an important message. In the style of Blink, the author shares studies and experiences and theory that all converge on one thing: We are not satisfied because we have to many choices.
Then he provides the anti-dote to being overwhelmed by the information age: "Satisficing"
This book could save relationships, as well as personal well-being.
I am now on the path to recovery. I am a recovering optimizer and on the way to being a satisficer!
This one is a must-read.......2007-07-02
Some parts get a little complicated for just a quick read. But, at 240 pages this is a a fun look at the societal and psychological issues we face.
The areas explored are summed up with the following:
"...our experience of choice as a burden rather than a privilege is not a simple phenomenon. Rather it is the result of a complex interaction among many psychological processes that permeate our culture, including rising expectations, awareness of opportunity costs, aversion to trade-offs, adaptation, regret, self-blame, the tendency to engage in social comparisons, and maximizing."
The last chapter goes on to highlight and explain how we can try to avoid these issues (regret leading to depression, leading to suicide; comparing to neighbors and having regret; post-decision regret). A lot of it has to do with accepting "good enough".
Again, I recommend the book because it may help you see your decisions a little differently. At the same time, it helps understand the psychology behind others' decisions.
The Real Deal.......2007-06-09
The book may look on the outside like a social, economic, or political critique. But it's actually addressed mostly to individuals, and probably belongs mostly in the self-help category.
Most books of this kind - even some good ones - have only enough interesting ideas to justify a sizeable magazine article. The authors of such books also usually overstate their case drastically by claiming that everything in the world that they don't like can be explained by the one insight that forms the premise of their book.
This book is an exception. It's not long, but that's largely because there's no padding. Schwartz uses several examples to illustrate his point that our modern, economically productive society has provided us with an unprecedented range of choices in areas of our lives where formerly we didn't have to even think hard to make a decision.
For me, one of the most thought-provoking and enjoyable things in the book was the inclusion of many creative and revealing psychological experiments which produced unexpected insights concerning how we make decisions, and what the consequences of the decision-making process are.
Schwartz makes a good case for his thesis that "choice overload" can have a wide range of negative results. And instead of delivering a political diatribe or social critique, blaming politicians or greedy corporations for all of these problems, he addresses himself primarily to his readers, and tells us what he thinks WE as individuals can do to ease the undesirable consequences of having to make too many choices.
The only part of the book I found unconvincing was when Schwartz argues that (1) when people have to make individual choices in too many areas of life, they then have to take responsibility for the results of those choices, and (2) people who take responsibility for most of the things that happen in their lives tend to be unhappier. I'm condensing his argument here, but he definitely does give the impression that he believes that. And I'm here to say that even if people who take responsibility for the results of their actions **are** unhappier, that's just tough. The last thing we need in our society is fewer people who take responsibility for the results of their choices. Just about every failure and every criminal that I have ever met, or known anything about, has REFUSED to accept responsibility for his or her choices - and that's why they're failures and criminals. If taking responsibility increases your stress level, well isn't that just too bad.
But that one disagreement doesn't prevent me from giving the book 5 stars. The book makes so many important points, and explains them so lucidly, persuasively, and non-ideologically, that I think everyone should read it.
A Great Book for Business Owners.......2007-05-15
I thought this book was most excellent. I took my time reading it but it still went fast. The opening about choosing jeans at the GAP really struck a chord with me. I have had the same dilemma and therefore I only buy two pairs of jeans every 2-3 years. It's confusing. On a business sense this has helped me with providing excellent customer care with AUDIN Web Design. The sense of past loss versus future loss/gains really helped me in my business. I am able to create a pricing model that is able to help my business as well make the customer feel comfortable., If you are a business owner, I suggest you take a look at this book. I've also used this book to evaluate my personal life. Have you been holding onto something because of some (ancient) intrinsic value? This book helped me realized that I have a lot of things that will cost me more in the long run than it would if I just tossed it out. That's the past loss.
Books:
- The Lorax (Classic Seuss)
- The Lorax (Classic Seuss)
- The Man Who Planted Trees, 20th Anniversary
- The Molecular basis of plant development: Proceedings of an E.I. du Pont de Nemours-UCLA symposium held in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, March 26-April ... symposia on molecular and cellular biology)
- The wild oat inflorescence and seed: Anatomy, development, and morphology (Canadian plains studies)
- Timber Press Pocket Guide to Japanese Maples (Timber Press Pocket Guides)
- Vascular flora of Bedford County, Pennsylvania: An annotated checklist
- Wild flowers of Martha's Vineyard,
- Wildflowers of Manning Park
- Wildflowers Of Tennessee, The Ohio Valley and the Southern Appalachians
Books Index
Books Home
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- Bungalow Bathrooms
- Vietnam War Movies
- Understanding Evil: Lessons from Bosnia
- A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, Third Edition
- Babylon Rising: The Edge of Darkness
- Antler Dust
- Financing Transitions: Managing Capital and Liquidity in the Family Business
- Warming the World: Economic Models of Global Warming
- Financial Success Through Creative Mind Power
