Trees of Texas: An Easy Guide to Leaf Identification (W L Moody, Jr, Natural History Series)

Customer Reviews:

Big pictures.......2006-11-03

One of the best features of Trees of Texas is the large pictures of leaves that can readily be used to identify species.

Very User-Friendly.......2006-08-12

This is the only tree identification book I've been able to successfully use. I found it very easy to identify trees. As for not including a picture of the tree or the bark, there's only so much space, and the pictures of the leaves (and fruit/flowers in some cases) are great. And in Texas, the leaves are on the trees for most of the year, so I don't really understand why this represents a major problem.

Barking up a Texas Tree ...........2005-03-24

First I must say that this work deserves praise. It really is a good book in many respects. The photographs are good. The region/county zones within a Texas map are detailed and useful. Each tree has one to several descriptive paragraphs about the tree including uses, growth rate, height, and sometimes a snipet of history.
You'd expect that though.
What you'd also expect but is unbelievably absent, are two of the three most important identification tools for identifying any tree ... a picture or drawing of the tree itself (!) and bark identification.
The only way to identify your mystery tree is if you have a leaf from it. Count how months in Texas our trees are leaf-bearing and subrtact that number from 12. The remainder is how many months this book sits useless on the shelf.
It's a shame too, because what IS in the book is well done. This would make an excellent companion book with any other that shows the actual tree (a glaring omission) and a close-up, or even a discription of, the bark.
Buy it if you can pair it with another book that gives you the other two pieces of the puzzle .... I haven't yet found it.

Trees of Texas Is the Easiest of ID Books to Use.......2004-05-29

The format of this book, with its large detailed photos, makes identification easier than any plant book I've ever used. When I looked through a friend's book, I determined to get a copy for myself. The only thing I would change about the book would be to put 'native' or 'exotic' high on the page, but the information is in there.

Lone Star Field Guide to Wildflowers, Trees, and Shrubs of Texas, Revised Edition (Lone Star Field Guides)

Average customer rating:

Lone Star Field Guide to Wildflowers, Trees, and Shrubs of Texas, Revised Edition (Lone Star Field Guides)
Delena Tull
Manufacturer: Lone Star Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Trees | Field Guides | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Flowers | Field Guides | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1589070070

Book Description

This book describes more than 600 species of the most common Texas wildflowers, trees, shrubs, and cacti in a well illustrated, easy to use format.

Average customer rating:

Great field guide
Color coding is the key to identifying flowers!
Great book!!
More than just an identifier
Wildflowers Review

Wildflowers of Texas
Geyata Ajilvsgi
Manufacturer: Shearer Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0940672154

Customer Reviews:

Great field guide.......2007-09-27

My best friend and I have a great time stopping on the sides of roads to "stalk" Texas wildflowers and the book has been very useful. It has great pictures and descriptions that help us catalog our "discoveries".

Color coding is the key to identifying flowers!.......2007-08-01

This book contains excellent photographs and is organized by flower colors for easy reference. It's small size is also a plus in the field. I highly recommend this book to my fellow Texans that love wildflowers regardless of their experience, novice to pro. It includes about a tenth of the over 5000 varieties of wildflowers growing in Texas.

Great book!!.......2007-07-25

i LOVE this book. my dad recently got a deer lease in central texas, and i wanted to be able to identify all of the beautiful wildflowers on the land. this book let me identify every single one! it's organized by flower color so it's easy to use, and has nice big full color photos of every flower.

and a major plus for me is that it has medicinal/folk uses for the flowers/plants, if there are any. and it's great for beginners. it has great in-depth descriptions of the flowers (because some of the flowers look the same as others), and if you don't know what the terms are, there's a glossary of terms and illustrations in the back.

with this book, you'll be an expert in no time!

More than just an identifier.......2006-11-25

I have LOTS of field guides. I take a lot of photos "in the wild," and have a pathological need to identify what's in the picture.

Wildflowers of Texas scores high on several counts:

Color coded entries. While the very best field guide format I've encountered is the Audubon guides, which not only sort entries by color, but also shape, etc. (taxonomic form?), I've found most guides out there sort the flowers by family. True, I'm getting good enough to know a mallow from an aster -- but, really, if I knew what the flower is, why need a guide? So, as far as the Texas specific guides I've encountered go, this one is the first I reach for, because of that first level sort.

The other reason I rate it highly, and reach for it often, are Ajilvsgi's notes about the flower and plant: how it got its name, how it was used historically, and other interesting bits. Being a collector of eclectica, this falls right into my psyche.

