Naturalists, birders, students, teachers, conservationists, environmental consultants, wildlife biologists and botanists--amateur and professonal alike--will find this picture book of plant anatomy to be an invaluable reference alongside local floras and field guides.
"620 Wild Plants of North America "describes, in beautiful detail, the characteristic features of 89 families of vascular plants--including trees, shrubs, vines, wildflowers, grasses, sedges, horsetails, and club-mosses--using labeled ink drawings, text and range maps. The author's drawings are from plants in the field and freshly picked specimens. The text outlines habitat, flowers, fruit, seeds, leaves and stems. The range maps cover central North America from the three Prairie Provinces south to northern Texas and from Iowa west to Idaho. With its detailed, labeled drawings, "620 Wild Plants" opens the door to understanding the unique morphological features of plants in all of the major families represented in the flora of central North America.
Includes: over 5,000 detailed, labeled line drawings; scientific names, including synonyms, and common names; detailed descriptions of habitat, flowers, leaves and stems; range maps for the northern Great and Central Plains; glossary, reference list and index.

Ecological Guide to the Mosses and Common Liverworts of the Northeast is an essential introduction to identifying mosses and common liverworts found in the northeastern United States and Canada. This richly illustrated guide, organized by substrate, offers readers with little prior experience or knowledge an intuitive, easy-to-use method for distinguishing over 250 species of bryophytes in the field. Sue Alix Williams teaches us how to narrow down species possibilities at a site by first paying attention to the particular substrate, such as a tree trunk or a river rock. Field and microscopic keys detail characteristics visible by the naked eye or through a microscope. Drawings of plant features placed side-by-side for quick comparison accompany photo galleries of species. With an illustrated overview of bryophyte terminology and tips for collecting specimens, Ecological Guide to the Mosses and Common Liverworts of the Northeast is an invaluable resource for outdoor enthusiasts looking to learn more about these marvelous plants.

Now in its tenth decade of publication, Michigan Trees has been, since it was first introduced in 1913, "the" must-have reference book for anyone who wants to know about the trees of this unique North American region.
In this new and updated edition, several new species have been added to the lineup, as well as sections on tree ecology and fall color. Written and illustrated in a style that appeals at once to academic botanists and armchair arborphiles alike, Michigan Trees gives readers everything they need to know for identifying trees in the Great Lakes state. Included with each description are fascinating notes and asides (for example, this tidbit on the jack pine: "Parklike or savanna stands in north-central Michigan are prime habitat for the rare Kirtland's warbler that breeds nowhere else in the world."). Also includes a tree key and identification section illustrated with elegantly simple line drawings that reveal the tiny, signature details that make each tree unique.
Burton V. Barnes is Professor of Forestry at the University of Michigan. Formerly a research forester, he is best known for his research and publications in forest ecology and forest genetics.
Warren H. Wagner, Jr. was a world authority on ferns. He had been Professor Emeritus of Botany and Natural Resources at the University of Michigan before his death at the age of 80 in 2000.

This edition features seven additional tree species and a more accessible arrangement of trees according to their botanical name. More than 140 indigenous trees are discussed in detail with the following information provided for each tree: A detailed species description, diagnostic features, flowering and fruiting periods, natural distribution and habitat. The ecological role and utilisation by mammals, birds and insects. Economic value and use by people, including use in gardens and on the farm, as a source of food for humans and animals, fibre and medicine. Properties of the wood and its utilisation by people. Specific guidelines on propagation and cultivation of each species. A map indicating the distribution in South Africa. Swaziland and Lesotho is given for each species.

The history of orchids teems with tales of temptation and passion. This stunning book combines the most luscious and tactile photographs with surprising and informative texts about orchids. The first part of the book tells the tale about the discovery of orchids through history and describes the way in which orchids are perceived. In the East the emphasis lies mainly on positive characteristics, grace and generosity. In the West orchids personify procreation and sex. Why are orchids the way they are? Why those amazing, complicated shapes? Why those incredible colours?In "Orchid: The Fatal Attraction", Anne Ronse discusses everything orchids have stood for in the course of history.

