Amazon.com
For the untrained observer, it can be quite a challenge to sort out the many trees that make up a stand of older forest in, say, New England or the Ozarks. This well-illustrated guidebook, covering 364 species, comes to the rescue with photographs organized in several ways: by, for example, the shape of the leaf or needle, by the fruit, by the flower or cone, and by autumn coloration. Following one visible characteristic or another, the reader can narrow the range of possibilities, then turn to an informative text that describes a tree's physical characteristics, habitat, and range. Many of the species covered are relatively rare, such as the "stinking cedar" of the Georgia-Florida border; others are locally abundant, such as the paper birch of the boreal forest, used to make ice-cream sticks; still others, such as the smooth sumac, are widespread. The guidebook also covers ornamentals introduced from other continents, such as the Chinese privet and Mahaleb cherry. --Gregory McNamee
Book Description
Tree peepers everywhere will enjoy these two guides which explore the incredible environment of our country's forests-including seasonal features, habitat, range, and lore. Nearly 700 species of trees are detailed in photographs of leaf shape, bark, flowers, fruit, and fall leaves -- all can be quickly accessed making this the ideal field guide for any time of year.
Note: the Eastern Edition generally covers states east of the Rocky Mountains, while the Western Edition covers the Rocky Mountain range and all the states to the west of it.
Customer Reviews:
Great homeschool material.......2007-10-17
My age 14 grandson's biology text book had a few pages of information about trees, which were enough to whet his appetite to know more. We gave him the Audubon Field Guide to North American Trees - Eastern - which was perfect for the NE Tennessee - North Carolina area where he lives. This book greatly increased his knowledge of trees and his environment.
Great Guide that is ALMOST Perfect.......2007-08-18
I have always liked the Audubon Society Field Guides. This particular guide is great in the amount of color photos for sometimes easily identifying species in all seasons, whether from the fall leaves, bark, summer leaves, and the fruit it produces. Also the organization of the guide is very good. My cons below are NOT enough to prevent me from recommending this guide. Compared to other guides it's still the best.
CONS: The amount of information in the back is not always consistent. Also there still isn't always an easy way to differentiate some of the similar species (e.g. Oaks). In other words the pictures and/or the descriptions are not enough to distinguish like species.
helpful.......2007-07-03
Very much help for figuring out what trees we have and we have a lot. Pictures are very nice and cross reference if you aren't totally sure of what you are looking at. Very handy size too
Great Book.......2007-06-27
Every tree and every leaf that you can think of is in this book. Great clear pictures and the information is great. So glad I purchased this book for my husband. The equivalant to bird watching. Tree watching.
Information Packed.......2007-05-17
My new hobby is woodturning bowls so I bought this book to help me identify trees that supply my wood. Once I learned how to search the material, this book has been great fun and very useful. I take it with me when I walk my dog around the neighborhood to identify trees.
Amazon.com
This compact guidebook, produced to the National Audubon Society's high standards of quality, gives full descriptions of more than 650 species found east of the Rocky Mountains, along with notes on several hundred more. The eminently sensible organization relies on first-impression visible characteristics rather than the elaborate keys of some older texts--a format well suited to beginning wildflower enthusiasts. If, for instance, you wanted to identify a long-stemmed, tubular red flower that you found in a grove of loblolly pines, you would first turn to the color plates, find the section devoted to red flowers, find a likely match from the 30-odd choices, and then turn to the text to see that the flower's habitat and range made a good fit, ruling out those species that do not. After a few minutes' looking, you'll have identified a trumpet honeysuckle. Well written and richly illustrated, this peerless guide makes the ideal companion for an expedition to eastern wood or prairie. --Gregory McNamee
Book Description
EASTERN REGION
This fully revised edition brings a new level of beauty, accuracy, and usefulness to the field guide that wildflower enthusiasts have relied upon for more than 20 years.
More than 940 all-new, full-color images show the wildflowers of western North America close-up and in their natural habitats. The guide has been completely revised to make identification in the field easier than ever. Images are grouped by flower color and shape and keyed to clear, concise descriptions that reflect current taxonomy.
