Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(4)
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3 star:		(2)
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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.

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.

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.

CLEAR GLOSSY COLOR PHOTOS OF EACH FLOWER, THE SCIENTIFIC AND COMMON NAMES, HABITATS AND BLOOMING DATES MAKE YOUR COLUMBIA GORGE WILDFLOWER IDENTIFICATION A SNAP! THIS BOOK IS A MUST FOR THE LIBRARY OF THE GORGE HIKER, BOTANIST OR ANYONE WHO APPRECIATES THE SPECTACULAR BEAUTY AND DIVERSITY OF THIS NATURAL SCENIC AREA.

One of the very best area-specific wildflower books ever. Descriptions and photographs make identification easy. The guide to location includes best times to go, roads to travel and paths to follow.

This difficult to find book is exactly what I was looking for. A perfect compilation with easy reference index and detailed photos.