Carl Anthony; Thomas Balsley; Timothy Beatley; Eugenie Ladner Birch; Edward J. Blakely; Colin M. Cathcart; Steve Clemants University of Massachusetts Press (2006)
Many of us have stopped to pick wildflowers or have admired them as they flourished in fields and along hiking trails and roads. Always appreciated, but not always recognized, these beauties can now be identified with Wildflowers in the Field and Forest, the most inclusive field guide available to the wildflowers of the Northeastern United States. Designed for easy use, the book features two-page spreads with descriptive text and range maps on the left page and color photos on the right. The descriptions are concise, but thorough, and the range maps show both where the plant grows and at what time of year it is likely to be in bloom. Plants are grouped by flower color, usually the feature first noticed by the observer. The species are subsequently grouped by leaf arrangement, type of leaves, and number of flower parts as indicated in the "quick characters" box at the top of each page. There is also a simple key in the beginning of the book that allows one to quickly narrow the search to a few pages. In addition to the more common and conspicuous wildflowers, many of the lesser known, and often overlooked, species are depicted. Over 1400 species are described with nearly all of them illustrated with full-color photos. While these photos generally show the flowers of the plant, insets of leaves and occasionally fruits are often included as well. A bar on each photo allows users to accurately judge the actual size of each flower. Both serious botanists and casual nature observers will welcome this beautifully photographed and expertly detailed guide.