Customer Reviews:
The Ultimate Test.......2007-07-07
Each of our five kids had to collect wildflower specimens and identify them with some general information for their eighth grade project. We used these books with each one and they are still in great shape after more than 10 years usage. I recently purchased the updated versions and was very pleased with the photos. I didn't really think they could get better but they did!
Excellent Guide to Wildflowers.......2007-04-20
I bought this book to help me identify the flowers I encountered both in my backyard and in a local state park. Happily, I can report that I was able to identify almost all of them that I came across (one Violet variant, the Confederate Violet, was not mentioned anywhere I could see in the book, but a North Carolina State wildflower website helped me identify it). The color photographs are top notch, many showing both a closeup of the flower, and the plant as a whole. Detailed information on each plant is also available, including the common flowering periods, a location range, dimensions of the flower as well as the entire plant, and much more. If you purchase this book, be sure to read this detailed information when identifying a flower; a number of variants are mentioned in the text that are not shown in the photographs. Overall, I am greatly pleased with this book (though it was the only one I could find that covered plants in the south-eastern part of the United States). Highly recommended!
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers: Eastern Region .......2007-02-08
I love This Book , And This spring plan on using it aot,
I live in the country and have alot of woods around me .
I reccomned this book to any one , This is a book that good to have around no matter what
Rugged Field Guide.......2006-08-27
Something should be said about the ruggedness and durability of this excellent field guide. Mine was purchased about 10 years ago and it has not been lightly used. I dropped it in a creek once and it became as saturated as a sponge, yet after drying out it has never had print or page damage or loose binding. My little boy is always paging through its nearly 900 pages and kids can be very tough on books but this one has held up. Read the other positive reviews of the books content, I can not add much to them. This is the best field guide I have ever had.
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers.......2006-08-09
Excellent source of information.
Prompt shipment and reasonable price.
Book Description
With more than 700 mushrooms detailed with color photographs and descriptive text, this is the most comprehensive photographic field guide to the mushrooms of North America. The 762 full-color identification photographs show the mushrooms as they appear in natural habitats. Organized visually, the book groups all mushrooms by color and shape to make identification simple and accurate in the field, while the text account for each species includes a detailed physical description, information on edibility, season, habitat, range, look-alikes, alternative names, and facts on edible and poisonous species, uses, and folklore. A supplementary section on cooking and eating wild mushrooms, and illustrations identifying the parts of a mushroom, round out this essential guide.
Customer Reviews:
Great guide for a risky hobby........2007-10-15
If you know anything about mushroom hunting, or even if you don't. This book is a must have. If you know anything about mushrooms or mushroom hunting you know that it is a dangerous adventure. Some are poisonous, some are just plain NASTY! Some will alter the mind, some are delicious. If you are into mushrooms or mushroom hunting this is a must have to identify mushrooms. I trust this book with my life. I have many times.This guide displays the mushrooms vividly and has great in depth details about the mushrooms in it. It will tell you a variety of information that will keep you safe, and remember, "If in doubt...throw it out." If you cannot without a doubt identify something, do NOT eat it. It is a helpful guide and an excellent buy for anyone. Very nice compact guide for field identification.
best mushroom guide.......2007-09-10
This guide has the clearest most detailed pictures of any field guide I've seen. The info on how to use the guide is simple and understandable. I've identified and documented many mushrooms using this guide.
A Wonderful Guide.......2007-07-09
This is book is an excellent guide to mushrooms for the money. Its portability and durability are also second-to-none.
The book is full of beautiful color photographs and full descriptions. The pictures are grouped into categories (like all Audubon field guides) for quick identification. Personally, I am very pleased with it and highly recommend it.
Pretty Darn good.......2007-03-13
This book is pretty good, a little dificult for me to use, the photos and written data are in two different sections, but is it pretty comprehensive, and not very hard to use with a little practice.
The best portable field guide out there........2006-12-30
Some reviewers here are not real mushroom collectors. As portable field guides go, this is one of the best ones. Other bigger books may do it better but for preliminary identification and portability this is the one you want. One reviewer says there are no colloquial names. There are for virtually every one where one exists. Another said there were no latin names. There are latin names for every one. Any time you use one photograph to represent a species, there will be questions since most species are quite variable. Other field guides are guilty too. Peterson's guide uses drawings rather than photographs. That said, the photographs are good. The descriptions are a bit economical but this book is almost 1000 pages. Everyone serious about mushroom collecting and identification needs more than one book. Period. This one is for the field. If you need a more comprehensive book or books you may need to buy a 4 wheeler to carry them around. This book has served me well since 1981.