The pictures are also very clear and helpful. True, you wander into the yet another yellow composite section and identification gets iffy in a hurry, especially from a picture. But the AYCs give even the pros problems, so I don't feel TOO badly.

Highly recommended (in fact, THIS one was purchased as a gift for a flower-savvy friend of mine). That's pretty high praise, that I would buy it to give away, eh?

Wildflowers Review.......2006-02-18

Good read, excellent pics, is recommended for 7th and 8th grade Science classes. Good price, excellent value!

Average customer rating:

Excellent guide for the area
carry it around
Wildflowers of the Texas Hill Country
ADVICE FROM THE HILL COUNTRY
EXCELLENT reference!

Wildflowers of the Texas Hill Country
Marshall Enquist
Manufacturer: Lone Star Botanical
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0961801301

Customer Reviews:

Excellent guide for the area.......2007-04-13

I love this book -- it's an excellent handbook for identifying the wildflowers in the San Antonio/Central Texas area. Whenever I'm photographing wildflowers, this guide is part of my kit.

carry it around.......2007-02-01

for south central texas this is the best wildflower field guide .high quality photos of the flower and foliage make it easy to use .contains most of flowering trees ,shrubs ,vines ,perennials and annuals that one is likely to come across . it is availible new through the lady bird jonhson wildflower research center for 17.95 .

Wildflowers of the Texas Hill Country.......2004-04-03

This is a must have field identification book for the Austin and Hill Country area. Although it is out of print, and the auther is not interested in a reprint at this time, some books are available in the Austin area and at online booksellers yet. This is a great book for new and experienced wildflower enthusiasts, with great photos and id information, Latin family names, and other interesting features for a wide variety of people who enjoy wildflowers.

ADVICE FROM THE HILL COUNTRY.......2003-12-18

IF YOU WILL DO A GOOGLE SEARCH PLACING THE EXACT TITLE IN QUOTATIONS, YOU WILL FIND SEVERAL BOOKSTORES IN THE SEARCH RESULTS WHICH SELL THIS BOOK NEW FOR @15.00 PLUS SHIPPING. OR COME AND VISIT IN THE SPRING AND SEE THE WONDER FOR YOURSELF. THIS BOOK IS SOLD IN SOME OF THE STATE PARK BOOKSTORES AND AT THE WILDFLOWER FARM IN FREDRICKSBURG, TX. AMONG OTHERS.

EXCELLENT reference!.......2002-04-10

First of all - I rate this book as five stars, essential for anyone in central Texas who is interested in wildflowers. It is simply the best.
BUT, this book is NOT OUT OF PRINT!!! It is available in central Texas for the original price.

P.S. The book is out of print - for now. Hope it gets another print run soon.

Texas Wildflowers: A Field Guide (Texas Natural History Guides)

Average customer rating:

Not as good as Wildflowers of Texas
Good reference
Know Your Flowers By Name
Still the best, after all these years.
Un excelente libro de campo

Texas Wildflowers: A Field Guide (Texas Natural History Guides)
Campbell Loughmiller , Lynn Loughmiller , and Damon Waitt
Manufacturer: University of Texas Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0292712863

Book Description

For two decades and counting, Texans have relied on Texas Wildflowers to identify the common and rare flowers we see along the roadsides and in the pastures, fields, and forests of our state. Compiled by naturalists Campbell and Lynn Loughmiller, with the technical assistance of Lynn Sherrod, Texas Wildflowers is an authoritative field guide with a personal touch in the many notes the Loughmillers included about the plants they described and photographed.

This new edition of Texas Wildflowers retains the charm of the Loughmillers' book while emphasizing 61 additional species and bringing the plant taxonomy and nomenclature up to date. Like its predecessor, it includes all the features you need to identify the wildflowers of Texas:

381 full-color, close-up photos that show every wildflower in the book, including over 200 photos that are new to this edition.
370 species accounts that include the plant's scientific and common names, a description of its appearance, and its range, habitat, and blooming season.
Descriptions of 73 wildflower families, from Acanthaceae to Zygophyllaceae.
Indexes to help you identify flowers by their Latin name and common name.
A guide to taxonomic updates in this edition.
A map, glossary, illustrated glossary, and bibliography for further reading.

Lady Bird Johnson, author of the first edition's foreword, says of this new edition of Texas Wildflowers, "How delighted I am the University of Texas Press and the Wildflower Center are preserving Campbell and Lynn Loughmiller's legacy by revising and updating this beautiful and invaluable book about Texas wildflowers! Not only does it contain a wealth of knowledge, it also awakens our awareness of the splendor of nature and joyous lift of spirit it brings."

