Product Description

Featuring more than 1240 stunning color photographs, this comprehensive field guide will remain a trusted, authoritative trailside reference for years to come. It describes and illustrates 1220 commonly encountered species, both native and nonnative, including perennials, annuals, and shrubs. Encompassing the Pacific Northwest from southern British Columbia to northern California, from the coast to the mountains and high desert, this handy book is perfect for hikers, naturalists, native plant enthusiasts, and anyone wishing to learn about the amazingly diverse wildflowers of the region. Organized by flower color and shape, and including a range map for each flower described, it is as user-friendly as it is informative.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #159057 in Books
• Published on: 2006-03-20
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 1.23" h x 6.10" w x 8.24" l, 2.08 pounds
• Binding: Turtleback
• 512 pages

Review
The Northwest's most complete field guide ever, this lovely volume pictures 1,220 wildflowers that grow from the Siskiyous to southwestern British Columbia. Sunset, June 2006 (Sunset )

About the Author
Mark Turner is a freelance editorial photographer specializing in botanical subjects, especially Northwest wildflowers and gardens. He photographs extensively for books and magazines both in gardens and in a wide range of native plant environments. He is an avid member of the native plant societies of Washington and Oregon and has more than 25 years of experience exploring for native plants. He lives in Bellingham, Washington.

Phyllis Gustafson ran a small seed-collection business specializing in Northwest natives and is well acquainted with the wide flora of the region. She also worked with native plants in the nursery trade for more than 20 years. She is an officer of the North American Rock Garden Society (NARGS) and writes frequently for their bulletin. She is often asked by plant societies around the country to lecture about the plants found on her quests. She lives in Central Point, Oregon.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
How to Use This Book Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest is designed for ease of use in the field to help you identify the flowers you find. It includes color photographs, clear and concise descriptions, and range maps for 1220 flowering plants found from southern British Columbia to northern California. Additional related species are mentioned in the text. Most common native species are here, as are a goodly number of weeds and many rare and endemic plants. Our goal in selecting plants was to include as many as possible that are likely to be found while exploring this large territory. We put particular emphasis on central and eastern Washington and Oregon and on the Klamath-Siskiyou region in southern Oregon and northern California because most other field guides have glossed over these areas. While 1220 plants is a wide selection, many species and varieties had to be omitted. We chose the showier species at the expense of plants with small and nearly insignificant flowers. Although grasses, sedges, rushes, and trees all have flowers, most people don't think of them as wildflowers, and you won't find them here. Many woody shrubs are included, however, because a lot of them have showy flowers and are likely to be encountered along the trail or roadside. As you look up the flowers you find, be sure to use all of the information provided. The text and photographs complement each other. The range maps present the county (in the United States) or forest district (in British Columbia) where documentation shows the plant to have been found. Keep in mind that habitat, not shown on the individual maps, is also critically important. How to Identify a Plant It is very easy to miss a critical detail about a plant you want to identify if you don't adopt a systematic way of looking. While we're usually attracted first to the flowers and their shape and color, the rest of the plant is also important. Start by getting an overall impression of the plant. Is it woody like a tree or shrub? How big is it? Does it grow like a vine, form a mat on the ground, make a clump of stems, or have a single stem that stands by itself? Are the stems stiff and strong or are they weak? Are there any spines, prickles, or hairs? Examine the leaves. Are they mostly right at the ground (basal) or do they grow along the stem? Some plants have both basal and stem leaves. What shape are the leaves? Stem leaves can be opposite each other or arranged alternately. Leaves can be attached to the stem with a long petiole, clasp the stem, have little appendages at the attachment point (stipules), or appear to have the stem growing through the leaf. Many plants have compound leaves with several leaflets. You may need to count the leaflets and note how they're arranged. Leaf texture is another clue. Are they soft, leathery, hairy on one or both sides, or spiny? Study the flowers. Identification usually requires a close look at the color, arrangement, and number of the flowering