Book Description
Grouped by color and by plant characteristics, 1,293 species in 84 families are described and illustrated. Included here are all the flowers you're most likely to encounter in the eastern and north-central U.S., westward to the Dakotas and southward to North Carolina and Arkansas, as well as the adjacent parts of Canada.
Customer Reviews:
Great help for class wildflower project.......2007-10-11
This book really helped my son with his wildflower project for science class.
Many of the other books we checked out of the library were too complicated for him (and I) to use and were not detailed enough.
It is organized by flower color which made it easier to get a correct identification. The only down side is that all of the flowers are not pictured in color...some of them are drawn in black and white within a color family.
However, I would recommend this book as it was easy for my 8th grade son to use on his own for the project.
indispensable!.......2007-01-26
I have used Petersons books for decades, and continue to update to new
issues while cherishing my issue from the 1970's. Anyone seeking to
comprehensively identify wildflowers from color plate photographs alone
is not only missing the point of field work, but may miss the flower as
well- colors look different in different light and in different photo- op's.
There are many other features to consider in correct plant ID.
The relevant ID features are often more obscure, yet are dutifully pointed
out in the Peterson guides - characteristics such as "mottled stems",
"fringed bracts", various leaf attachment features, size and range of
plant, and so on. As the director of a high quality school dealing in
herbal studies and nature research, as well as a college level teacher,
this and a small cadre of supplemental ID resources, including Steve
Brill's book, are going to remain on my list of required books for
all students , one they will use , along with their friends and family,
again and again.
A great help to flower identification.......2007-01-18
I have used this book for many years and it is the easiest most comprehensive book on the subject. It is never esay to identify a flower you do not know, but with a little practice, this book is a big help.
Easiest book for everyone.......2002-10-25
I've been teaching in the outdoors using field guides with novices for 18 years, so I offer this advice to assist beginners in choosing a wildflower guide. I have used both this book and the Newcomb book and greatly prefer this one, although Newcomb's is very good. Newcomb's uses a series of keys, which I guess some people find more "sophisticated." Although the key in Newcombs isn't hard to use, I find that the Peterson guide is faster and easier to use in the field. I have also observed that beginners are less likely to make mistakes using the Peterson wildflower guide. The big plus of the Peterson book is the identification system. The flowers are first arranged by color and the book is color coded. Although wild plants may not always be showing their flower colors, 9 times out of ten when the amateur is identifying a flowering plant, it will be in bloom. You can use the Peterson guide to learn the key characterisitics of a blooming plant so that later on when it is not blooming you will still be able to find it in the book and recoginze it.
In the next stage of the Peterson wildflower guide's organization, the plants are arranged by similar visual characteristics. There is a simple outline and description of this system at the beginning of the book. The book utilizes helpful icons, which are featured at the tops of all the descriptive pages for quick thumb-through reference. I have found this icon system very helpful in teaching plant identification because it provides a systematic approach that the beginner can pick up quickly and easily. The Peterson system greatly facilitates intial accuracy of identification at the level of plant family. Once you learn the system of what to look for when observing a plant, the icons allow speed and efficiency when using the book in the field.
At the final stage of identification, the species level, the Peterson guide has excellent written descriptions and the important subtle differences between species are well highlighted, with both text and arrows on the drawings. As other reviewers have stated, the Peterson book has more illustrations than Newcomb, and the highlighted habitat/range descriptions also help in quickly placing a plant. The black and white illustrations are not bothersome since you already know the flower color, and line drawings show key characteristics clearly. The use of illustrations instead of photos is always preferred in a field guide, even though photos seem like a good idea at first glance. A good illustrator shows the plant in the best light and makes sure the key features are visible and prominent.