Customer Reviews:

Not as good as Wildflowers of Texas.......2007-08-01

The biggest problem with this field guide is it's organization and it is much harder to use than the color coded Wildflowers of Texas. The photographs are not as good either.

Good reference.......2007-04-29

This book has good coverage, small pictures next to the text, and reasonable descriptions. However it is arranged by scientific name so it will not be easy to use this to find the name of that pretty little yellow flower by the roadside. Look at "Wildflowers of Texas" by Geyata Ajilvsgi for a similar field guide but that is grouped by flower colors.

Know Your Flowers By Name.......2007-04-10

This guide helps Texans (and visitors to Texas) to identify the common and rare flowers seen along the roadsides and in the pastures, fields, and forests of the state. Also included among the pages are 381 full-color, close up photos and 370 species including a description of its appearance, range, habitat, and blooming season.
Texas is famous for its bluebonnets, and they are a sight to see in the spring! This book shows how many more lovely flowers decorate the state. My favorite is seeing red indian paint accenting a swath of bluebonnets. Stunning.
Get this book to learn the names of all the flowers.

Still the best, after all these years........2002-12-02

I received a copy of "Texas Wildflowers" when I was in middle school, in preparation for a class assignment to collect, identify and preserve a variety of Texas wildflowers. I have held on to my copy for the past 18 years, and it's still the best book for identifying Texas wildlflowers! The photos are superb, and the location and identifying information for each flower is informative and interesting.

My only complaint is the book isn't bound in a weatherproof binding so I can bring it along on my annual wildflower photography visits to Texas locales such as Lyndon B. Johnson State Historical Park; McKinney Falls State Park; Inks Lake State Park and Burnet, Texas.

Un excelente libro de campo.......2000-10-08

Texas Wildflowers es un excelente libro para el biologo de campo, ya que cuenta con bellas fotografias de los ejemplares revisados en el libro. Es una ayuda para los estudiantes de botanica de Texas y el Noreste de Mexico. Solo le falta un indice por especie y uno por color de flores para su mejor manejo en campo.

Texas Wildflower (Zebra Historical Romance)

Average customer rating:

WHY?
Less than spectacular
Worst book I've read in years
Author's early work shows promise
Big YAWN!

Texas Wildflower (Zebra Historical Romance)
Susan Wiggs
Manufacturer: Zebra
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Romance | Subjects | Books

General | Historical | Romance | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0821773356

Customer Reviews:

WHY?.......2003-10-17

I LOVED THIS BOOK UP TO THE VERY END. THE ENDING WAS AWFUL I JUST WANTED TO CRY. IT WAS LIKE WATCHING A MOVIE AND THE POWER GOES OFF NEVER COMES BACK ON. WHERE IS THE LOVE? WHERE IS THE MEETING BETWEEN FATHER AND SON? WHERE IS MY HAPPILY EVER AFTER? PLEASE PLEASE WRITE A NEW ENDING.

Less than spectacular.......2003-06-30

I've been plowing my way through my library's collection of SW's books and I've enjoyed them all so far - except this one. Emotions were mentioned, but not explored. Some of the writing was repetitive and irritating. The whole thing was just not that great. It had the potential to be outstanding though, had she spent the time then that she does now on character and plot development.

Worst book I've read in years.......2003-04-30

I bought this book after someone recommended Susan Wiggs and I have to say, this title was the worst thing I have read in recent memory. Stupid characters, with every cliche in the book, and ridiculous squabbles and jealousy. Not worth your time or money.

Author's early work shows promise.......2003-03-10

This is worth reading, especially if you are a fan of this author. It is interesting to see that the first thing published was very sexy and riddled with the conflicts of two passionate people who grow and change. Finally, with new maturity, they have come of age together. It says there has been some editing. Since I never read the original, i don't know what was cut but it reads just fine. Anyway a fun read that whet my appetite for more of Wiggs work.

Big YAWN!.......2003-03-04

I'm a big Suasn Wiggs Fan I love all her books, Well, almost. This book was slow and predictable and sorry to say the charecters were a bit flat. If you are looking for a fun read than this isn't the book for you.

Field Guide to Wildflowers, Trees and Shrubs of Texas (Texas Monthly Field Guide Series)

Average customer rating:

Good Reference for Texas and Louisiana
More than just a great little field guide....

