Customer Reviews

Western Forests (Audubon Society Nature Guides)

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this guide, as well as the others in this series, are an excellent first book or primary reference for those living or travelling in the areas they cover.

one of best points is that they are not exhaustive in their coverage. instead they focus on the most commonly seen species. so instead of flipping through endless pages of references to rare or seldom seen species, one can quickly find the specific plant or animal they encounter.

if one becomes more focused in study of a given type of plant or animal one can turn to more exhaustive and detailed texts -- such as audobon's own guides to birds, trees, mammals, etc.

i have found that this series is an excellent gift for those who are not specifically focused on nature studies. my parents enjoyed their gift copy -- as it enabled them to identify the trees and animals in their own back yard.

the specific entries are informative and interesting. the production values (photos, indexes) are excellent. and the opening essays are a special treat; they well written and well worth reading. they can inspire one to pay a bit more attention to the natural landscape even if all they do is drive through it.

This book is probably one of the best deals that you'll find if you're looking for a nature guide for the Western Forests area. It features the typical Audobon Society photos for easy identification, with a great deal of information. The best part is that plants, mammals, and birds are all combined into one book, so you don't have to buy separate guides. If you're taking a trip to the West Coast, buy this guide along with Bayard MCConnaughey's "Pacific Coast" (in the same Audobon series), and you're set.

Fantastic hiking reference for the Western Forests. We've used this for years and had to buy a new copy when we wore ours out. Covers everything from flora, fauna, birds, trees, you name it, it's here. For animals, gives paw prints, which actually saved us from an unnecessary encounter with a hungry mountain lion. For plants, it tells you what's edible, what's not, how to recognize them, and photographs them as well. The photos are superb. I've had my first copy twenty-five years and gave one to my boys when they started to discover the outdoors. A truly wonderful reference, covering the entire West Coast. Get the Pacific Coast book as well; very helpful when hiking in the redwoods and beachcombing the northern beaches of California, Oregon and Washington.

After moving to the Tahoe National Forest in California, we knew we needed a book to identify the wildlife, flora, trees and insects.This is simply the most perfect book. Clearly written, beautiful photos and well organized. We use it all of the time!Karyn Lepley

Without doubt, the best "Colored" pictures and information one could ask for!!