Best For Laymen.......2001-07-28
I have used this book for 20 years to identify wildflowers successfully; the drawings and paintings capture the essence of the flower in a way no photo does; the book includes many less commonly found plants so you are more likely to find what you're looking for; and it is organized by flower color which is most likely to be what drew your attention in the first place. Excellent reference, easily used.
Amazon.com
More than 300 species of trees are found in the United States and Canada west of the Rocky Mountains, some introduced from other continents but many native to the region. This handsome guidebook covers them all, with photographs that enable identification by easily discernible characteristics: by, for example, the shape of the leaf or needle, by the fruit, or by the flower or cone. The photographs are linked to texts that describe a tree's physical characteristics, habitat, and range. Some of the trees covered in this volume are exceedingly rare, such as the Monterey pine; others are locally abundant but limited in range, such as the Joshua tree; still others, such as the quaking aspen, are widespread. This guidebook is an essential addition to any western outdoor enthusiast's collection. --Gregory McNamee
Book Description
All 933 identification pictures are full-color photos of significant details of virtually all native trees and many cultivated species as you see them in their natural habitat.
Customer Reviews:
Great Book !!!.......2006-11-03
These Audubon books are the best ones for learning about the subject matter, ie: trees. Colored pictures are a MUST and these books have pictures that allow you to identify your tree easily. I have purchased a number of them over the years and will do so in the future.
North American trees, West........2004-12-14
If your going to be stuffing your field guide into your pocket, glove box, daypack or backpack, the "turtleback" binding used by Audubon is perfect. Personally, I don't use it that way. When I encounter a species I cannot identify, I take notes (usually of the mental variety) -- leaf characteristics, bark characteristics, size, form, habitat, seeds, flowers, etc. -- and identify it when I return home. The photos and drawings in this volume are generally excellent. So far as I can recall, the Audubon guide has yet to fail me. It doesn't include very many introduced (non-native) trees, that's not it's purpose, of course, so it may not help you identify the trees that have been planted in your yard. The Sunset Western Garden Book, or perhaps your local nurseryman, will fit that niche.
Could the book be better? Well, the obvious answer is always yes, I suppose, but I don't know how. Would some kind of a 'flow-chart' for identifying specimens improve this edition? Well, there is one, created quiet simply in the way the book is organized; refer to the "How to Use this Guide" section in the front. I won't claim to be a connoisseur of guidebooks, but this one has worked very nicely for me for several years and I recommend it without hesitation.
Dissappointing: Very hard to identify unknown trees.......2004-11-29
I spent $20 on this at a local bookstore (that was a mistake: it is only $14 here on Amazon) and got it home and went into my backyard. An hour later, I was only able to identify one of the three trees in the yard.
I got the book because it had the Audobon name, and it included some sharp color photos. I should have got the Peterson guide instead.
What the Audobon book is missing is an algorithm or process to identify an unknown tree (they call this "differential diagnosis" in medicine). I was expecting something like: "If it has 5 needles per cluster turn to page 45, if it has grey bark turn to page 64, etc" until you pinpoint your tree.
I would even be happy if it had some illustrations like Silbeys bird book ... with arrows pointing to the discriminating features that distinguish the tree from similar trees.
But in the Audobon book, the reader is expected to browse thru dozens of photos and try to match your tree to the photo. But SURPRISE, the photos of similar trees all look alike and what then? You are expected to browse the the dense textual (!) descriptions and flip back and forth reading minutae like "two white strips on the undersides of the needles"
How about some color illustrations? How about a list of similar trees a given tree is often confused with? How about a handful of distinguishing characteristics of each tree?
Try Petersons book instead!
Quite reliable for outdoor travellers........2004-07-11
The Audubon Guide to Western Trees will prove a long lasting reference for outdoor lovers and tree finders. This easily equals the excellent Eastern Region guide in quality, detail, number of species listed, and beautiful photographs. However, if you want a heavy duty instant identification tool, hold off on this and purchase the Peterson Guides to Trees. However, if you love to marvel at trees and identify them in any amount of time at all, buy this along with the Eastern Guide. The quality binding of this newly updated edition is nice quality, and easy to carry. The earlier, out of print, hardback Economy Press edition was bulky, but contained more species listings. Still that difference is hardly noticeable, and buy this edition at good costs. This guide, (compared to the Petersons) will please a patient outdoor searcher attempting to identify any tree they find. Though the Peterson Guide to Trees should be bought prior to this, it is still an excellent and reliable addition to your collection.
