Customer Reviews

The Wildflower Book: East of the Rockies - A Complete Guide to Growing and Identifying Wildflowers (Stokes Backyard Nature Books)

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Perhaps the publisher has changed the subtitle since its initial publication in 1992. My book is subtitled "The Complete Guide to Growing and Identifying Wildflowers." Unlike their excellent Field Guide to Birds, this book is neither complete nor especially helpful for the identification of eastern wildflowers. There are two excellent chapters on Trilliums and Lady Slippers. Following these is a "gallery" of 87 plants with photographs, Some helpful for identification, some not close enough to be useful, (e.g.Hawkweed). It would be helpful to see the plant's leaves, yet they are frequently omitted from the photograph,(e.g. Yarrow and Queen Anne's Lace which are often confused). The growing tips are quite welcome. Most guides omit these. The fact that the authors have chosen their favorite plants and omitted the rest is this book's severest limitation. I took a drive today and wondered, "What is that gorgeous blue plant dotting the roadside? Could I grow it? What is that pinky splash of daisylike plants? Is that some kind of wild phlox growing by that stream bank?" The Stokes book did not help. I found the answers elsewhere.

The book is a nice addition to your wild flower library, but definitly not one to take with you for identification purposes.