Wildflowers of the Columbia Gorge: A Comprehensive Field Guide (Jack Murdock) [Paperback]

Russ Jolley (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 331 pages
• Publisher: Oregon Historical Society Press; First edition (June 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0875951880
• ISBN-13: 978-0875951881
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #543,097 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice pictures, poorly organized, May 12, 2005

By 

Adam Schneider (Portland, OR, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wildflowers of the Columbia Gorge: A Comprehensive Field Guide (Jack Murdock) (Paperback)

This book is great for people who do a lot of hiking in the Gorge, as it contains color photos of just about every flower you're likely to see out there.

However: unless you're a botanist, the organizational scheme of the book is terrible. Rather than being grouped by color, or even shape, the flowers are organized by family (phlox family, pea family, rose family, etc.) -- and the casual wildflower enthusiast has no idea that, for example, something that looks like forget-me-nots must be in the waterleaf family. Even if you do know which family to look in, there are no running heads at the top of the pages to help you find what you're looking for, and they're not alphabetical but rather grouped into four "sections" that are not explained or introduced. So you basically have to find things either by using the index (assuming you know what the flower MIGHT be), or by leafing through the entire book every time.

I'm not saying you shouldn't buy this book, because nothing else covers the Gorge so thoroughly, but I'd recommend ALSO picking up something like the Audobon field guide (ISBN 0375402330), which does group flowers by color and shape and should point you in the right direction when trying to find things in the Gorge book. The upcoming "Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest" from Timber Press (ISBN 0881927457), due to be released in March 2006, should be even better.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Some excellent, some poor, August 15, 2006

By 

C. Roberts (Kalama, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wildflowers of the Columbia Gorge: A Comprehensive Field Guide (Jack Murdock) (Paperback)

If you spend any time in the Columbia River Gorge looking for wildflowers, this is a book you should have. Really, I'd like to give this book 3.5 stars, but Amazon doesn't permit that kind of specificity. It is, however, of virtually no use outside the gorge. The best part of the book is easily the lists of when species are in flower in each section (west, middle, east) of the gorge and places where you can find the best wildflower blooms throughout the year. The book is also very thorough, as virtually every flowering plant in the gorge is listed in the book.

Unfortunately, the book is extremely difficult to navigate because the flowers are organized by family. Also, there are no plant descriptions given, and, as such, it is impossible to tell the difference between similar species based on the photos. As for the photos, they are hit and miss, with some of them quite good, and others insufficient to identify a flower.

Overall, the book is worth getting for the lists of when plants are in flower and where, but as a field guide, it is insufficient. Pairing it with Turner and Gustafson's "Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest" would give you nearly all you need to find and identify most every flowering plant in the gorge.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Ultimate Guide to Wildflowers of the Gorge, November 7, 2004

By 

Doug Gorsline (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wildflowers of the Columbia Gorge: A Comprehensive Field Guide (Jack Murdock) (Paperback)

Jolley's book is an indispensable field guide for hikers, mountainbikers and motorists visiting the Columbia River Gorge. This book includes color photos and descriptions of all 744 known species found in the Gorge, including plants endemic to the Gorge. Includes blooming times and locations for each species. Also includes week-by-week trip suggestions for finding plants at the peak of bloom. Whether you are a casual visitor or a wildflower enthusiast, I guarantee that this book will enrich the hours that you spend in the Gorge.