Nice guide for at home or the field........2002-03-26
This book offers excellent photographs and very extensive information on trees. I use it often and have had great success identifying trees that otherwise I wouldn't know what they were. nicely organized and easy to use. The compact size is awesome for travelling and taking it hiking. Another great Audobon guide.
Amazon.com
Covering the vast region from Alaska to California and east to the Great Plains, this well-produced, compact guidebook contains color plates depicting more than 650 wildflower species grouped by flower color to suit the needs of inexperienced enthusiasts. The plates are keyed to texts that offer physical descriptions of the flowers and their leaves and, where applicable, fruit, along with notes on habitat and range and, often, further notes on the flower's name (e.g., "The common name, Clammyweed, refers to the sticky, moist glands on the surface of this plant"). Expertly written and photographed, this guide is just the book to have on hand when traversing western wildflower country. --Gregory McNamee
Book Description
WESTERN REGION
This fully revised edition brings a new level of beauty, accuracy, and usefulness to the field guide that wildflower enthusiasts have relied upon for more than 20 years.
More than 940 all-new, full-color images show the wildflowers of western North America close-up and in their natural habitats. The guide has been completely revised to make identification in the field easier than ever. Images are grouped by flower color and shape and keyed to clear, concise descriptions that reflect current taxonomy.
Customer Reviews:
National Audubon Society Guide to North American Wildflowers: Western Region - Revised Edition.......2007-08-08
This book is excellent. It's photos of flowers and leaves are close up and clear. The introduction is filled with information on flower and leaf parts with diagrams. The information, description, and where each flower can be found is very detailed.
Great for general curiosity.......2007-07-05
This book is great for those who like to know what they're looking at when they're out on a hike away from home. Since it covers the entire western U.S., it won't have every single flower you come across, but it can often help you get at least to the right family. I have a book that covers every single plant that I could come across right around where I live, but when I go more than a couple hours from home, this is a fun book to have. Great pictures, and great info on each plant in the back.
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers: Western Region - Revised Edition (National Audubon Society F.......2007-06-27
As in all the National Audubon Society Field Guides the book is great. National Audubon Society Field Guides are my favorite of all the guide books. The color photos are clear and close up for easy identification of the plant. Descriptions are in-depth for information and assistance in identification. I highly recommend this book.
Awesome!!.......2007-01-04
The illustrations are fabulous. I have seen many wildflower books where all the pictures are in black and white. This book has actual photos of the flowers as well as detailed descriptions to help you learn. I recommend this book!
Wildflowers: Western Region by Audubon Society.......2006-11-04
This is an excellent reference book for those interested in identifying wildflowers. It is well organized and is the right size to carry into the field.
Book Description
This field guide includes all the flora and fauna you're most likely to see in the forests of eastern North America. With 53 full-color plates and 80 color photos illustrating trees, birds, mammals, wildflowers, mushrooms, reptiles, amphibians, butterflies, moths, beetles, and other insects.
Customer Reviews:
eastern forests.......2006-11-18
This is a high quality book at a very decent price, it is interesting and covers almost all facets of the forests, and in a way, goes a little bit beyond that with sections on butterflys, insects and other plants besides trees.Like it is mentioned in other reviews, this is not a guide per say to plants, animals,etc.but it is a fairly decent read.
Introducing the Eastern Forest.......2004-04-29
The purpose of this guide is not to assist one in identifying species of flora and fauna found in the Eastern Forest--such a tome would be monumental in size--but rather to instill in the reader an understanding of the forest's general dynamics. The book is divided into eight sections; they are:
1) How to use this book
2) Forest field marks
3) Eastern forest communities
4) Disturbance and pioneer plants
5) Adaptation
6) Paterns of spring
7) Nature in summer
8) Autumn and winter
This book is an excellent beginning point for those who want to develope a better understanding of forest ecology. I highly recommend it.
