Customer Reviews

National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers: Western Region

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I take this (as well as the Peterson Field Guide to Pacific States Wildflowers) with me on all my wildflower hunting trips. The extensive color photos are extremely helpful for identifying wildflowers. Flowers are organized by color. This has by far more real flower pictures than the Peterson Field Guide.

"What kind of wildflower is this, Dad?"

"I don't know?"

"Is it poisonous?"

"I don't know."

"It's sure pretty."

"Yes, it is pretty."

The above was always my reply to my children's questions about the wildflowers we saw whenever we took our family journeys into the Great Basin Desert, or high into the Pahvant Mountains. I got tired of saying, "I don't know." Well, because of the "National Audubon Society's Field Guide to Wildflowers" (Wester Edition) I know now, to tell my children to stay away from the (poisonous) Water Hemlock which I always thought previously was wild carrots. Now I can answer their question and impress them with my knowledge at the same time.

I would like to suggest this field guide to any of you family outdoor enthusiasts, especially fathers, so you don't get caught in the I don't know syndrome. The same applies for all the birds you see on your excursions--"What kind of bird is that, Dad?"--sound familiar? Well don't fret, you can click on my name, in this review, and find a field guide to Birds. Then you'll be doubly prepared.

Good luck,

from a father like you.

All of Audobon's books are great because they will fit in a pocket or day-pack. Nicely organized and includes awesome full color pictures that really help in the identification. The information on the flowers is very extensive. A must for anyone who likes flowers and wants to know what kind they have.

The book is well organized, comprehensive, and fairly easy to use. Flowers are organized by color, like the Audubon bird books. The only problem I find is that the pictures of foliage are not always clear because the focus is on the flowers. Unfortunately, most wildflowers have a fairly brief period of bloom. The difficulty of identifying a plant by foliage limits the usefulness of the book slightly.

This relatively small, plastic-covered guide is a gem - easy to use and far more comprehensive than any of the dozen region specific books I own. It contains 660 flower pictures; the photographic technique and printing quality are excellent. Wildflowers are grouped first by blosson color and then by one of five basic blossom styles. The system makes quick work of identifying new plants. Cross reference numbers link to a second section which has descriptions sorted by botanical family. It's the most useful guide I've come across.

This is a must have resource book for beginning to understand and identify Wild flowers...Although it is not the final chapter in identification it sure will get you started and is easy to follow and categorize. The images and corresponding icons flow brilliantly for ease of identification...Fits nicely in the Saddle Bag or field pocket of and explorer jacket and is very durable and colorful...I carry it every time I saddle up in the high country of the Cascades...to the deserts of the northwest...Photographer William J. Erickson [...] [...]

The book is very nice.It makes for a nice reference book. I will buy more in the series soon. I do hate writing reviews, if I dont call there is no complaint.

I bought this in Utah when we were down around Capitol Reef National Monument. I am still not sure what flower I was trying to identify, because there were so many similar ones. I live in Boise, and there are tons of bachelor's buttons here in the spring. Nowhere in that book is there a picture of one. There is a slight mention of centaurea cyanis on p. 364, but that's it. For something this pervasive, I would think it would get more than just a footnote. This book is not very thorough at all.

The book arrived quickly and in the condition as described. It was a pleasure doing business with this seller.

We live in Arizona so we chose the guide for the Western Region. However, on a recent trip to the Mogollon Rim the guide didn't have 5 out of the 7 flowers we found. We liked the layout but it just didn't give us enough flowers. That makes it a waste of our money. Very disappointing.