Customer Reviews

Wildflowers and Ferns of Kentucky

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this book meets my exact need in a field guide for this region. It provides excellent photos and essential ID facts. For a thorough knowledge base I have to do further research elsewhere, but this book is the gateway for seeing and knowing on site for these plants.

Not Since Wharton's 1979 "Wildflowers and Ferns of Kentucky" has there been such an inclusive and elegant treatment of the herbaceous flora of Kentucky. Dr. Barnes and Dr. Francis have created a work which leaves little room for improvement. Information is presented in an easy to read manner, forgoing technical terminology and jargon for more lay descriptions.

The book has two major sections, Ferns and Wildflowers, as the title would suggest. The fern section does an ample job of describing an oft overlooked group of forest plants. Pictures are clear and the descriptions are fairly concise. They have chosen to arrange the wildflowers by flowering period: Spring, Summer and Fall. Each flowering period is then further divided into the color of the bloom. While many botanists would discourage this method as it does not relate the familial associations of the various plants, it makes the guide much more useful to the target audience. Understanding the importance of knowing the familial relationships, they have included a section of text appended to the end of the guide which describes the families of plants described in the preceding sections for those interested. Once again, the photographs in this section are lovely and the text does a good job of pointing out key characteristics necessary for identification.

As a whole this book is a wonderful treatment of the ferns and wildflowers of Kentucky. There are more technical works out there but they are neither as readable or as packable as this one. This is an essential addition to any nature lover or naturalist in the state.

I ordered this book hoping it would provide clear pictures of wilf flowers and it does. It would be a great reference when in the field.