What's Doin' the Bloomin'? Revised Edition:A Pictorial Guide to Wildflowers of the Upper Great Lakes Regions, Eastern Canada and Northeastern U. S. A. [Paperback]

Clayton Oslund (Author), Michele Oslund (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2002

A pictorial field guide to wildflowers, organized by season of bloom, for the Upper Great Lakes Regions, Eastern Canada and Northeastern USA. A comprehensive guide with over 340 species of native and naturalized plants, it is illustrated with more than 620 full color photos showing flowers, stems and leaves, fruits and habitat to better aid in identification. Sections on grasses and sedges, vines, flowering woody plants and ferns (plants without flowers) are included. Each species is described and identified by common and scientific names. Short guides to the naming of plants and how to use the book get the reader off to a fast start to use it efficiently. A section describing plant families along with indexes of common and scientific names and a bibliography round out the book. The Smyth-sewn binding and laminated cover give it durability.

Editorial Reviews

Review

" . . . a comprehensive guide . . . to be used in the field." -- Staff Writer, Daily Journal, International Falls, MN

" . . . photos of near-National Geographic quality." -- M. N., Reader Weekly, Duluth, MN

"Beautifully illustrated . . . much more than a simple reference text . . .provides interesting plant trivia." -- Staff Writer, The Pioneer, Bemidji, MN

"Will become the definitive wildflower resource of the Midwest . . . text is informative and excellent." -- HKG, Professor emeritus, U of Minnesota

"let me join others in thanking you for arranging your guide by the seasons! What a simple, helpful concept." -- D. A. W., Minnesota

From the Publisher

This field guide was designed to be a "fun to use book." Traditional style and format for field guidebooks were put aside to stimulate interest and to let the photos and topics dictate the presentation of each species included in the book. Some species are presented on two pages; habitat is included when space and need dictates. A one page section titled "Where to Find Them" gives useful hints on how to use the book effectively. Another introductory page titled "Name, Rank and Plant Family" provides an explanation of scientific versus common names. The guide clearly uses both plant names in separate indexes for ease of identification. The authors indicate that no single field guidebook is complete. Companion books with line drawings and more detailed descriptions will aid the most serious wildflower enthusiast.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 308 pages
• Publisher: Plant Pics; 2 Revised edition (January 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966739930
• ISBN-13: 978-0966739930
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 7.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,525,022 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great resource, April 30, 2003

By 

Kyle E. Troyer (East Tawas, MI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What's Doin' the Bloomin'? Revised Edition:A Pictorial Guide to Wildflowers of the Upper Great Lakes Regions, Eastern Canada and Northeastern U. S. A. (Paperback)

This is one of the finest books on Midwestern wildflowers. I originally bought the book for my mother and then needed one for myself. I continually pour through this book in anticipation of spring and as I find something in the woods that needs identifying. The book contains great pictures and is organized in general order of appearance in the wild.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Plant Identification Guide, July 9, 2010

By 

Ronald Clobes (Alexandria, MN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What's Doin' the Bloomin'? Revised Edition:A Pictorial Guide to Wildflowers of the Upper Great Lakes Regions, Eastern Canada and Northeastern U. S. A. (Paperback)

I bought this book at a State park in North Central Minnesota because it was laid out so one could identify plants by their flowers and the season they bloomed in. I had no problem thumbing through the book while on my walk and identifying the plants I was seeing. There are numerous cross references to similar looking flowers, and notes on how to tell the two plants apart. This book will go far in positively identifying plants for you.

The photographs are clearly reproduced in color. This is a BEAUTIFUL book. Not a lot of written material. The descriptions are brief so you'll need to do further research if you are looking into whether a plant is edible. The common name is given first followed by the Scientific name, followed by the Latin Family name with the common family name in parenthesis. For example: Bittersweet Nightshade, Solanum dulcamara, Solanaceae (Tomato) Family. The book is carryable on a nature walk, but if you are going for any distance, it will get heavy after a while. The book is aimed at the north eastern USA and South Eastern Canada. It covered most everything I saw on my walk today except for a "Grape" type of plant.

Non-native plants are are covered along with the native plants without any prejudice. Just a matter of fact "This is what grows here" type of book. A few of the common grasses are covered as well on 6 pages, but the emphasis is obviously on flowering plants here.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What's Doin the Bloomin' (Wildflowers), May 8, 2008

By 

geraldine Daily "flowergirl" (South Carolina, ny United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What's Doin' the Bloomin'? Revised Edition:A Pictorial Guide to Wildflowers of the Upper Great Lakes Regions, Eastern Canada and Northeastern U. S. A. (Paperback)

I ordered this book for my Mom for Mother's Day and was I surprised when I recieved it in the mail. The pictures are absolutely incredible and the descriptions are just as impressive. If this author had more books in this series, I would ABSOLUTELY buy them!! I'm sure that my mother will LOVE this book and use it as a reference every day.