A Great Buy, Very Interesting.......1999-07-09
This is a great field guide that covers many aspects of forests East of the Great Plains. Although it covers many common species of both animal and plant, it is not overly helpful for positively identifying individual species; and if one wants that, you are better off with a more specific field guide (i.e., Eastern Birds). It does, however, detail the workings of a forest and accompanies this fascinating text with 53 color plates, 80 color photos and many black and white drawings. In the first few chapters, it demonstrates the different forest types through indicator species; and it details the process of Old Field succesion, and the animals and plants that come and go as the process progresses. In the last chapters adaptation, and seasonal patterns are covered. I would highly reccommend this field guide for any one who would like to know how a forest works.
Book Description
More than 1,000 species of mushrooms described in detail. Over 700 paintings and drawings reveal subtle field marks that cannot be captured into photographs.
Customer Reviews:
A Field Guide to Mushrooms: North America.......2007-01-03
Good up to date material. Good illustrations
2nd best mushroom book.......2006-02-23
The pictures in this guide are not quite as nice as in the audubon version but is still easy to use and a nice handy size for carrying in a pocket
Still a standard field guide to fungi.......2005-11-21
This field guide is nearly twenty years old, but there are so few field guides to fungi that it still remains a standard reference. Like all Peterson field guides, it is handy and compact and can easily be taken into the field and pored over with the mushrooms in their wild habitat. The text is detailed and accurate and a "similar species" section is very useful. However, this guide uses painted plates whereas amateurs generally find it easier to identify fungi by photographs. I personally find photographs more accurate, but enjoy paintings in their own right. In this case the paintings are pleasing and quite faithful.
Although this guide should be on every mushroom enthusiast's shelves, a better beginners guide might be Roger Phillips' photographic book which has now appeared in a revised edition (on Amazon.com: ISBN 1554071151). Phillips provides 1000 photographs compared to this guide's 700 illustrations. However, Phillips is rather large to take into the field except in a backpack. Bear in mind that no fungus guide is comprehensive - each treats a selection of species - so it is wise to have a good selection in order to be in with a chance of correct identification.
So, until a compact photographic guide to fungi appears, this tried and tested Peterson guide will continue to fill a niche in the mushroom hunter's library.
mushroom field guide.......2000-07-04
I found this book to be well illustrated. And although not as comprehensive as i'd hoped, it is still the most complete guide I have found. Overall, I feel it is well above average--and I'm quite hard to please!
Amazon.com
This book is part of a series of guides designed for adolescents interested in natural history and nature. The books are an excellent introduction to the Rocks and Minerals, Birds, Wildflowers, and Insects for children aged 8-18. Each guide is appropriately sized to fit in a field vest pocket. Readers who remember previous versions of these field guides from the 1970s that were dull and overly detailed will be pleasantly surprised. These books are arguably the most beautifully photographed and laid out field guides yet published for young people. Each book has an introductory section filled with interesting facts, descriptions of early naturalists, definitions of many of the terms used in the book, and a guide to using the field guide portion of the book. Best of all, the books also come equipped with laminated field "cheat sheet" cards, for quick identification while on the go, in any kind of weather. Each field guide features 50 common wildflowers with photos and brief descriptions of many more regionally occurring species. Brief discussions of threatened and endangered species are particularly valuable. Great first guides for children and adults with limited natural history background.
The Wildflowers guide has excellent photographs and descriptions enough flowers to represent most regions of the United States. --Merri Martz
Customer Reviews:
Wildflowers (National Audubon Society First Field Guide).......2000-05-10
All the first field guide books are a good source of information for the inquisitive outdoor child.
Book Description
225 drawings
* 6 x 9
* Completely revised and updated, with range maps and quick-reference identification keys
* More than 30 new species described and illustrated
William Carey Grimm's classic Illustrated Book of Trees--the authority in eastern North American tree identification for over 40 years--is now available in a completely updated edition, describing recently-introduced species and incorporating changes in taxonomy, nomenclature, and geographic range.
By observing the leaves, flowers, and fruits of a tree in summer or its twigs, buds, and bark in winter, readers can easily identify a species through Grimm's full-page illustrations, classification keys, and concise species descriptions. Written in straightforward, non-scientific language for beginning botanists of any age. Glossary of terms and a complete index are included.
