Little Big Bend: Common, Uncommon, and Rare Plants of Big Bend National Park (Grover E. Murrray Studies in the American Southwest) (Paperback)

by Roy Morey (Author) "Big Bend National Park is located at the southeastern edge of the Basin and Range physiographic province in the United States, a region characterized by..." (more)
Key Phrases: narrowleaf moonpod, leafy heliotrope, fascicled bluet, Big Bend, Rio Grande, New Mexico (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
. . .the photos are spectacular, and the lighting and contrast are especially well done. . . .Technical data. . . is kept to a minimum, so the species discussions are informative but not cluttered. The result is an impressive book that carries on the 19th century gentleman naturalist tradition of scholarship, enthusiasm, beauty, and meticulous accuracy in illustration. --Nature Book Review

Designed for people who want to know what they are looking at in the park, this book is superbly done in text and photographs and is easy to understand. Not only does it depict many of the plants within the park, numerous photographs also capture the surrounding countryside and the beauty of the park. This is a must have book for your next trip to the park. --Kevin R. Tipple

Morey s treatment of the subtle botanical treasures of the Big Bend is an artful labor of love. The photographs are superb and remarkable. Roy has done it all with this fine volume. The historical accounts of the plant names and their authors is an education in itself and links the local Big Bend botany to the world of science. --David Riskind, Director, Natural Resources Texas State Parks

Product Description
Plant life in Big Bend National Park is incredibly diverse. The wide range of habitats within the park desert, foothills, mountains and moist woodlands, river canyons and floodplain as well as the Big Bend's three major blooming seasons of spring, summer, and fall guarantee a stunning show of botanical variety throughout the year.

Little Big Bend is not a traditional guide to the area s common plants. Although it features many species that are characteristic of the Chihuahuan Desert environment, species such as orchids are also included precisely because they are uncommon or rare and therefore a special thrill to find. Plants not seen in other wildflower guides, or those with a limited geographic range that the reader will less likely encounter elsewhere, are pictured here.

This guide describes 109 species found in the United States only in Trans-Pecos Texas; 62 of these occur only in the Big Bend portion of the Trans-Pecos, and 24 of them only within Big Bend National Park. Of the 252 featured species, 71 are considered sensitive plants; in Texas, 28 are classified as critically imperiled, 18 as imperiled, and 25 as vulnerable.

The emphasis of this book is on the little in the Big Bend, the overlooked small plants or inconspicuous tiny flowers of larger plants that so often go unnoticed. In a landscape so immense, these plants may be right before our eyes but seldom seen, or they may be tucked away and quite difficult to find. Here, in glowing photographs and insightful text, Roy Morey has brought them to light.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Texas Tech University Press (February 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0896726134
• ISBN-13: 978-0896726130
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #790,943 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reviewing: "Little Big Bend", July 7, 2008

By	Kevin Tipple (Plano, Texas) - See all my reviews

Devoted to the plants of Big Bend National Park this book also captures the stark beauty of the park. After brief sections on the preface, acknowledgement and design of the book, the book opens by explaining the environment in the short chapter headed, "Big Bend, The Land of Extremes." Along with rainfall rate, temperature extremes, elevation changes of thousands of feet, and other facts of interest the author also writes of the ecological diversity and the human influence on the park from the earliest hunters to modern time as well as the history of park itself.

That is followed by a brief section on how plants are named and a section on plants helpfully organized under the various family names. Page numbers are also noted for the family plant names making it easier for readers to find the pages grouped together for a certain family plant name.

Page 35 begins the actual heart if the book with a plant name, a close up color photograph and an easy to read and understand text on the plant. The text for each plant covers a description of the plant, where it is found, and some interesting history on the plant such as its reputation for inflicting damage on people and car tires (Lechuguilla), what the Aztecs used it for (Havard Agave) and other interesting information.


More than 250 pages later after a color picture of a beautiful Spanish dagger, the appendices begin. Appendix A is devoted to the status of the plants and how endangered they are in Texas. Appendix B is devoted to selected locations in the park such as Boot Canyon, Casa Grande, Panther Pass, and many others and the names of plants found at each location. Appendix C is devoted to the author's suggestions concerning photographing plants and necessary equipment. All of the pictures in the book were taken by the author and he explains how to achieve the quality photographs he does. Appendix D is a brief two page explanation of what sources were used for the names of the plants and why.


A glossary of terms, a list of sources for more information on the park, reference materials and an index brings this beautiful and easy to use book to a close. Designed for people who want to know what they are looking at in the park, this book is superbly done in text and photographs and is easy to understand. Not only does it depict many of the plants within the park, numerous photographs also capture the surrounding countryside and the beauty of the park. This is a must have for your next trip.


Kevin R. Tipple (copyright) 2008

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Six Stars, June 24, 2008

By	John R. Keller (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Big Bend National Park, which is located in southwest Texas along the Mexican border, contains more than 800,000 acres (which is larger than the state of Rhode Island). Due to its unique location, this park is sometimes referred to as three parks in one because it includes mountain, desert, and river environments. A short drive can take you from the Rio Grande River and its canyons, to a mile high mountain basin or the Chihuahuan desert. As a result, plant life within Big Bend National Park is highly diverse.

While book does contain a lot of information on the many of the common plants found in the park, the book primary focus is to provide information on those plants that are often overlooked by other guidebooks. Each of the hundreds of plants featured in the book has at least one high resolution photograph that accompanies the text that allows the reader/adventurer to easily identify the plant and its flowers.

Finally, unlike many guide books which fit into the back of your pocket, the book is a standard sized book, which allows for large sized pictures to be included.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Works for me, May 13, 2008

By	Jim C. Hunt (Texas) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Exceptional book for the southwest plant lover. Not an exhaustive study of all the plants in that area but a nice crisp focus on exceptional, interesting or the unusual ones. Photography is dead on the money. Highly recommended.