Begin Identifying and Collecting Seven Edible Mushrooms! Since 1993, Start Mushrooming has been the trusted guide for beginners. This second edition introduces seven of the most common, edible wild mushrooms in North America. It features more photographs and expert tips from award-winning author and naturalist Stan Tekiela that make mushroom identification even easier. Start Mushrooming includes the information you need to start foraging with confidence. The focused look at seven wild, edible mushrooms includes a unique checklist-based approach to help you confirm each mushroom's identity. Plus, details on toxic species and advice from an author with extensive foraging skills help you learn what to watch out for and avoid. As an added bonus, the book includes a generous helping of tasty recipes. Wild mushrooms are beautiful, bountiful, and delicious. This is the easy way to start mushrooming.

When you're in the wild and you spot a nice-looking mushroom, how do you know if it is safe to eat? Question no more with the "The Pocket Guide to Wild Mushrooms." This tiny companion is the perfect book to bring along when foraging for delectable fungi. Inside its neatly arranged pages are fifty-two edible mushrooms as well as the mushrooms with which they are often confused, whether edible or toxic.
Beautiful photographs adorn the pages with mushrooms in the wild as well as picked, showing them from a multitude of angles. Study these photographs and you will become adept at recognizing edible and safe mushrooms. Even those who are unfamiliar with the mushroom forest can make a start at foraging with this instructional work, and, with the help of "The Pocket Guide to Wild Mushrooms," can become experts in no time.
Using practical symbol systems, distribution maps, and tips on picking, cleaning, cooking, and canning, the reader will also become familiar with a wide variety of wild mushrooms, including morels, black trumpets, chanterelles, sheep polypore, porcini, a variety of boletes, and many more. Grabbing this guide on the way out to go hunt for mushrooms will ensure a successful foraging experience.

The first book ever on the much maligned nettles of the world presents a story of these followers of mankind and his cattle throughout history. This study centres on the most abundant and sub-cosmopolitan common stinging nettle (Urtica dioica), but also deals with other nettles throughout the world. Tropical tormentors rich in species include the notorious nettle trees with their formidable stings which fascinated the Europeans after their discovery by botanists on the round-the-world trips of exploration in the 17-19th centuries. Many people on their travels will have met the nettle trees of the Indo-Malay region and other stinging nettles in North and South America, India, etc., which sting and have beautiful flowers but are called nettles; these are also dealt with. The first microscopists and their descriptions of the beautiful stinging hair; the uncovering of the mechanism of its action and the more recent elucidation of the toxins causing the characteristic symptoms is a fascinating one and takes up 3 chapters.
The book includes the 100 major scientific works published on the common stinging nettle and never brought to the notice of the general public before. The author spent six years studying the ecology of the nettle patch, its invertebrate herbivores (mainly insects) and vertebrate herbivores (cattle, deer, etc., ) and their interactions with other plants: its secret life is recorded in line drawings and photographs (1000+ individual items). It was not possible to publish these in colour but they are in full colour on a CD-ROM (300 dpi) at the back of the book. Covered also are nettle folklore, fibre use in World War I & II, as a food, fodder, herbal medicine, growth as acompetitor plant, habitats, sex (unique exploding stamens), breeding systems, variation, evolution etc. Some the world's most beautiful butterflies would not exist without nettles.

Originally published in 1936, this book is a detailed guide to the cultivation of the mushroom. Full of detailed information and instruction on growing and harvesting, this book is still of great practical use to today's grower. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Hesperides Press are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork. Contents Include : Introduction - The Nature of the Mushroom - Site and Soil - Buildings - Manures - Spawns - Making up Beds - Care of Beds - Diseases and Pests and Their Control - Picking and Packing - Exhibiting - Some Companion Crops - Marketing and Costings - Cooking Recipes

A celebratory compendium of nature's weirdest and most wonderful fungi, with gorgeously illustrated profiles of notable mushrooms and information on foraging, understanding, and appreciating these magnificent living things For amateur mycologists and experienced foragers alike, this delightful guide acts as a welcome to the wonderful world of mushrooms. From the most common and recognizable varieties frequently found in your supermarket aisle or backyard to the rarest, most fantastical offerings that look straight out of a fairytale illustration and everything in between, This Is a Book for People Who Love Mushrooms is a carefully researched, whimsically illustrated primer on a subject that naturalists are discovering more about each year. Accessible to enthusiasts of all levels, it is the perfect gift for the mushroom lover in your life.