Field Guide to Wildflowers, Trees and Shrubs of Texas (Texas Monthly Field Guide Series)
Delena Tull , and George Oxford Miller
Manufacturer: Texas Monthly Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Trees | Field Guides | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Flowers | Field Guides | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0877191956

Customer Reviews:

Good Reference for Texas and Louisiana.......2006-06-07

This is a good book on wildflowers, vines, shrubs, trees of Texas and adjoining parts of Louisiana. Pictures are generally very good and are grouped by color and in a section by themselves. Each picture has a number reference and looking up the number gives you plant ID information and a range map. My biggest criticism of the book is that it just doesn't cover enough species - for what it does cover, it is excellent.

More than just a great little field guide...........2001-06-15

I own several field guides to Texas wildflowers, and I find this one to be the best among them. There are books with bigger and better photographs, but none come close to having the nearly 400 color photos this one has. This one also has maps of growing areas for each plant identified and very clear descriptions of each plant. It even has sections on Texas' endangered species and landscaping with native plants.

The book divides the plants into five sections for easy use. The wildflowers are further divided into colors to help find and identify them quickly. The five sections are (1) herbaceous wildflowers, (2) vines, (3) trees and shrubs, (4) cacti, agaves, yuccas and other succulents, and (5) miscellaneous plants, weeds and growths on trees. These are followed by appendices on how to identify common plant families and "plant watching" as a hobby (collecting plants, how to make a plant press and save your specimens, and a sample wildflower documentation sheet). Finally, there are three glossaries and an index.

While some might complain that the plant photographs are not printed with the specimen entries (they are grouped together in the center of the book), this is really quite handy. Each photo is numbered identically with the entries, so matching the photo with the description is really very simple. Indeed, it is quite easy to find the flower by its photo and then look up the corresponding plant description by the photo number.

All in all, this is the only wildflower field guide Texans will need. If you want a desk reference, that's another matter.

Average customer rating:

The handiest pocket guide to flowers of the SW USA

Not Very Useful For This Novice

A Field Guide to Southwestern and Texas Wildflowers (Peterson Field Guides(R))
Theodore F. Niehaus
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Flowers | Plants | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
General | Botany | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
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A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers: Northern Arizona and New Mexico to British Columbia (Peterson Field Guides(R))

A Field Guide to Western Trees (Peterson Field Guides: 44)

A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain and Southwest Forests (Peterson Field Guides(R))

A Field Guide to Wildflowers : Northeastern and North-Central North America (Peterson Field Guides)

A Field Guide to Pacific States Wildflowers: Washington, Oregon, California and adjacent areas (Peterson Field Guides(R))

ASIN: 0395936128

Book Description

This guide, covering 1,505 species of wildflowers, groups flowers by color and plant characteristics for easy matching of pictures with specimens. With descriptions facing the more than 1,500 illustrations, all the information you need can be seen at a glance.

Customer Reviews:

The handiest pocket guide to flowers of the SW USA.......2006-10-16

According to ecologist Paul R. Ehrlich, "In this century, no one has done more to promote an interest in living creatures than Roger Tory Peterson, the inventor of the modern field guide." Peterson's "Guide to the Birds" - "the first modern field guide" - was published in 1934. Its pioneering approach relied on the use of visual characters rather than technical descriptions to identify species. This was achieved by grouping similar species together on a plate, using clear, two-dimensional illustrations, and pointers to key field marks as well as succinct text, a combination known as the Peterson Identification System. That revolutionary style was later applied to a host of field guides covering anything from the night sky to moths and geology to mushrooms and including the present volume.

"Southwestern and Texas Wildflowers" is Number 31 in the Peterson Field Guide Series, published in 1984 and still in the original edition. The format will, of course, be very familiar to all who have ever held or used a Peterson Field Guide - and to those it will probably be self-recommending. This volume treats 1,505 species found in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado. Over 1,500 illustrations are provided, some in colour, but the majority as clear line-drawings. The succinct text for each species is conveniently set opposite the plate depicting the plant.

Clearly this guide cannot and does not attempt to be a comprehensive guide to the flora of the region. However, I have found it to be an indispensable guide on my travels to Texas and Arizona. Personally, I much prefer the concise, densely packed format of the Peterson Field Guides to the newer photographic guides, of which there is now a plethora. However, beginners often seem to prefer the latter. In that case, a handy alternative for Texas might be Tull & Miller's "Wildflowers, Trees and Shrubs of Texas" which treats 600 species or, for Arizona, Epple and Epple's "Plants of Arizona" which covers 850 species.

Not Very Useful For This Novice.......2006-06-07

This book seems to be a Southwestern and Texas version of Newcomb's Wildflower Guide - though the organization is different as this one is organized based on color (with B&W drawings?). Descriptive information is pretty much the same as well as the drawings - the vast majority of which are in black and white - and the color ones don't have enough detail to help much with identification - at least not for this beginner.