John Kartesz is a professor of botany and the founder/director of the Biota of North America Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Customer Reviews:
the best book by far for identifying trees.......2006-08-03
The instructor I took field biology with in college highly recommended this book. He thought it was by far the best guide for identifying trees. Now, years later and having used (or attempted to use) many different field guides, I know why he was so crazy about this book. Winter or summer, if you are looking at the bark, leaf, or bud, the very clear and detailed pictures and unambiguous text will allow you to identify any tree with certainty.
The Illustrated Book of Trees: A great reference book.......2005-10-12
This is an excellent and comprehensive book with detailed descriptions of trees by their leaves, flowers, fruits, buds,and bark. The trees are described in their summer and winter aspects. It is a fine reference book not a book to be used in the field to identify trees. You should have an idea which general family of tree you are looking at to narrow the search down as the trees are arranged according to family. At the beginning of each tree description is a section listing those characteristics that are most helpful in identifying the tree. There is also a section at the end comparing the tree to those with which it is most likely to be confused. A glossary of terms is given at the back of the book and dichotomous keys to the families are given at the front. At the beginning of each family more detailed dichotomous keys are given to help the reader distinguish one member of the family from another. Leaf shapes and edges as well as types of fruits, flowers, and buds are illustrated to help the reader understand terminology used in the descriptions
Although trees of Eastern North America is the subject of the book, it is not devoted only to native trees of the area.
More than identification.......2002-05-18
I bought my 1983 edition when I was active as a park district volunteer. What sold me on this book was that it went beyond the tree's identification, and told you more about the tree itself. For example, looking up the Sycamore it says "The Sycamore is also known as the Buttonwood, Buttonball-tree, and the American Plane Tree. It is one of the most massive of all our native trees, perhaps exceeding all others in the diameter of its trunk... The wood is heavy, hard, tough and coarse-grained; being difficult to work or split. It is used for furniture - both solid and veneer, interior finish, siding, musical instruments, boxes and crates. Practically all butcher's blocks are made from the Sycamore..." and so on.
This Grimm is no fairy-tale.......2000-03-14
Very nice book! The edition I own is the 1983 printing, so I am unfamiliar with recent changes. Book has good drawings of leaves (often several), fruits, twigs, buds and leaf scars. Excellent info on summer and winter identification included in text and step-by-step outlines. The step-by-step outline starts at the front of the book and helps you identify the family in which the tree in question belongs. Then turn to the section on that tree family for help isolating which species you have on your hands. There are good text descriptions throughout to aid identification as well as information on history, growth, and commercial uses of the trees. Not a field guide for the size and weight conscious though. Keep it in your living room or SUV.
Books:
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide
- Physiological Ecology Of Harmful Algal Blooms (NATO ASI SERIES)
- PLANT COMMUNITIES: WHERE CAN CATTAILS GROW?
- Rare Plants of Colorado, 2nd
- Redwood: The Story Behind the Scenery
- Revisions in Coelogyninae (Orchidaceae III : the Genus Pholidota)
- Rhizoctonia Solani: Biology and Pathology
- Scented Geraniums and Pelagoniums
- Seaweeds: A Color-Coded, Illustrated Guide to Common Marine Plants of the East Coast of the United States (Keystone Books)
- Sonoran Desert Wildflowers: A Field Guide to the Common Wildflowers of the Sonoran Desert, Including Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Saguaro National Park, Organ Pipe National Monument, Ironwood Forest National Monument, and the Sonoran Portion of Joshua Tree National Park
Books Index
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- The Practical Mariner's Book of Knowledge: 420 Sea-Tested Rules of Thumb for Almost Every Boating Si
- Computer-Aided Transit Scheduling: Proceedings of the Sixth International Workshop on Computer-Aided
- The Doubly Green Revolution: Food for All in the Twenty-First Century
- Not Just for the Money: An Economic Theory of Personal Motivation
Astronomy & Space
| Science, Nature & How It Works
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
| Aeronautics & Space
| Astronomy
| Fiction
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers: Eastern Region - Revised Edition (National Audubon Society Field Guide)
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds: Eastern Region - Revised Edition
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders (Audubon Society Field Guide)
The National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mammals: (Revised and Expanded) (Audubon Society Field Guide)