A unique window on the floral wonders of the Mediterranean world The Mediterranean - a land of blue skies, warm sunshine, rugged mountains and azure seas. Yet this familiar image conceals another Mediterranean - a secret landscape populated by a dazzling variety of wild flowers and plants, from spectacular orchids and ancient olive trees to delicate snowdrops and hardy cacti. Following on from their widely acclaimed Flora of the Silk Road, Chris and Basak Gardner present a stunning selection of 600 of the finest wild flowers that grow in the Mediterranean regions of the world. Travelling across five continents - Europe, North America, Africa, South America and Australia - the authors reveal the rich botanical profusion that makes up the flora of the Mediterranean regions of the world. For each region, a succession of the most outstanding flowers is featured, from the spectacular and exotic to the beautiful yet familiar, with each plant presented in its natural habitat. Beginning with the countries of the Mediterranean Basin, the reader is taken along the rugged Atlas Mountains, through Andalucia and Italy, to arrive at the amazing botanical richness of Greece, southern Anatolia and Jordan. In California and Chile the journey is through flowering deserts, snow-capped peaks and towering forests of redwood and monkey puzzle trees, beside a coast lapped by the Pacific Ocean. The ancient landscapes of Southern Australia provide a truly remarkable assemblage of astonishing flora, whilst the Western Cape of South Africa is home to an unimaginable diversity of flora. The accompanying text provides descriptions of the species, plant families and their distribution, as well as offering guidance to those wishing to photograph plants in the wild. With 600 stunning colour photographs, and presenting a breadth of flora never before brought together in a single volume, the authors offer a unique window on the floral wonders of the Mediterranean world.

This book speaks to the heart of a living relationship between man and nature. In it Dorothy Maclean chronicles messages from the trees asking for support to accomplish their vital work. It includes several beautiful black and white photos. It includes a forward by St. Barbe Baker.

Ash is a beautifully illustrated account of the botanical and cultural faces of the ash tree. The book maps the tree's evolution and geographical spread across the entire Northern Hemisphere over the last 44 million years, and describes the 43 species that grace the planet today. Edward Parker also explores the botany, cultural history and medicinal uses of the tree, from its significance in ancient Indo-European cultures, to its remarkable properties in treating Alzheimer's disease. In addition he looks at topical issues, such as the devastating effects that the spread of the emerald ash borer beetle and the ash dieback fungal infection are having on Northern Hemisphere forests.

This complete guide to the crisp, precise finish of botanical painting marries traditional technique with contemporary style and includes sections on colour, drawing, continuous tone, composition and dissection. Michael Lakin makes botanical art approachable with simple exercises and a variety of step-by-step instructional approaches, making this a fantastic guide for aspirational beginners.

This book is a dictionary of British (native, naturalised and cultivated) plants and the folklore associated with them. Unlike many plant-lore publications Vickery's Folk Flora tells us what people currently do and believe, rather than what Victorians did and believed. The result is a vivid demonstration that plant folklore in the British Isles is not only surviving but flourishing; adapting and evolving as time goes by, even in urban areas. Each entry includes: - The plant's English and scientific (Latin) name, as well as significant local names. - A brief description of the plant and its distribution, and, in the case of cultivated plants, a history of their introduction to the British Isles - Information on the folklore and traditional uses of the plant, arranged where possible in a sequence starting with general folk beliefs (superstitions), use in traditional customs, use in folk medicine, other uses, and legends concerning individual representatives of the plant. In addition to the major entries there are a number of minor entries for feast days, diseases and other subjects which direct readers to relevant major entries, e.g. St. George's Day, on which red roses are worn; dandelions are gathered; and runner beans are planted.

Begin your lifelong love affair with the mindful art of bonsai. Do you know your shari from your nebari? Can you tell literati styling from informal upright? Want to know how to create that gnarled and twisted look? Let Happy Bonsai guide you along the path to enlightenment, with care and display profiles for 40 top trees and fully illustrated step-by-steps of more than 20 bonsai techniques and styles. Find your perfect tree and discover how to prune, shape, and tend to its needs to create a beautiful living sculpture. Fall in love with this most meditative of garden crafts.

Every schoolchild learns about the mutually beneficial dance of honeybees and flowers: The bee collects nectar and pollen to make honey and, in the process, spreads the flowers’ genes far and wide. In The Botany of Desire, Michael Pollan ingeniously demonstrates how people and domesticated plants have formed a similarly reciprocal relationship. He masterfully links four fundamental human desires—sweetness, beauty, intoxication, and control—with the plants that satisfy them: the apple, the tulip, marijuana, and the potato. In telling the stories of four familiar species, Pollan illustrates how the plants have evolved to satisfy humankind’s most basic yearnings. And just as we’ve benefited from these plants, we have also done well by them. So who is really domesticating whom?