An occasional wildflower, Nina Seawell Hannold 1880-1911: Homesteading in the Big Bend

Average customer rating:

An occasional wildflower, Nina Seawell Hannold 1880-1911: Homesteading in the Big Bend
Starlene DeBord
Manufacturer: Chataleh Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Naturalist's Big Bend: An Introduction to the Trees and Shrubs, Wildflowers, Cacti, Mammals, Birds, Reptiles and Amphibians, Fish, and Insects (Louise Lindsey Merrick Natural Environment Series, 33)

Average customer rating:

Nature boy, this book's for you
Good general naturalist's info
Great book, bad citations.
Plants and Animals at Big Bend

Naturalist's Big Bend: An Introduction to the Trees and Shrubs, Wildflowers, Cacti, Mammals, Birds, Reptiles and Amphibians, Fish, and Insects (Louise Lindsey Merrick Natural Environment Series, 33)
Roland H. Wauer , and C. M. Fleming
Manufacturer: Texas A&M University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Birdwatching | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1585441562

Customer Reviews:

Nature boy, this book's for you.......2007-07-19

Naturalist's Big Bend is a comprehensive overview of the flora and fauna of the Big Bend National Park region in Texas. Big Bend is unique for a couple of reasons. First, because the US/Mexico border dips south there, many species are found in the US only in this region. Secondly, as the climate changed following the last ice age, other species found themselves islanded in the cooler mountain ecosystems as the plains around them became deserts. These "sky islands" hold unique flora and fauna that has remained isolated for thousands of years.

Authors Wauer and Fleming have comprehensive first-hand knowledge of the park that comes through in every chapter. The book provides the advantage not only of their expertise but of their access to many unpublished Park Service and other reports and surveys of the park. The bibliography is the definitive go-to guide for anyone wishing to research any aspect of Big Bend's ecosystem. However, for a more personal tour of the park, you might prefer For All Seasons: A Big Bend Journal by author Wauer.

The book makes an excellent reference for the knowledgeable biologist or biology buff planning, enjoying, or remembering a visit to Big Bend National Park. Casual tourists will find the detail overwhelming and the illustrations miserly. With a bigger budget, this could have been a stunning illustrated field guide. As it is, most species rely on description alone for identification. There are a few black-and-white plates of plants, a limited number of fascinating black-and-white photos of animals, and a select group of stunning color photos that illustrate the diverse habitats found within the park.

Good general naturalist's info.......2006-03-07

My husband and I both found this useful and interesting for our recent weeklong trip to Big Bend. I would recommend it more as preparatory reading before the trip, or evening reading at your room or campsite while in the park, than as a guide to specific areas or species. Also it is best used with oher books accompanying it rather than relying on it alone, such as hiking, lizard, flower, or birding book too, depending on your interests. The bibiography uses up about the last quarter of this rather slim book. So you may want to get it way ahead of your trip then order more books from the bibliography or elsewhere.

Great book, bad citations........2005-12-14

This is a neat little book summarizing the flora and fauna of Big Bend National Park. It covers plants, birds, mammals, invertebrates, fish, and reptiles and amphibians, and provides a brief history. It is not an identification guide, but a listing of species of interest with some facts about them. There are better resources of information about birds and plants, but the other topics are rarely covered elsewhere aside from checklists available at the park.

My only problem with this guide is that they have provided in-text citations that are not in the bibliography! If you are going to cite sources in the text, please provide complete information *somewhere*. The bibliography lists lots of great sources, just not ALL of the sources used in the book. This lack of attention to detail is the reason I gave this book anything less than 5 stars.

Plants and Animals at Big Bend .......2004-12-27

Big Bend National Park has a variety of habitats for plants and animals. I was surprised to read that Big Bend counts more bird species than any other National Park in the US. Most of the park is desert, but the Rio Grande attracts water-loving species and the higher elevations of the Chisos mountains support trees normally associated with the Rocky Mountains hundreds of miles further north.

This is a fine little book. It has many color illustrations of the rugged terrain of the Big Bend, historical photos, black and white photos of animals and plants, and line drawings of wildflowers for identification purposes.

The book offers a capsule history of the Big Bend and a description of the five ecological zones in the park: floodplain, desert shrub, desert grassland, woodland formation and woodland. A chapter each is devoted to describing trees and shrubs, wildflowers, cacti, mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, fish, and insects and other invertebrates. An extensive bibliography will guide a reader who wants more information. The text is competently and clearly written with brief descriptions of each species and comments on its importance, uses, range, and habitat.

Smallchief

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