National Audubon Society Field Guide to Florida [Hardcover]

National Audubon Society (Author), Peter Alden (Author), Rick Cech (Author)

Book Description

Series: National Audubon Society Regional Field Guides | Publication Date: May 26, 1998

Filled with concise descriptions and stunning photographs, the National Audubon Society Field Guide to Florida belongs in the home of every Florida resident and in the suitcase or backpack of every visitor. This compact volume contains:

An easy-to-use field guide for identifying 1,000 of the state's wildflowers, trees, mushrooms, mosses, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, butterflies, mammals, and much more;

A complete overview of Florida's natural history, covering geology, wildlife habitats, ecology, fossils, rocks and minerals, clouds and weather patterns and night sky;

An extensive sampling of the area's best parks, preserves, beaches, forests, islands, and wildlife sanctuaries, with detailed descriptions and visitor information for 50 sites and notes on dozens of others.

The guide is packed with visual information -- the 1,500 full-color images include more than 1,300 photographs, 14 maps, and 16 night-sky charts, as well as 150 drawings explaining everything from geological processes to the basic features of different plants and animals.

For everyone who lives or spends time in Florida, there can be no finer guide to the area's natural surroundings than the National Audubon Society Field Guide to Florida.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

With its colorful coral reefs, excellent birding, and tropical temperatures, Florida remains a popular vacation spot for the ecologically minded. In this concisely detailed volume you'll become acquainted with the state's geologic origins, natural history, and diverse habitats (salt marshes, mangrove swamps, prairies, and woodlands). A field guide assists in the identification of some of the region's wildflowers, trees, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, butterflies, mammals, and birds, including the elusive manatee, three species of dolphin, and the rare snail kite. An extensive sampling of the area's best parks, preserves, beaches, forests, islands, and wildlife sanctuaries, with thorough descriptions and visitor information on 50 destinations, is also included. For instance, the section on Everglades National Park includes information on wildlife viewing possibilities, driving directions, and popular touring attractions inside the park (such as Shark Valley, where a 15-mile loop via foot, rental bike, or tram affords close views of alligators, anhingas, and wading birds). Lesser-known areas such as Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge and Withlacoochee State Forest are also featured. More than 1,300 color photographs heighten the quality of this handy compilation.

From Scientific American

New regional guides put everything a naturalist needs to know for a nature walk at home or on family vacations in one pocket-size book: animals, plants and fungi plus information about climate, habitats and nature preserves. Other regions available.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Knopf; 1 edition (May 26, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 067944677X
• ISBN-13: 978-0679446774
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #33,991 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #6 in Books > Travel > Specialty Travel > Travel with Pets
  • #27 in Books > Science & Math > Nature & Ecology > Reference
  • #41 in Books > Travel > United States > Regions > South

More About the Author

Peter Alden, principal author of this series, is a birder, naturalist, author, and lecturer. He has led nature tours to more than 100 countries and is the author of books on North American, Latin American, and African wildlife. Peter organized an event called Biodiversity Day, the first of which took place in his hometown of Concord, Massachusetts.Rick Cech, author of several sections of this guide, is a nature writer, photographer, and founder of the North American Butterfly Association's newsletter, The Anglewing.Gil Nelson, regional consultant and author of the habitats, flora, and parks and preserves sections of this guide, is a naturalist, writer, and educator who has contributed articles to many national and regional magazines. He lives in Tallahassee, Florida.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good for what it is., May 19, 2003

By 

H. Gale "snowwish" (Tarpon Springs, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: National Audubon Society Field Guide to Florida (Hardcover)

This was one of the first reference books I picked up when I moved to Florida from up North, and it's been a valuable resource for identifying common flora and fauna in an unfamiliar region. Now that I AM familiar with the area, however, this guide isn't nearly as useful. Several times in the past month I have seen unfamiliar animals and insects (in my new affection for walking), and they haven't been included here.

The book includes the life that is COMMON to Florida, but if you have a desire to identify less common animals and plants, it's probably better to stick with the specialised field guides. Audubon usually does a better job than this, and make a few other books that are well put together and more inclusive than this one.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mile wide and inch deep, July 28, 2005

By 

James A. Dees "Darkling Thrush" (Cascadia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: National Audubon Society Field Guide to Florida (Hardcover)

This is the BEST nature guide I have found for Florida, but unfortunately that is not saying much. I have been spoiled by the wealth of naturalist and natural history books available for all different parts of the west, books which not only tell you how to ID a species, but which also give you enough information to feel like you know it afterwards.

I take young people on wilderness trips for a living, and enjoy sharing with them my love of nature. I especially enjoy introducing them to members of the natural community, neighbors they have had all their lives but probably have never taken time to become aquainted with. I grew up in the southeast, before heading west in search of adventure. Now I am back, working with at-risk and adjudicated youth, taking them on canoe paddles in old cypress swamps and along inter-coastal waterways. I normally find a variety of great books to take on trips for my kids to consult when they spot something new. But here in my old stomping grounds, this is the best I could come up with.

The National Audubon guides are great for covering a wide range of information, from weather to constellations to identifying plants and animals. But they won't tell you much of anything about those plants and animals. I know there are naturalists and writers in the south who can do better. Would love to find them (in print) someday soon.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book about stuff you will find in Florida!, October 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: National Audubon Society Field Guide to Florida (Hardcover)

This book is helpful because it contains descriptions of plants and animals, all of which you can find somewhere in Florida. This makes it easier to find out what you are looking at. It would be nice if it were divided by characteristics, at least more than how it is. I still like it a lot. Points out subtle differences among very similar plants and animals.